When to size and lube boolits?

[paulsnapp]

After I am done casting a few hundred boolits, how long should I wait before I size and lube them? Right away are they softer and size better? A wait period for them to harden for better sizing? Is there a wait period that is too long that they become too hardened for best sizing? Thanks for any advice!

[lka]

After I am done casting a few hundred boolits, how long should I wait before I size and lube them? Right away are they softer and size better? A wait period for them to harden for better sizing? Is there a wait period that is too long that they become too hardened for best sizing? Thanks for any advice!

I've done them at all different times and haven't noticed a difference, good question tho.

I would just do it when you can, load them and shoot the bad boys.

[btroj]

I size when I can. Life makes that a requirement.

[emorris]

paulsnapp, I see that check out the same fourms (THR). You were right to ask here first though (haha). Form what I posted there - For Pistol bullets (short an fat), I usually size them the next day or two or three, but usually no more than a week. For skinney bullets like 22 cal, I wait at least a week to let them harden some. If I size them too early they will bend or squish the nose riding section. I got in too big of a hurry once and sized them too soon. I ended up with some nice 22 cal wad cutters to run in my 223

[HARRYMPOPE]

as soon as they cool enough to handle.

[williamwaco]

as soon as they cool enough to handle.

ditto.


If you can pick them up with your bare hands, they are ready to size, lube, and load.

[Shiloh]

As needed.

Shiloh

[Larry Gibson]

For best results, if it's a ternary alloy, I wait 7 - 10 days before sizing, lubing and shooting. Takes that long for the alloy to age harden if AC'd. If WQ'd I wait 24 hours minimum but prefer 48 for the bullets to fully harden. Sizing also work softens the area sizied.

That being said you certainly can size, lube, load and shoot a bullet as soo as it cools. If the bullet can withstand the stresses of firing in it's softer state then it will shoot just as well as when fully age hardened. However, if it needs the hardening to shoot accurately then obviously sizing and shooting before it is age hardened will prove less than accurate.

Larry Gibson

[Mike Kerr]

I like Shiloh"s answer the best.

[44man]

I think it is going to depend on how much you size.
I don't see any differences even if boolits sit years because I don't really size. A .432" boolit or a .431" boolit will go through a Lee .432" die to remove excess lube.
I suppose if you need to size and let boolits age harden and expand, they will get hard on a lube sizer.
A small amount of sizing will soften the surface but should not be deep enough to affect grip to rifling.

[kudoo]

As s o o n as you can !

[ku4hx]

I've sized and lubed as soon as they've cooled and weeks, months and even years later. I never found that it really made a difference how long I waited. I have more of a "batch oriented" obsession so I cast a few thousand and then size (if needed) and lube them all and dust with Motor Mica. I then store them in essentially air tight containers: 40 oz peanut butter jugs or the large Coffee Mate jugs. Crack open one of those and even years later you can still smell the mineral spirits. That's generally for the tumble lubed boolits.

If I use my Lyman 450, I generally wait until maybe the day before I plan to load to size and lube. I'm still using a rather soft lube and boolits lube with it don't store well at all in jugs. Lube just gets rubbed and rolled all over the place.

[Larry Gibson]

Goes to show what many "like" and what many "do" does not necessarily correlate to what is "best" in answer to the question.

Larry Gibson