Who uses siZers

[pearcetopher]

Hi guys,

I have been casting for a good year now and Ive noticed every once in a while I will have an extreme oversized bullet or undersized bullet that ruins my day

Ive thought about using sizers but generally my stuff works ok as cast.

Howmany people here size?

[Love Life]

A bunch.

[MT Gianni]

Every caster I know.

[btroj]

I sure do, every bullet I shoot was sized.

[freebullet]

^^^ ditto. I like consistent accurate boolits.

[fredj338]

I started with the Lee hand/hammer sizer & pan lubing. Pita, so went to a Lyman, not a ton better. Then bought a Star, the only way to fly IMO. I like all my bullets the same size, especially using mixed brass. The Star/Magma is by far the fastest way to lube/size.

[Bzcraig]

More often than not

[mikeym1a]

Greetings! Welcome to the club. My first cast boolits were for my pistols. They were dropped from Lee molds of the micro-groove style, and tumble-lubed. The directions from Lee say they seldom need sizing. AND, from my limited experience with my pistols, that is correct, at least with my pistols. I know what the groove size is for my guns, and check them when dropped to make sure they are correct, and if so, I lube, load, and shoot. My rifles, well, that's another story. I've got bunches of sizers for the different guns. But long guns are a bunch different. There should be some "stickies" relating to this. I am learning to paper patch for my guns, and that requires 2 different sizers for each gun. Try and find the sticky, and read, read, read. It's interesting stuff. Hope this helps a bit. mikey

[MT Chambers]

You need to size and lube all at once, or you are going to spend way too much time and energy messing around, a Star machine is best followed by RCBS/Lyman...this is for folks that cast, reload, and shoot a lot.

[Walter Laich]

Add me to the sizers list. I use a Lyman for lead bullets and a Lee push through for powder coated ones.

[Down South]

I size every boolit that I cast.

[Vagabond55]

Add me to the list as well. Sized ever since casting way back when. Got a RCBS, a Lyman, a Saeco, and Lee push thru sizers. Don't think i ever shot a boolit that wasn't sized.

['74 sharps]

Gave up sizing when my 45-70's shot better @ 200 yds with unsized bullets. Have never sized pistol bullets.

[jrmartin1964]

There are two lubricator/sizers on my bench, and every boolit I cast is eventually put through one of them. I like my boolits round.

Jim

[dubber123]

I have 3 sizers, I size almost every boolit, unless I need a size larger than my biggest die. For those I will hand lube enough to try, and if they work better for me, the appropriate die will be ordered or made.

[Doc Highwall]

I size all my bullets and lube at the same time. There are a few people who have custom moulds made that will drop bullets at the size they need and pan lube or use a sizing die that is .001" larger so as not to size the bullet.

[gray wolf]

I size em all

[RobS]

Each one of mine pass through a sizer of some sort.

[buck1]

I will split from the pack a bit here. If I have a boolit more than 3 thou over sized for my gun I size it down to about 2 thou over sized. I have honed most of my sizer dies out to size very little if at all. My sizers are used more as a way to fill the groves with my lube. My favorite sizer is a rifled barrel. If I could find a way to fill my lube groves with my lube, faster and easier than a sizer. I would hardly ever use my sizers.
At one time I sized everything and slowly over time my results led me away from it.
For rifle bullets a push through is my favorite . I rub the boolit with lube and run it through. Its slower but shoots better for me............Buck

[Old Dawg]

Most of mine are for handguns. Regardless I don't size any of them. That is what barrels are for,

[bangerjim]

You shoot WITHOUT sizing???????? I know some mold makers claim "NO SIZING REQUIRED".....but do not believe everything your hear (ObummerScare anyone?)

I size EVERY boolit I shoot as many have also said. Only takes a short time and guarantees prefect and accurate boolits.

I size AFTER casting and AFTER PC coating. Everyone.....every time. Lee sizing dies are dirt cheep.....I just throw the LLA away! Buy one for every size you cast.

banger

[DLCTEX]

I have loaded TL boolits in the past without sizing. Now everything gets run through a lubesizer, RCBS or Lyman, and lubed with Ben's Red or Carnuba Red. I may TL some with Recluse lube in the future if shooting volume picks up again after powder and primers become more available.

[captaint]

I size them all. They all have to get loobed, so they get sized at the same time. I do love my Star. It's my favorite loading tool. Years ago, when we sized a boolit, the size die actually "cut" the boolit to size, with sharp edges. Now, the sizers just squeeze the boolit to size. Much less damage than back in the day.
Taking off too much diameter is not good, say much more than 2 thou, but it doesn't wreck the boolit like it used to. Mike

[dtknowles]

I think that while sized bullets are more round. I think that sizing bullets can make them less concentric. I like using a lubrisizer because it is the easiest/cleanest way to lube in the grooves. If I am casting well the bullets are very uniform in diameter so I am thinking about ways to lube them without sizing them. I have some Lee tumble lube that I have not tried. I have tried pan lubing but it is messier than I can stand for more then just a few. I would almost rather finger lube than pan lube. I might feel differently about the pan lube thing if I was using it on larger bullets but on little .22's and .32's I end up with lube on my fingers and my seating stem. With the Lubrisizer I can get it adjusted to only get the lube in the grooves. I am considering getting some more sizing dies that are a little larger so as not to size the bullets as much as I do seem to get good accuracy with oversize (more than 0.002 in. over groove) bullets.

Tim

[Any Cal.]

I only have sizers in a couple calibers, so some cals are never sized. It is all about the same to me, but sizers will help you do more with a single mold since more... um, sizes of boolit will be available.

[dragon813gt]

Every bullet I cast gets sized.

[fastfire]

I size AFTER casting and AFTER PC coating. Everyone.....every time. Lee sizing dies are dirt cheep.....I just throw the LLA away! Buy one for every size you cast.

banger

THIS^^^^^^

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Hi guys,

I have been casting for a good year now and Ive noticed every once in a while I will have an extreme oversized bullet or undersized bullet that ruins my day

Ive thought about using sizers but generally my stuff works ok as cast.

Howmany people here size?

I size most of the boolits I cast. But a few of my molds drop just the right size and if a quick tumble lube is all that's necessary, that's all I do.
BUT...
I'd recomend a newbie to size them all, if for no other reason that you said in the OP...that I highlighted... UNIFORMITY will give the best accuracy.
Once you develop good casting technique, you won't have oversized boolits.

[TXGunNut]

Every boolit, every time. Consistency is my goal and with my moulds and my guns I feel a trip thru a sizer is required. My tumble lube boolits go thru a Lee sizer and most GG boolits go thru the Lyman 4500. I'm sure there are moulds and guns that shoot fine with unsized boolits, in many cases my sizers barely touch the boolit, if at all.

[brotherdarrell]

Is sizing necessary?

IF the boolits from a mold are the correct size AND you are tumble or pan loobing then the answer is no. I am not fortunate enough to own molds that drop at the perfect size, with any alloy all the time. I also do not pan or tumble loob. Added to this I go to great pains to find the correct size for each firearm and do my best to get the boolit to that size.

I will also throw in another monkey wrench. I am not fortunate to have a reliable source of known alloy; therefore, I am always dealing with "mystery" alloys. As we are all aware (right?) different alloys can give different diameters from the same mold. These different alloys may also "size" differently. Alloy A may go through a .310" sizer and come out .3102". Alloy B may go through the same sizer and come out .3105". Now this may not sound like much but in some cases it may be critical. My Ar has a very tight throat. Any boolit over .225" will shave lead or seat the boolit deeper on chambering. I have three different sizer dies to get various alloys to come out the right size.

This is a going the long way to answer your question. Yes, every boolit I shoot goes through a sizer, if only to get loob in the groove.

Darrell

[plainsman456]

I size all of them,except for the ones i hand lubed un-sized for a 1873 trapdoor.

They shot well at 1200 yards when we allowed for the wind.

[Beagle333]

[smilie=s: Me!!!

(on everything... even powdercoated. I just don't lube those.)

[Pb2au]

I hate variables. So I size everything.

[DrCaveman]

I didnt size when i first started. That was with lee TL boolits. Worked ok

As i progressed to more traditional style molds, i found that the irregularities of casting (pot/alloy temp, alloy makeup, mold temp, cavity inconsistencies) led to headaches when trying to seat and crimp boolits. Case mouth expanding needed to allow for the largest boolit within the run, so was much larger than needed for some boolits

If you cast perfect, then probably dont worry about sizing. If, on the other hand, you are human, then you may consider sizing, for the consistency it brings when seating the boolit. Oh, and generally better roundness.

Last time i tried 'unsized' i left my revolver barrel with something like a 1/32" skin of lead from breech to muzzle. Rare, sure, but it left a bad taste regarding shooting unsized

[azrednek]

As a rule I size everything with two exceptions. The Lee TL 148 Wadcutter for some reason shoots better for me unsized. Don't know why, one would think consistency would be the key to shot to shot accuracy but the proof is in the pudding or really on paper. I'm shooting them at short ranges with mild loads (2.6-3.0 Bullseye).

About a year or so ago. I shot a handful of various unsized Lee 458's loaded with 45/70 Rolling block data in a 458 Win Mag. They were pleasantly mild to shoot and the shot to shot accuracy via irons at 100 yards were surprisingly well clustered. For a plinking load the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" principle applies. Before I get serious with the 458 I'll need to slug the barrel and size accordingly.

Back to the 38. I tried shooting sized and unsized Lee TL 158 semi-wadcutters loaded max, near max and +P's. On paper the results were just the opposite of the unsized 148 wadcutters. Two batches with one being tumble lubed and sized .358 with a Lee push-tru and another conventionally sized with a hard lube did considerably better than the unsized.

As far as deciding to size or not to size. You will never be satisfied until you have tried it both ways. I would be more worried about under sized making a mess of your bore. Over sized if you can buy what Richard Lee claims. If it chambers, it will shoot. Lee push-thru sizing dies are not an expensive investment. I suggest you try it. If you push a slug through you suspect being under sized, discard it. Compare your sized and unsized for shot to shot accuracy. My guess you will be in the size everything frame of mind after comparing the results on paper.

[Big Steve]

I have been having great luck with just tumble lubing, loading, and running the loaded ammunition through a Lee Factory Crimp Die. Nothing sized, zero issues. If a bullet is a little out of spec, the Lee FCD takes care of it. Been doing this with .45 acp, .38/.357, 9mm, 40 S&W. Great performance so far. Sure, using the FCD is an extra step in the process, but sizing would be too.

[Lead Fred]

I have a Lee pass though sizer for every caliber I cast for

[Rick Hodges]

I usually size...with a Lee push through. Either pan lube or tumble lube. I just purchased a HF powder coat gun and will begin to experiment with that. If the boolits need sizing they will go through the Lee size die.

[6bg6ga]

Want accuracy? Then size. I have two of them.

[1bilmr59]

When I start casting I will size.

[FLHTC]

Obviously there are many here who size and some who don't. An easy experiment is to buy a Lee Sizing kit for just one caliber. Load a few dozen rounds unsized and then, load the same amount sized. Shoot them at separate targets and compare the results. That in itself will convince even the die hard skeptic about sizing.

[hotbrew]

Pick what works for you. I size to make sure the round chambers and just fits the cylinder throat, makes shooting much more fun!

hotbrew

[Shiloh]

Those who want consistency and the culling of undersize boolits use sizers.
There are A LOT who use sizers.

Shiloh

[texassako]

I load unsized and sized depending on the application. A lot of what I have read states sizing damages lead; so I try to size as little as possible. I find a mold the size I need instead. The Lee TL358-158-SWC has consistently given the best accuracy in my .357, and it is only tumble lubed then loaded. I also shoot a lot of 35891 wadcutters that worked just as well unsized as sized. A lot of my rifle bullets are run through my 450 lubesizer just to apply lube and crimp the gas check with a die the same size or .0005" larger than the bullet. I also shoot quite a few that need sizing to fit, especially ones that fit several different guns.

[Shuz]

Obviously there are many here who size and some who don't. An easy experiment is to buy a Lee Sizing kit for just one caliber. Load a few dozen rounds unsized and then, load the same amount sized. Shoot them at separate targets and compare the results. That in itself will convince even the die hard skeptic about sizing.

Well said!-- I have 3 Lyman 45's and 1 Saeco sizer. Everything I shoot gets sized and lubed and maybe gas checked.