Sizing

[Sprintcardriver]

I just got my sizer and sizing die from the brown truck today. Was all excited until I determined that I didnt order a top punch. UCK!!!! Anyway I was looking to see if I could make one when I found an discussion on sizing.

Some was saying that he didnt size or lube his boolits. Of course I see this after I purchased my new equipment.

Now what I am doing is casting / reloading for pistol and for practicing only.

So I guess I have two questions:
1. Do I need to size and lube for practice
2. Can I make my own top punch. I do have the machining equipment and do make lots of chips. If so, where can I get the specs for one..

Thanks.

Don "Ho"

[docone31]

You might try some unsized and unlubed.
If they are light loads, who knows. It all depends on what size they are cast as.
I fired some commercial swaged 45ACP round nose bullets once. I couldn't wait untill I got rid of them. Leading, stove pipes, yuck!
The mess could have been from a variety of reasons. Load data for jacketed, new barrel, not to mention new at reloading.
Who knows, try a few. I have heard good things from as cast shooting.

[DLCTEX]

I have a hard time with metal to metal contact without lube, was a mechanic too long I guess, it's just counter intuitive. As to not sizing, the barrel of the gun does the same mechanical operation as the sizer, if the boolits aren't large or hard enough to boost pressure too much, there is no problem. I have fired a lot of unsized, tumble lubed boolits in my 1911, but don't like the LLA build up in my dies, so I prefer to run them through the lubrisizer. I need to try diluting the LLA and see if that reduces the buildup enough to suit me. DALE

[44man]

Yes you can make your own punch. Just fit one end to go into the upper part snug, leave a small shoulder and fit the other end just a little smaller diameter then the internal part of the size die. Bore out the end a little. Start a boolit straight into the die a little and fill the end of the punch with a good epoxy. Make sure you lube or wax the boolit nose and set the punch on the boolit to squeeze out excess. Let it get hard and trim it. You now have a perfect fit.
The upper length is 7/16", diameter about .265", the shoulder is about 1/8", dia about .500" and the lower length is 11/32" to 3/8".
Here is a picture to help.

[copdills]

good information

[Sprintcardriver]

Thank you gentlemen. Guess I will stay with the sizing and lubing. Sounds to be better all the way around. No I am off to the shop to make some chips.

Thanks

[dakotashooter2]

I have often substituted the "wrong" top punch provided it didn't significantly deform the bullet. I use a RN punch regularly on a couple of my FN bullets as it slightly rounds the edges and seems to help feeding. In a pinch an appropriately sized nail inserted in the space for the punch can get the job done on a FP bullet provided you can get them to start reasonably straight.


:castmine:

[Boomer Mikey]

What you didn't say is what style of boolit and caliber/type of firearm.

If your boolit is a flat nose you don't need to do the epoxy routine, a flat nose punch will work fine.

If you have the machine tools you should have a pin gage set... use it to find the inside diameter of the hole in your sizer's ram and make your nose punch a close fit; factory nose punch shanks are undersize - sloppy fit. Mine are about 0.268".

Turn the nose punch body for a close fit to your sizing die (0.001" smaller than the ID of the die.) Measure the ID of the die; most are 0.001" smaller than the number stamped on them because boolits will springback a little after going thru the die.

Boolits should be sized to be slightly larger than revolver cylinder throats and 0.001" - 0.002" larger than your barrel groove diameter or larger to fit the rifle/pistol throat.

If you have the tools, why not make the parts better than you can buy?

You want the best possible sprint car you can get,

How's the new Smithy 44man?

Boomer :Fire:

[Dave B]

Just tumble lube with Lee Liquid Alox and shoot em. You might be surprised. If they aren't so big that they won't go into the chamber, they will size themselves on the way out. What are you shooting ?

[ryan richards]

My esteemed CBOs,

Being new to this activity, what is obvious to you is unknown to me. Some easy questions:

1) What sizing dies do I need to properly size a 380 ACP, 38 Special and a 38
Super to a slugged barrel? I have on my shopping list the Lee Lube and Size
Kit .356, .357, 358 diameter. Is this all I need?

2) Punch dies? Is this something extra I need or does it come with my Lee Kit?

I know that I may not need them, however, since I live 2000 miles up the Amazon river, with no roads leading to Iquitos, the brown truck won't be seen here.

Ryan

[Sprintcardriver]

I am shooting 45 acp and 9mm right now. Mostly 45. (Waiting for my mold for both 9mm and 45 acp from the group buy to come in lol!).

Right now I am casting 45 apc. The boolits are measuring out to .454 - .455. I need to be at .452 so I will be sizing.

Just because I have the machines does not make me a machinist or an engineer. I can read blue prints and copy what I have or have seen. On the top punch, I was not sure of any of the measurements. Now that I have seen a couple and have an inkling of what is going on, I will be able to make what I need here, (or in my case, make alot of chips until I get what I want.. ) including sizing dies..

But again, Thanks for all the help guys..

[Boomer Mikey]

My esteemed CBOs,

Being new to this activity, what is obvious to you is unknown to me. Some easy questions:

1) What sizing dies do I need to properly size a 380 ACP, 38 Special and a 38
Super to a slugged barrel? I have on my shopping list the Lee Lube and Size
Kit .356, .357, 358 diameter. Is this all I need?

2) Punch dies? Is this something extra I need or does it come with my Lee Kit?

I know that I may not need them, however, since I live 2000 miles up the Amazon river, with no roads leading to Iquitos, the brown truck won't be seen here.

Ryan

380 -- .356 or .357
38 Super -- .356 or .357
38 special as large as .360

Slug the barrels and use sizer's 0.001" to 0.002" larger than your barrel's groove diameter. For revolvers, use the throat size of the chamber (exit holes) in the cylinder and add 0.001". There are printed standards that in reality are just guidelines.

Push-pull sizers Lyman/RCBS/Saeco use a top punch and a sizing die together with stick lubes (NRA formula, Felix Lube, etc.) to size and lubricate boolits.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lymanproducts/images/sizingd.jpghttp://www.lymanproducts.com/lymanproducts/images/bulltlub.jpghttp://www.cnczone.com/gallery/data/9030/medium/RCBS_Lubrisizer_Handle-4.JPG

Lee sizing kits use a push through die and a push pin in your reloading press with Lee Liquid Alox lube (LLA).

http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/shoppingcart/lubekit.jpg

A caster would normally purchase a specific nose punch for use while sizing a boolit cast from a specific mold in RCBS or Lyman sizers (dies and nose punches for these two brands are compatible); SAECO sizers use different dies and nose punches but SAECO does provide Lyman/RCBS style nose punches for their molds. Lee doesn't provide nose punches for their boolit designs, and instead use push pins provided in their sizing kits to push boolits through their press mounted sizing die nose first.

Boomer :Fire:

[454PB]

I made a lot of my nose punches. One tip I'll pass along is to turn the O.D. of the punch small enough to enter the sizing die. This allows it to enter the die for boolits that are short and/or have lube grooves at the front.

[44man]

Boomer, the Granite is a joy to use. I am milling blocks for a bunch of molds. Powered slide and crossfeed, either direction even with the mill. No more popeye arms from turning the leadscrew.
I can't sell the CB1220, no calls so it is in the garage. I can't even find a buyer for $800. :neutral: I might make it into a wood turner! :drinks:

[leftiye]

44man, I've got a small (12x40) Craftsman lathe that I had that problem with, couldn't sell it. One of the guys that came by to look at it wanted me to give it to him - literally. Said if I couldn't sell it he would do me a favor and take it off my hands!

[44man]

With close to $2000 in it, I would wrap it greased rags and store it in the barn for some archeologist in the future! :mrgreen:
I wanted to sell it so I could buy a 4 jaw chuck, a C-5 chuck (I have all of the collets.) and a faceplate for the Granite. I have no way to cut my sprue plates on it. So the old one is still useful to me.

[floodgate]

44man:

"I might make it into a wood turner! "

Actually, I do a LOT of wood turning on my old Smithy AT300 (300mm =12"; the earlier name for your 1220). Wore out one motor switch with all the high-speed "off-on-reverse" cycles, but everything else has held up well. I DO get tired of cranking the feed, though.

floodgate