Need help on Top Punch for Lee Mold 125gr RNFP, See Pics

[DBrown]

I have been casting my own bullets for 38 Special/357 Magnum for quite a while now. I am using a Lee 6 cavity #90306 .358-125gr Round Nose Flat Point mold. It spits out pretty good bullets pretty quickly. I have been using Lee Liquid Alox lubrication and it works just fine. I have had no leading in the barrels of my pistols or rifle. The bullets are a little sticky or tacky when sizing and reloading.
I guess since everything was going well I decided to try something different. I came across a RCBS Lube-a-Matic in good shape for a really good price so I decided to give it a try. I have a 0.357 sizing die and purchased a RCBS #633 (85633) Top Punch for their Cowboy Bullet. nIt was the closest thing I could find. Well, it leaves an indentation around the top of the bullet that I don't like although I don't know if it will have any actual effect on the accuracy. I just don't like the way it looks.
My questions are:

Will this effect accuracy?
Is there a better Top Punch for the Lee Mold?
Is there a way to make a customized TP (JB Weld)?
Any other suggestions?


Thanks for the help.:castmine:

[billyb]

make one from a bolt.cut of the thread chuck it in a drill and use a file to round out the head, make the head of the bolt flat. flat to fit the meplat on the top of the boolit. Bill

[Jon K]

If you have a spare punch with a larger cavity than your boolit, you can use JB Weld to fit to your boolit.

Here's a few that may work for that mould:
RCBS #607
Lyman #429
Saeco #37570

Jon

[cajun shooter]

You can just file or Dremel down the punch until its flat and size away!!

[Sprue]

I had that very same issue recently when I bought a new Lee 457-340-F mold for 45/70. It was a RFN boolit.

The flat surface on this Top Punch is a lot more wider than the flat surface on top of the boolit. But then I don't think it would work too good with soft alloy.

This used to be a a 3/8" bolt:

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh266/spilihp_2007/TopPunch2.jpg

[DLCTEX]

A trick I used this weekend on some 243 boolit was to put a wad of aluminum foil in the nose punch and press it down on the boolit. This is easily removed to go back to it's original intended use. A tip I picked up on this forum. DALE Or get the six punch kit from Buckshot and make it conform to the boolit It's a bargain.

[GP100man]

lyman top punch #495 .
look at the profile of lymans "cowboy" boolit.

GP100man :castmine:

[Calamity Jake]

My questions are:

Will this effect accuracy?
Is there a better Top Punch for the Lee Mold?
Is there a way to make a customized TP (JB Weld)?
Any other suggestions?


Thanks for the help.:castmine:[/QUOTE]








You got your ?'s answered on the top punch and no the one your using should not effect accuracy but the way there being sized will, the 2 pic's on the left show more sizing on one side than the other, this will throw the boolet out of balance. You need to check alighnment of TP to sizing die in that LAM and make sure the bases are square to the sides of the boolets, also the early size dies did not have a leadin angle at the top of the die which allows for proper alighnment of boolet to die, if your .357 die is an early one with no leadin then your may be gettting some shaving of the sides of your boolets.

[John Boy]

Any other suggestions?
Yes, Jake. Read Dale's post about using aluminum foil.

I shoot match grade 400-570gr bullets out to 1000yds using BPCR's. I stumbled on the aluminum foil trick one night ... about 5 years ago when I needed bullet 'X' for some reloads and couldn't find the top punch.

I cast these match grade bullets anywhere between 1:10 to 1:30 for my rifles. Also, there is no impact on bullets that are WW's or PP ones
either. Never have I had an inaccurate reload or a bullet that was moved out of being concentric using the aluminum foil to make a needed top punch.

Plus it is easy - fast and inexpensive. I have stopped buying a specific top punch for every specific bullet. Allows to buy more powder and primers ... [smilie=1::-D

[happy7]

If you haven't slugged your bore/throats, you might want to. A .357 sizer is on the small size. Mostly for 38/357 you would expect to size 0.358 or larger, unless you gun is on the tight side.