Sizing and Tumble Lubing Questions

[spur0701]

Realitive noob here. I've started casting and loading a Lee 401-175-TC for 40S&W. The first batch I did dropped a little big, (183 g, .403 at the seam, and .405 across the seam). I tumble lubed with JPW, sized to .401, then tumble lubed with JPW again and everything worked fine, am on my second batch and they are dropping the same weight and size.

Instead of tumble lubing with JPW before sizing I was just going to spray with Pam and size with that as a lube, but with the first 100 I've done like that there seems to be more resistance with the sizing die (Lee .401) than with using JPW, should I be worried about leading the sizing die? Is Pam not a sufficient/efficient lube for sizing?

Another question on tumble lubing with JPW. The way I did the last batch was to use a toaster oven to heat a tray of bollits at about 180 for 5-10 minutes. Then dump them in a bowl, drop in a dollip of JPW, wait for the vapor to burn off, stir a little with a spoon, swirl them around, drop them on wax paper covered news paper. Then before they completely cooled I would sit them up on their base, let cool, dry, and JPW harden for 24 hours. Do I have to sit them on their base or can they cool where they lay against each other and on their sides. Should I move to a larger oven (wife is tolerant since she can't cook) and heat and lube them all at once? Am looking for lessons learned to make this more efficient.

Thanks in advance for any help....what did we do before the net?

[Larry Gibson]

I've not found the need for a second "tumble" or to alter the simple instructions that Lee provides. If the LLA is cold and thick a simple 5 minutes soaking in some hot tap water does the trick to make it thin. Lubing the bullets before sizing keeps lube in the grooves and keeps their shape. Lubing before sizing also makes for much less lube build up in the seating die as little is scraped off duuring seating. I usually spread the bullets out on the wax paper without bothering the stand them on the bottom. The sizer evens the lube.

I di stand some non-tumble lube rifle bullets on the bottom though. This is when I am double or tripple dipping (I dip them instead of tumble them as it keeps lube off the nose and gets more into the lube grooves) them. Then GCs are applied and crimped without sizing the bullet and these are usually shot "as cast".

Larry Gibson

[Shiloh]

How hard are your boolits? Harder will obviously have a little more resistance.

I'm assuming this is a LEE TL mold. By Lubing them first with the JPW or LLA, like yu are doing, you limit somewhat the swaging of the higher metal into the lube grooves. An alloy that is has a little less alloy may reduce the size a little of what the boolit drops at.

Shiloh

[spur0701]

Not sure how hard the boolits are, don't have a tester but they are straight WW as was the first batch. Although this is a Lee mold, it's not a tumble lube design per se (no small multiple lube grooves but one large one) at least the way I understand it....but had asked here about lubing and was assured tumble lubing with JPW was OK.

[truckmsl]

Spur - What works for me is right after casting I'll throw some boolits in a zip lock bag, add a few drops of alox, swish em around and size. Just barely enough to get them wet works fine for sizing. I lube again after sizing (takes all of 4 minutes). By the way, if your .401 boolits lead up at all you might try honing out your sizer ( I assume you're using the Lee sizer) to .402. Many 40 barrels are actually .4005 or .401. You're lucky your mold is throwing them that large, mine needed to be beagled to get em large enough to size to .402. Good luck!