Lube/ Sizer Q's

[3584ELK]

First- How do people get those nice, tightly filled lube grooves, no overrun, with a perfectly crimped GC? My boolits come out with lube smeared down the sides. I know...its just cosmetic, but it makes me wonder about my sizer- as does the next question:

I have an RCBS lubrisizer, fairly old, and no amount of adjustment or re-adjustment will lube a boolit completely on the first cycle. I have to run them in twice. I have tried cranking the lube screw 1/8 turn, 1/4 turn, before, during, and after the initial boolit introduction. It happens with both Lyman and RCBS sizer dies. I use LBT Blue lube. What am I missing?

[Leadmine]

Are you using a heater? That might help. If you have sufficient pressure on the lubricant reservoir it has to be going someplace. Better check underneath, make sure it's doesn't have a bad seal. You say the lube is smeared on the bullet sounds like bullet might be undersized for die. Just guessing.

[Slowpoke]

[QUOTE=3584ELK]First- How do people get those nice, tightly filled lube grooves, no overrun, with a perfectly crimped GC? My boolits come out with lube smeared down the sides. I know...its just cosmetic, but it makes me wonder about my sizer- as does the next question: <<<

Having a hand lapped die is how I do it, if you are getting a lot of lube on the sides, your die is to big, so get a bigger bullet or a smaller die and lap it to what you need.

I feel the best way to do it is to seat your gas check and lube your as cast bullet in a over size die and then if you need to size do it in nose first die that is hand lapped to exactly the size you need.


>>I have an RCBS lubrisizer, fairly old, and no amount of adjustment or re-adjustment will lube a boolit completely on the first cycle. I have to run them in twice. I have tried cranking the lube screw 1/8 turn, 1/4 turn, before, during, and after the initial boolit introduction. It happens with both Lyman and RCBS sizer dies. I use LBT Blue lube. What am I missing?<<

Most likely heat, or not enough pressure initially or you are not going deep enough with your bullet or to deep.

good luck

[44man]

It only means that the boolit is smaller as cast then the size die. If they fit the gun and shoot good, why worry? A little lube on the sides of the boolit can be good, just makes a mess in the seater, crimp die, that has to be cleaned more often. All of mine look like that because I don't really size, I just use an oversize die to remove excess lube. I always have to wipe off the brass after loading because of lube being pushed out when seating boolits. I don't care, just a little extra step and they shoot too good to worry about it. I never bother to wipe the extra lube off the boolit either. Soft Felix is the worst for making a mess but I won't change just to keep things cleaner.
I cast slower, load slower and have more steps then most guys that brag about making a million boolits an hour and loading at the speed of light. However, my results make it worth the trouble. One boolit in the bull or the deer is much better then 20 worthless shots.
One advantage to retirement is I can spend the time and enjoy reloading and shooting groups from revolvers that many can't get with a rifle. I am just as happy to load 50 rounds that hit where the sights are then loading 500 that are no good.
If your accuracy is good, be happy, have fun! If they don't shoot good, your mould might cast too small, you either need to beagle the mould or get a new one. If they fit the throat, again, be HAPPY.

[3584ELK]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. I am only sizing the boolits down about .001", and really, I am doing more to crimp the GC and lube the bullet than actual sizing.

I gotta figure out a heater. I like my Doghouse to stay around 65° F in the winter, 70° in summer.

[9.3X62AL]

Being "The King of Low-Tech", and basically pretty cheap........I've used played out blow-dryers for several years to keep Javelina flowing when temps get under 70 degrees or so in the Loading Den. Having a wife and six daughters assures a steady supply of these tools--as one of mine expires, one of theirs is usually on deck to take up the slack.

Dunno how hot LBT needs to be to flow correctly, but I can get the Lyman 450 hot enough to MELT Javelina in the reservoir without a long wait. My normal gig is to run the blow-dryer at high heat/low speed for about 2 minutes with the vent pointed at the lube reservoir/die collar area. This enables 15 minutes of sizing in cold weather (40-50 F) before a warm-up is needed. Lubes DO expand when heated, so back off the lube pressure tension at least one full turn before warming things back up.

[Ken O]

For less money then a couple boxes of gas checks you can buy a new Lyman heater drilled and tapped ready to go, just plug it in. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=182761

[454PB]

I use the Lyman 450 sizers, but could part of the problem be the fact that Lyman sizer dies have more lube holes than the RCBS dies?