Luber/Sizer Discovery

[StarMetal]

I was sizing some 70 grain very long for caliber 22 cast bullets in my Lyman luber/sizer. I wasn't using a lube that required heating. I was having enough difficulty in sizing them them that in doing so I was expanding the noses. These bullets were of 50/50 alloy and water dropped so I wanted to get them sized before they age hardened. I thought, geesh, I don't want to have to go to a push through sizer, but figured I had no alternative. Well then I made a discovery. I know many of you, such as I have, had the Lyman type sizer body in your hand one time or another and wanted to remove the piston ram from it for whatever reason. Perhaps clean the die, whatever. I'm sure you noticed how difficult is it to push that ram piston out. Then a light went on in my head. It wasn't because the bullet itself was hard to size, it was because of the extreme friction the lube adhering the pistom to it's bore in the die was causing. Well out came the hair blow dryer and I warmed that section of the lubing machine up. Viola!!! That was it. Now I wonder how many of us cursed the Lyman/RCBS sizers for a problem that really wasn't theirs? This is a problem on smaller caliber bullets because they just don't have the mass to get the piston moving in the die. This is with soft lube too in warm temperatures.

Joe

[atr]

here is a hint....take the boolits you want to size and put them under a heat lamp ..I keep my heat lamp close to the sizer. the heat from the lamp will warm the boolits,,,,which in turn will help the flow in the die.....works great for me

[StarMetal]

here is a hint....take the boolits you want to size and put them under a heat lamp ..I keep my heat lamp close to the sizer. the heat from the lamp will warm the boolits,,,,which in turn will help the flow in the die.....works great for me

Usually if they get any heat at all it makes for messy lubing, tried that.

Joe

[TDC]

Good tip!!

There seems to be a fine line between sizer lube being too cool and sticky or too warm and messy. To compound the problem each brand of lube and brand of sizer has a different working temperature preference. Wish there was a lube completely unaffected by temperature, functional in, and useful for all lube/sizers.

TC