Why can't I get this right? or AUGHHHH!

[mugsie]

I had cast and sized some Lee 429-240-2R bullets. I sized them in my Lyman Lubisizer at .429 and shot them over 8.5g of Unique. A nice soft load and relatively accurate. I did find, ever so slightly, some leading in the barrel. I forgot to say I lubed with my concoction of Felix lube and JPW 75 / 25. Seeing the slight traces, and knowing this lube in my other guns had zero leading, I thought I would size the bullets to .430. This gun, a Ruger Red Hawk always exhibited some very slight leading no matter what was shot in it.

I purchased from Graff a Lyman sizing die of .430 dia. Of course they didn't have one, so upon speaking to them again after being on back order for weeks, the fellow offered to send me the RCBS die - he said "they're interchangable". Lyman has two sets of holes in the die, RCBS has one set. Lyman's holes are smaller, RCBS larger. They of course both fit into the lubisizer. So last night I placed the die in the lubisizer, placed a bullet on it and squished it down. On the up stroke it was so convenient that it rode up and out on a column of lube!:groner:

I adjusted upwards - no good. I adjusted downwards - no good. Now granted, the Lee bullet had very very wimpy lube groves - not the manly groves found in the lyman styles, but I was able to successfully lube them at .429 using the Lyman die.

After numerous attempts, I finally managed to produce 50 lubed bullets with a lot of frustration and hard work. So - does anyone have any suggestions as to how to set the lubrisizer up with the RCBS dies? Do they take any more special TLC or is this just going to be a fact of life. I don't want to tumble lube so that's out of the question. Any ideas?

[Doc_Stihl]

If your boolit isn't making a tight enough seal in the die to stop the lube from forcing in, it will ride up under the boolit. Try backing off the pressure on the lube. What size are your boolits as cast?

[mugsie]

Hi Doc,

They're just over .430 because when I size them, I can see where they've been sized on the sides. Not all of em', but a majority. They are also slightly out of round too because some times I can see where they're shiny around most of the circumferance but there may be a slight area which isn't shiny, meaning it wasn't sized. When they exit the sizer, they're round though.

Think they're too close to .429 already? that's what I thoght. I'll need to put a mike on them tonight to see. I may have to bump out the mold a little in the future.

[358wcf]

Couple of things going on here, I think- as noted above, I think you have way too much lube pressure in the sizer. Back all the way off on the pressure adjustment until you can size a boolit with NO LUBE being added. Now, add pressure just a bit until you just fill the lube groove with a small movement of the lube pressure lever. Got it? Now, each time you size a boolit, "bump" the pressure lever just a bit to add the tiny amount needed. This efficiently applies lube to the grooves, wasting none, and keeps things tidy.

The other thing I suspect is that your "as cast" or unsized diameter on the boolits might be less than .430.

Keep us posted on your progress-- Keep On, Keepin' On!

358wcf[smilie=1:

[BABore]

I lube all of my boolits in a Saeco using dies that are 0.0005 to 0.001" oversized. Sizing is done in nose first push-throughs. Your problems are all heat (if used) and pressure related. I don't get lube columns in my spring pressurized lube system unless I'm too warm and have the pressure up.

[Echo]

+1 for 358wcf. Pressure and heat problem. Reduce the pressure to zip, then use a short twist on the pressure handle for each boolit, just enough to fully lube the boolit.

[lurch]

Yep, what they said. One other thing that might help. Are you slowly raising the boolit out of the die on the upstroke? Try giving it a little more oomph and get it out of there a little quicker. Don't get crazy, just faster on the upstroke. If I happen to get a little happy with lube pressure, this sometimes works for a few until the pressure calms back down. Usually happens when I leave the heater on too long and the pressure is too much for the now reduced viscosity lube.

[leftiye]

I think that is spelled AAAARRRRRRRRRGH.

[Bret4207]

I think that is spelled AAAARRRRRRRRRGH.

Nope, AAAAARRRRGH! is the sound you make when you sort of grit your teeth while flinging something like a hammer which then bounces into a very new and very expensive window. AUGHHHH! is the sound you make when the teeth aren't in contact and you fling you hands up in dismay.

A minor point, but one I'm very familiar with. Not at all uncommon for the layman to confuse the two. [smilie=1: