philthephlier
12-30-2009, 11:35 PM
How to make a top punch for your Saeco Lubesizer.
Saeco, now Redding/Saeco, top punches are very well made, no arguments. Paying $22+ and shipping to boot for a half ounce of machined steel is something I want to avoid where possible. I size a lot of 45 cal bullets for my NM Blackhawk 45 Colt that I recently purchased and shoot a lot. The Saeco was obtained used and it came with the top punch for the discontinued Lyman 452488 bullet which was not a good fit for the RCBS 255 SWC bullet I shoot the most. My first attempt at jury rigging involved using a .451 RB between the top punch for the 452488 bullet and the 255 SWC. It worked and after about 75 bullets the RB got swaged into the cup of the top punch and the other end took on the form of the nose of the 255 SWC. But it required that the RB’s new shape be manually replaced into the cup of the top punch for each new bullet because the RB would come out of the top punch each time. Annoying. Bullets sized and lubed perfectly, but not as convenient as having that pesky $30 top punch. So necessity being the mother of invention, I came up with a big improvement. It will cost you almost nothing if you have a little JB Weld left from your last project. You will need a one inch long bolt, 5/16-24 thread for the Saeco machine, a short section of brass tubing that will fit inside your sizer die. I used a section of a used .270 Win case about 1-1/8” long for the 45 Colt bullets. Grind the corners of the hex head off the bolt until it is a loose fit in the brass tube. This will allow for any non concentricity in the bolt with the Saeco lube die. When finished the cup you will create with the JB Weld will be concentric with the die. Grind or file the top of the bolt until the grade marks are gone. They will imprint the bullet nose if left on. Polish the bolt head after grinding. You have to get the bullet that the top punch is for well started into the sizing die. It was easy in my case because I had the jury rigged RB to do that for me. It has to be done without deforming the bullet’s nose. A short piece of hardwood with a hole slightly smaller than the bullet’s major diameter would probably work well. If that part isn’t clear call or e-mail me and I’ll walk you through it.
Get the bullet at least half way into the die. Screw the modified bolt into the Saeco and snug it up using a vise grip. Not too tight. Just snug. Run the bolt down with the handle on the Saeco until it just touches the nose of the bullet. Measure the distance from the head of the bolt to the frame of the Saeco where the bolt threads to. Add ¼” to that and cut your brass tube to that length. Make sure both ends of the brass tube are square to the tubes centerline. Mix up the JB Weld. Slide the brass tube over the bolt in the Saeco. Using the spatula or stick used to mix the JB Weld apply it to the inside of the tube which, when set up will form a perfect mold of the bullet’s nose. Take a piece of plastic wrap about 2” square, plastic grocery bags works too. Place the square of plastic centered onto the tube stuffed with JB Weld and run the assembly down to the nose of the bullet in the die. Lightly press the assembly onto the nose and leave it all alone for 24 hours. Then lift the handle on the Saeco, peel the plastic square off your new top punch, trim any excess JB Weld that squeezed out onto the outside of the brass tube. You now should have a very serviceable top punch perfectly molded for your bullet. It is important to snug it each time you use it to ensure concentricity with the die. Good luck. Pat yourself on the back because you can now buy $30 worth of powder, lead, lube or whatever!
626-256-4609
pmhogan1@altrionet.com
Saeco, now Redding/Saeco, top punches are very well made, no arguments. Paying $22+ and shipping to boot for a half ounce of machined steel is something I want to avoid where possible. I size a lot of 45 cal bullets for my NM Blackhawk 45 Colt that I recently purchased and shoot a lot. The Saeco was obtained used and it came with the top punch for the discontinued Lyman 452488 bullet which was not a good fit for the RCBS 255 SWC bullet I shoot the most. My first attempt at jury rigging involved using a .451 RB between the top punch for the 452488 bullet and the 255 SWC. It worked and after about 75 bullets the RB got swaged into the cup of the top punch and the other end took on the form of the nose of the 255 SWC. But it required that the RB’s new shape be manually replaced into the cup of the top punch for each new bullet because the RB would come out of the top punch each time. Annoying. Bullets sized and lubed perfectly, but not as convenient as having that pesky $30 top punch. So necessity being the mother of invention, I came up with a big improvement. It will cost you almost nothing if you have a little JB Weld left from your last project. You will need a one inch long bolt, 5/16-24 thread for the Saeco machine, a short section of brass tubing that will fit inside your sizer die. I used a section of a used .270 Win case about 1-1/8” long for the 45 Colt bullets. Grind the corners of the hex head off the bolt until it is a loose fit in the brass tube. This will allow for any non concentricity in the bolt with the Saeco lube die. When finished the cup you will create with the JB Weld will be concentric with the die. Grind or file the top of the bolt until the grade marks are gone. They will imprint the bullet nose if left on. Polish the bolt head after grinding. You have to get the bullet that the top punch is for well started into the sizing die. It was easy in my case because I had the jury rigged RB to do that for me. It has to be done without deforming the bullet’s nose. A short piece of hardwood with a hole slightly smaller than the bullet’s major diameter would probably work well. If that part isn’t clear call or e-mail me and I’ll walk you through it.
Get the bullet at least half way into the die. Screw the modified bolt into the Saeco and snug it up using a vise grip. Not too tight. Just snug. Run the bolt down with the handle on the Saeco until it just touches the nose of the bullet. Measure the distance from the head of the bolt to the frame of the Saeco where the bolt threads to. Add ¼” to that and cut your brass tube to that length. Make sure both ends of the brass tube are square to the tubes centerline. Mix up the JB Weld. Slide the brass tube over the bolt in the Saeco. Using the spatula or stick used to mix the JB Weld apply it to the inside of the tube which, when set up will form a perfect mold of the bullet’s nose. Take a piece of plastic wrap about 2” square, plastic grocery bags works too. Place the square of plastic centered onto the tube stuffed with JB Weld and run the assembly down to the nose of the bullet in the die. Lightly press the assembly onto the nose and leave it all alone for 24 hours. Then lift the handle on the Saeco, peel the plastic square off your new top punch, trim any excess JB Weld that squeezed out onto the outside of the brass tube. You now should have a very serviceable top punch perfectly molded for your bullet. It is important to snug it each time you use it to ensure concentricity with the die. Good luck. Pat yourself on the back because you can now buy $30 worth of powder, lead, lube or whatever!
626-256-4609
pmhogan1@altrionet.com