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Hi All,
I wanted to get your opinions on how long to wait before sizing air cooled boolits? Can they be sized the next day or should one wait a week or two for the hardness to settle. Not sure if waiting is needed for water quenched or not but I usually just let them air cool.
Everything I cast is air cooled, I let them set at least 2 weeks before sizing.
I usually cast, powder coat and size within a couple days. I figure it's easier to size the bullets while they are at the softest point. I'm not saying it's the best option but it works for me. I'll be interested to see what others say.
Occasionally I'll cast bullets and let them sit for months before doing anything with them. Not on purpose but life happens.
What's the point of letting them settle before sizing? Won't the end result be he same either way?
Never thought about waiting. Most of the time they've set for quite a while before powder coating & sizing. I usually try to keep a stock of all of the bullets I cast & shoot. When the stock begins getting low, I'll have another casting session, but it may be a while afterwards before I PC & size.
I like to size them the next day, being softer they seem to size easier....but truth be told, it's usually a week or three after casting. It's no big deal and easier sizing might just be a figment of my imagination . If I do next day sizing, the boolits will still age harden. If I size them two weeks later the hardness doesn't change. Now I air cool all my boolits so this doesn't apply to water dropped or heat quenched .
I say ....Size them when time allows . I don't think when you size them really matters.
Gary
If possible I size and lube as soon as possible a day or two after casting , I am not sure if it makes much difference but easier is always better .
This is my usual mode of operation. Fact is--I have done very little casting for the past 4 years, other than some specialty stuff using pure lead or 30/1 lead/tin. I need to do more shooting, to require more casting.Quote:
Originally Posted by reddog81
Never thought about it usually when ever I get to it. Sometimes that's the same day other times it may be a month or more. Been sizing some 25 acp for better than a week and still not half way through. There are quite a lot of the little devils in a couple pots of lead.
I am like reddog81 & 9.3X62AL. I do sizing after some time has gone by most of the time.
I've been casting a bunch at a time when I cast & then store for later.
If they are TL, I take them out of storage before I want to load them, then lube & size, re-lube & load.
I usually pan lube the lube grooved boolits right after casting & then go from there thru the rest of the process to load, when I want to take them out of storage & load them up.
I've sized them 30 minutes after casting and I've waited months.
I can't tell any difference.
I do tend to cast a bunch and store them, but not for any reason other than that's just how I like to do it.
I size just after casting.
Mostly I dont size until I need them.
Sometimes I convert 45-70 to 45 colt so I size those the same night I cast them because going from 459 down to 452 in one swipe is hard on my press. Doint it the same day is way easier
came up with a modified method a while back
I can cast, PC and size about 18 lbs of lead bullets in less than 2 hours--I'm happy with new modification
They do usually sit around for a couple of months after that but only because they are waiting their turn to be loaded
Some years back, when I thought it mattered, I tested some cast bullets for hardness on the day cast and ever day thereafter until I could see no change. I found they hardened a bit for up to two weeks and then softened a bit after that. At three weeks they were stable. I tried several alloys and while there was some difference there was not enough to make change on.
That said, the changes in hardness were not enough to make any difference when loaded and shot.
As far as sizing them , it doesn't make a difference. It has been my practice to cast like crazy when it is cool outside, store the bullets and size before I start to load them. That is what I do, but there is no scientific reason behind it.
I usually cast about 500-700 boolits , size them and then load them. This usually takes about a week. Rate and timing depends on what I have to do around the house and other commitments. I repeat until I have a season of rounds loaded.
If not this I cast and store boolits until I need to load them. I do this solely because I do not like to store lubed boolits.
OK then I guess it doesn't really matter. I thought I came across a post saying to wait after casting until full boolit hardness is reached. Perhaps it was just my misunderstanding.
I generally cast and size within a day. I don't like storing lubed, loose bullets so they get sized and loaded in the same session. If I will not be able to load them, I don't size them until I'm ready to load them.
I find sizing within a day or so of casting easier. I use harder non sticky lubes, so for me storing sized and lubed bulk bullets is no problem.
I spend a lot of time with newly acquired brass and keep it neat being its all in my dining room lol. Lead gets cast and sits for months and years with some PC or TL and then size and loading, with some shooting.
Same here. Probably due to the alloy I use it’s much easier to size in my Star if I size before they age harden.Quote:
Originally Posted by fecmech