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I size after they cool from casting, spray on PC, then size again when cooled.

Ok well I went to the range today. I would consider myself half way there. Which makes me happy. I was able to modify my sizer to a true .358 and I was able to get them loaded in to the cases...

Bill,
This certainly makes sense. Once I load some more .45, I will check things out. I am not opposed to tightening up the crimp if it will allow me to without changing the size of the bullet. ...

Thank you for the input, I have been using the .38 special expander plug from my Lyman M die.

Maybe I mistyped as that is what is on my spreadsheet. Once I load some more, I will double check the measurement. My press is set up for small primers right now, so after I get the 'new and...

Yep just about. Hopefully I'll be able to start opening up my sizer tonight and casting some bullets. Probably won;t be able to get to the range again until next weekend though. Bummer.

Great job on the handyman skills. I am a huge proponent of fixing things myself. It saves me money and I gain the knowledge needed to do it again. Certainly a win-win. When my girls break a toy...

OK, so I have an update for anybody that is interested. I loaded up my water quenched bullets last night. The first thing I realized is that I had to readjust my seating and crimping dies. For...

Popper, being that I don't have an extra station in my press, I can't flare in a seperate station. I did modify my 38 m die plug so it won't buldge the case when expanding. I will have to look...

Interesting, I have some Unique and I am keeping it in my 'bag of tricks' so to speak

Coffeeguy,
The leading seems to occur evenly down the bore, one of the reasons I water quenched some bullets...

Lloyd, thanks for the insight. I think my plan at this point is to load up some harder bullets, with the same powder charge, and try that in 1 gun and also try the same softer bullets in my other...

Schrag, thanks for the input. I do plan on powder coating for the same reason. I shoot primarily indoors and I would like to try it to eliminate the need for lube and the extra dirt that goes along...

Well I think I am going to take the "process of elimination" approach here. I think I am first going to try some Unique and a tad more lube. My bullets have a very, very light coating on them now. ...

I have pondered the lube being a possible culprit as well. The XD has at least a couple thousand FMJ's through it and the shield has about 600. I might suspect a rough barrel in the shield if I...

LOL, yeah it can be a bit frustrating, challenging, and fun at the same time. It.s good to know I am on the right track.

So I went to the range today and shot some of my new rounds. I have effectively eliminated the keyholing and improved accuracy so that goes in the "pass" column. The problem is I still had a decent...

Today I cast some .45 ACP bullets, I also honed my lee sizer out to a true 452. I drilled and tapped 2 lee molds to accept a set screw for the sprue plate screw. Tumbled some brass and deprimed...

Once again, thanks for all of the input. I picked up a micrometer today and re-measured everything. I also slugged my barrels again. It looks like the XD9SC is .3555 and the Shield is .356. I am...

Well I made a few adjustments yesterday. I ended up lapping my mold so it now drops about .359 bullets. I lubed and sized some down to .358. I started over with the setup of my dies. I found the...

Thanks for the insight. Maybe I will steal the expander plug from my .38 special M die and try that along with seating bullets as cast. I guess it couldn't hurt.

NuJudge, I am going to try that next and see how they shoot. Hopefully that will work and be accurate. If not I might try beagling.

Boolseye, I use a hot plate to warm the mold up. I have tried...

Well, I tried adding tin to my alloy tonight and could not get the mold to drop any different then before. I also tried temps anywhere from 675 to 800. It will not drop larger then .3565 when...

The more I read about powder coating, the more I am intrigued. I like the benefit of less smoke, especially at the indoor range, and no need for lube. I would like to figure out this issue before I...

Thanks for the responses. I have also been reading about powder coating with the air soft bb's. I am intrigued. I like the thought of no smelly lube to deal with and it doesn't seem to me that it...

Hello all, I am a new caster and have really enjoyed learning from this site. I decided to start casting my own bullets and I started with 45 ACP. After some trial and error I now have success in...