Would more holes work better on lubrisizer die?

[prickett]

I have Lyman sizer dies that have 4 holes (12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions). Has anyone tried more holes to ensure a better lube fillout? Currently, I have to make two passed (rotating the bullet about 1/8 rotation after the first pass) to get full fillout. It seems like it'd work better with 6 holds.

Any reason to not have more holes? If not, I'll have some made for me.

TIA

[RobS]

More holes for more lube grooves. All is needed is to align the lube dies holes with the lube groove/grooves of the boolit and increase pressure with the reservoir screw. If you are having trouble filling the grooves the lube may be too hard and could benefit from a bit of heat. It only takes me one pass with my RCBS lube-a-matic with either RCBS dies or Lyman.

What lube are you using?

[fryboy]

i have both kinds of lyman dies ( 2 holes and 4 holes ) including one that someone custom altered before i got it , i also have several rcbs dies that only have one hole , i actually have more problems finessing the 4 holes for best results than the 2 or 1 holers ( to be fair i do have one .358 die that i wish the holes were more towards the top as i cant seem to get one wadcutter deep enough - i even took off the lock ring on the adjusting stem so i could set it deeper - good thing that one doesnt need all the grooves filled :P ) another lil tidbit ... i have old rcbs and newer ones , all only have one set of holes , yet some have a ring inside the die where the holes are and some have a ring on the outside where the holes are , either seems to work fine yet both require a lil more work to clean when switching lubes

[MtGun44]

Why wouldn't the lube flow out and fill the grooves? Maybe you need some heat
or a softer lube.

Bill

[prickett]

I'm using BAC with a bit of heat. The problem is that when I apply enough heat, I also start getting lube squishing up between the die and the die's piston, getting on the base of the bullet.

I'd prefer to have more holes to flow thru and keep the heat lower to avoid that.

[RobS]

I can't imagine you needing heat at normal room temp ranges for BAC, but if you are in an unheated garage I can see the need for a heater up there in Ohio during late fall, early spring and winter. Too much heat, not enough heat, it's about getting it just right I suppose.

[prickett]

I can't imagine you needing heat at normal room temp ranges for BAC, but if you are in an unheated garage I can see the need for a heater up there in Ohio during late fall, early spring and winter. Too much heat, not enough heat, it's about getting it just right I suppose.

My sizer is in my basement, so its probably 60 degrees or so. BAC is a bit stiff at that temp.

[Cherokee]

prickett - I use the C Red which is a little harder than the BAC. I just need a little heat for it to flow in my Star or Lyman sizers. I think you just have too much heat for the BAC to run like you said, you'ed be surprised how little is needed. My reloading is done in my basement which is heated/cooled but is usually around 65-70.

[RobS]

Yep, I'm in the man cave downstairs too and it's around 60 in the winter. With BAC I have just a bit of warmth on the aluminum plate when I place my hand on it. I use the clothes iron and aluminum plate setup for my heater.

[MtGun44]

Not going thru the holes and yet leaking around the base pin makes no sense to me.
I have been using a RCBS unit for a long time and never had this kind of a problem.
Something is not right.

Is it possible that the pin is the wrong one for the die, like a .450 pin in a .454 die or
something?

Bill

[prickett]

Not going thru the holes and yet leaking around the base pin makes no sense to me.
I have been using a RCBS unit for a long time and never had this kind of a problem.
Something is not right.

Is it possible that the pin is the wrong one for the die, like a .450 pin in a .454 die or
something?

Bill

I suppose its possible. I've not monkeyed with the dies, so I wouldn't have done it. They are Lyman dies, FWIW.

Is it possible lead is clogging the hole(s)?

And, am I the ONLY one to have lube leaking between the pin and the die body? I seem to recall seeing others having this problem in posts I've read in the distant past.

[MtGun44]

We very rarely hear about lube leaking between the pin and die, they are normally
a VERY tight fit and essentially no lube can get thru unless it is extremely thinned by heat.

Is it possible that some old dried lube or old hard lube is blocking your holes? Maybe pull the die
and warm it with a heat gun and see what the holes look like and how much slop there
is on the ejector pin when it is lube free. Should be essentially no slop, holes should be
open and free.

Suppose there was a hard lube that needs a lot of heat in the system at some time and you
have a softer lube now, not heating enough to soften the hard lube in the holes. Keep
looking, you have something unusual going on here.

Bill

[prickett]

We very rarely hear about lube leaking between the pin and die, they are normally
a VERY tight fit and essentially no lube can get thru unless it is extremely thinned by heat.

Is it possible that some old dried lube or old hard lube is blocking your holes? Maybe pull the die
and warm it with a heat gun and see what the holes look like and how much slop there
is on the ejector pin when it is lube free. Should be essentially no slop, holes should be
open and free.

Suppose there was a hard lube that needs a lot of heat in the system at some time and you
have a softer lube now, not heating enough to soften the hard lube in the holes. Keep
looking, you have something unusual going on here.

Bill

I emailed Lyman about the leaking lube and here was their response:

yes, it is normal. develop a habit of wiping the bottom of the bullet
across a papertowel or a cloth to remove the lube from the bottom of the
bullet.

Actually, I went the other direction, I started out with soft lube (NRA 50/50) and moved to the harder BAC.

[mroliver77]

I run my lube where it is stiff enough that there is a fair amount of pull needed on the wrench to get the lube to flow. It is hard to explain how much that is exactly.With my Felix lube I do not need heat until at least 45 - 50 deg in the shop and then just a little. If I warm it too much I get the lube under boolit syndrome. Boolits that are a loose fit in the die are worse for this. Buckshot's dies have the center of the push pin relieved in the center and contact only the perimeter of the boolit base. I have less problem with this style.
Jay

[MtGun44]

How much leakage are we talking about? If it is just a small amount, that IS normal.
But if you are not getting a full fill of the lube grooves but are getting in on the base,
I wonder if you have a beveled base design?

Sometimes you WILL get a slug of lube under a boolit, maybe up to 1/8" thick. This
is not normal, but it DOES happen occasionally. I remove this lube layer with a small
flat bladed screwdriver to clean off the top of the ejector pin. Then lube another, and sometimes
even that one will do it, so clean it good and go again. You must have the base of the
boolit seated solidy against a pretty clean and dry pin so that it can seal out the lube
as the pin/boolit "joint" passes the lube holes. Maybe this is what you are talking
about, and thinking it is leakage around the pin. It is NOT, it is a poor seal on the
boolit/pin parting line letting lube squirt in from the lube holes. If bad enough it could
be stealing all your lube that would normally go into the grooves.

So - the top of the ejector pin needs to be clean and dry and the boolit base should NOT
have a significant bump at the sprue cutoff area. You may need to grind a slight dimple
or rounded depression on the top of your ejector pin if it doesn't have one, as it should.
This permits it to seal against the boolit base around the edges.

Another, thing. Are you sure that you have the stop adjusted so that the boolit can go
deep enough to fully align the lube grooves with the lube holes?

Bill

[mroliver77]

oops double post