Bullet sizing problem.

[Stampede]

A friend of mine has a peculiar bullet sizing problem with his .44-40 (.427") bullet sizer. We have tried to figure it out what the cause is but were not successful yet.

He uses a .427" Lee-lube-sizer to size his .429" bullets back to .427". This on it self is no problem with ready made factory cast bullets. Also all our home made cast bullets with a lead-tin mix (98%-2% and 95%-5%) do size back perfectly at the correct diameter.

But now the problem: if we use “pure” (100%) lead bullets and we size them with his Lee-lube-sizer they all come out at .425", why does this happen? I did size the bullets also with my RCBS Lube-A-Matic using the .427" sizer and than all the bullets come out exactly .427". This problem only occurs with pure lead bullets with the Lee bullet sizer.

We did tried it with lubed bullets (Lee liquid Alox, our home made bullets lubes and SPG lube) and pure plane (without lube) bullets. The problem stays the same, lube or no lube it does not matter. Neither the bullet designs nor the bullet weights are the cause The pure lead bullets (in all shapes and weights) do get way much smaller in diameter than intended with his Lee bullet sizer.

Okay we could use the regular lead & tin mix but for some local (Dutch) steel plate (SASS) competitions we are only allowed to use pure lead cast bullets.

Stampede

[cbrick]

The pure lead will stay at the size, shape it's sized to, the Pb/Sn alloy's will have a bit of spring back. I suggest honing the LEE sizer to size to the diameter you need with the pure lead and designating that die to pure for that gun.

Rick

[bslim]

Aside of your sizing issues, re check the SASS regulations on acceptable bullets. From what I understood, you are not allowed to use jacketed or plated projectiles. I use and have been using 49% WW's, 49% pure lead and 2% tin for all of my SASS competition bullets. Unless of course the range you shoot at has its own regulations? Something like this formulation may be easier to obtain rather than pure lead and sure would help in not leading up your barrel.

[Stampede]

bslm, local (Dutch) SASS regulations are a quit bit different over here. Thanks to our "ultra left wing anti gun" government. Our government is becomming pretty anal about home casting bullets. They can't control how much you will cast. The maximum amount of factory bullets (read: also rounds) you can store at home is 10000 pieces. To regulate any competition they also dictate the bullets (all ammo) used!

Every shot you fire at the range and out in the field is registered! Every purchase you make at the local gun store is registered and so on. After the tragic event at that school last week in the USA our government is making our gun laws even worse. They like to ban all guns within the next couple of years when we don't be aware about it.

So pure lead is some times the only way to shoot certain competitions.

[Nose Dive]

Interesting issue.... I do know that pure lead and some alloyed mixes do behave differently. That is why we alloy lead...to get the the boolit to act differently.... Might be when your resizing the press 'squages' the soft stuff....don't know. Or, what about temperature of the boolits? Are the still 'warm' from casting? I had a fella tell me once he let all his boolits sit for 30 days before he resized. "let them mature". I dunno if he was pulling my leg or not. Neat issue.

Nose Dive.

Cheap. Fast. Good. Kindly pick two.

[popper]

Had the same problem with 40SW. It is spring back from hard alloys. Get another die and hone it out.

[runfiverun]

add some tin.
even pure lead factory rounds have tin in them.
letting an alloy age is not a myth.
ww boolits take at least 14 days to normalize.
waterdropped take about a month to get close to normalizing i usually let mine sit for 6 months or longer before shooting.
i have some boolits that i have [and haven't] sized that are years old, i like to get as far ahead as possible on my casting.
having 5 and 7 gallon buckets full of boolits is not uncommon at my house.

[Stampede]

We are goning to add some tin to it and hope that they don't test our bullets at the next competittion. Do note the government sometimes take samples from you out in the field and shooting ranges. They confiscate a couple rounds, send them out for testing and you will receive a notification if you did good or wrong. When wrong you get your permit (or hunting) licence revoked. On the most ranges you get away with it but when out hunting with the incorrect ammo (bullet or shot composition) you are in trouble. This why we don't fool around with ammo (bullets) overhere. This is what one of the worst gun laws in the world do to you.

[runfiverun]

40 to 1 is gonna help a lot.
that's what win and rem have used in 45 colt and other factory rounds for years.