.354 not 356. im swearing off lee products

[mallen]

[C. Latch]

You can lap 0.002" out of one in about 15 minutes.

[Beagle333]

More for me! I like Lee. I can't afford all blue, or even all green, so I like all red.

[mallen]

You can lap 0.002" out of one in about 15 minutes.

have a link?

[DeanWinchester]

have a link?

I link? To a strip of emery cloth?

[shaggybull]

powder coat and gain the 0.002

[C. Latch]

have a link?

I don't have a link, but all you need is a nut with a threaded hole just smaller than the diameter of your bullet. I think a nut for a 5/16" bolt would be perfect.

Melt some lead - use a fairly hard alloy, like wheelweights - and with your mold up to a good casting temperature, carefully set the nut over the mold cavity (sprue plate left open!) and fill with lead up to the top of the nut's hole. Let cool.


When this is cooled, you now have a lead lap with a nut on the end; all you have to do is remove it from the mold, put some lapping or valve grinding compound on it, put it back in the mold (let it cool, of course!), and use a nut-driver to turn it and let it lap the mold. You might want to make several up in advance, as the lead will wear faster than the aluminum, but I've done this with a couple of Lee molds myself, and while it would be nice if they were always sized perfectly, this isn't rocket science - if I can do it, anyone can do it.

[mallen]

I link? To a strip of emery cloth?

maybe more so someone doing it and not screwing up the thing.

my powder coats were .360

[mallen]

I don't have a link, but all you need is a nut with a threaded hole just smaller than the diameter of your bullet. I think a nut for a 5/16" bolt would be perfect.

Melt some lead - use a fairly hard alloy, like wheelweights - and with your mold up to a good casting temperature, carefully set the nut over the mold cavity (sprue plate left open!) and fill with lead up to the top of the nut's hole. Let cool.


When this is cooled, you now have a lead lap with a nut on the end; all you have to do is remove it from the mold, put some lapping or valve grinding compound on it, put it back in the mold (let it cool, of course!), and use a nut-driver to turn it and let it lap the mold. You might want to make several up in advance, as the lead will wear faster than the aluminum, but I've done this with a couple of Lee molds myself, and while it would be nice if they were always sized perfectly, this isn't rocket science - if I can do it, anyone can do it.

I think i failed to mention, this is a sizing die.

[C. Latch]

Oh.

Yeah, that's a bit different. Lapping steel is above my pay-grade.

[krallstar]

Every lee sizer i have ever bought was alittle small. Had to open them up abit.

[Beagle333]

This is how I do it.... from a post by Buckshot. He is describing a lubesizer die.... but it's the same technique on the Lee push thru dies.

How to hone a size die
by Buckshot
Oft times we find ourselves needing a bit more girth in a bullet to please a particular firearm. And, as
sometimes happens the size we need isn't available or we don't want to pay for the custom manufacture of
one. You can do this yourself and accomplish very accurate results for just a few cents worth of materials
(not counting the size die) and a bit of time.
What you will need:
1) A size die that is as close as possible to what you want
2) A length of steel rod that is close to 3/4 of the diameter of the existing die, and long enough to
protrude at least 2" beyond both ends of the die.
3) Wet or dry emery paper of 320, 400, and 600 grit. If you do need to remove more than a couple of
thousandths you should also include 220 grit. Actually the 400 will finish the inside well enough, but
hitting it with a bit of 600 sure slicks it up.
4) Oil. Most any oil will do.
What you do:
The paper should be cut long enough to extend out either end of the die, almost as long as the steel rod.
Wrap your starting coursest grit paper around the steel rod a couple times and apply some oil to the paper.
Insert the covered rod through the size die. With just your thumb and a couple fingers on each end of the
rod, roll it up and down your thigh (while sitting) applying only mild pressure. The reason for using a rod
as large as possible, is to keep from tapering the inside of the die, by having a slender rod bend under
pressure.
This will get your pants leg fairly well oiled up, so use old pants. Or you can staple a bit of cloth to a
length of wood. Most any surface that the die can turn on is fine. I use a piece of mud flap screwed to a bit
of 2x4, and clamp it in the vise, and it's a good working height.
Roll the steel rod occasionally as only a small portion of the paper is in contact with the interior of the
die. You should also swap the die end for end every now and then to make sure the metal removal is as
even as possible. Remember the throat of the die is tapered to admit the bullet and we're only wanting to
open up the actual sizing portion of the die.
When you check your work you don't need to put the die back in the press. Just drill a hole in a board
bigger than the bullet and place the die over it. Place a bullet in the die and tap it through. Remember to
leave a bit of metal to remove for your polishing down to final size with the finer grit paper. The first
time I did this I just took it down to where I wanted it without thinking of the finish.

and here's the last few bits, just in case you do want to do a lubesizer die some time.

Your existing plunger will still be fine in the honed out size die, unless you opened it up several
thousandths. Even then it may still work fine, but you'll need to pay more attention to the lube consistancy
and the amount of pressure you exert on the lube reservoir.

You can do it with a cordless screwdriver turning the rod.... but those Lee dies are pretty soft and it is easy to overdo the honing and end up too big. Really easy. I'd go with the hand turning.
I have even opened up a few using some fine sandpaper wrapped around a pencil... but you can't press hard on a pencil.

[mallen]

couldnt i also buy a .358 die, and check for it to be .002 less than it says, ending in my .356 desire?

[Love Life]

Regular sandpaper on a wooden dowel opens up a Lee die rather nicely. I have a decent amount of Lee sizing dies, and not a single one sized the correct diameter out of the box. I had to lap them all. Start with 220, middle with 600, and final finish with 1500 in a vertical motion.

[joesig]

Lee did you a favor. What Buckshot/Beagle333 said. That 400/600 will make that die a joy to use. Tough to polish one up if it's already on the money.

[odfairfaxsub]

I do steps of sandpaper on a wire brush.....low gritt to high high gritt to polish

[MT Chambers]

The size of the Lee size dies is just meant to be a ball park figure, say within .005" or so.

[mallen]

The size of the Lee size dies is just meant to be a ball park figure, say within .005" or so.

that is really aggervating.

does lyman have these issues?

[Love Life]

Lyman has other issues...like not boring all the way through for the sizing die are so the sizing die only goes in 3/4 of the way.

[Love Life]

Get a Star, PM Lathesmith, and be done with it.