Lapping a LEE sizer out from .410 to .416??

[wlc]

How hard would it be to lap out a LEE 410 sizer die to 416? How likely am I to wind up lapping it out oval? I need a 416 die and LEE only has the 410 that is close and I wondered if I could do it with the dowel and sandpaper method as described here on the forum. Thanks!

[parson48]

I've never enlarged more than a couple of thousandths. Buckshot, a member here, can likely fix you up with what you need.

[wlc]

Yea, I've got a couple of Buckshots Lee type sizers. They are good tools. I was just wondering about lapping a Lee sizer out this much. I've got to put in an order with Titan for some other stuff in the next couple of days and was gonna put the 410 sizer on the order.

[MarkP]

If you can spin the die you can maintain decent cylindricity. I honed out a Star die I made from .411 to .418" on a lathe using 120 girt to 600 for final polish.

[WyrTwister]

I have lapped a few Lee bullet sizer dies . First was a .457" to .460" for .45-70 .

I took a 6" piece of 3/8" wooden dowel rod and used a hack saw to saw a slit in one end , a couple of inches deep . I tore off a piece of emery cloth I had for polishing the ends of copper water pipe , prior to soldering .

Slid the emery cloth into the slit in the dowel rod and chucked the other end of the rod into an electric drill . Oiled the inside of the die and emery cloth . while spinning the dowel rod with the drill motor , I moved the emery cloth back and forth in the die . My guess was if I also slowly rotated the die I would minimize any out of round . Also , swap ends with the die .

Ever so often I would stop , clean out the die & size the bullet , then measure the bullet . Repeat as often as needed . As the emery cloth " wears " it acts like a finer grit . Use plenty of oil and it has worked very well .

God bless
Wyr