Any idea why Lyman has no ...

[Wayne Smith]

.324" sizer die? They have a .323" and a .325". My 8mm bore (large diameter, lands) measures .323", so I got the .325" die.

[Scrounger]

.324" sizer die? They have a .323" and a .325". My 8mm bore (large diameter, lands) measures .323", so I got the .325" die.

Probably because half their .323 and .325 dies actually measure .324... I don't know what their actual manufacturing tolerances are (as opposed to STATED tolerances) but it isn't rocket science, probably adequate.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Lyman sizing dies in my accumulation seem to be consistently half a thousandth oversize, it could be worse. The oversizing helps to make up a small part of what they lose by not offering more sizes, .44 cal. larger than .431, for example.

[beagle]

Probably for the same reason that they don't stock .411, .412, .432, .459 and .460.

They're so out of tune with what cast shooters are doing now, they're missing a lot of sales./beagle

[jethrow strait]

A list of their utterly stupid moves in recent years is just about endless, and the.324 omission pales by comparison.

Looks like they have just discontinued 41 gas checks. You'd think they might have discontined their longtime 410610 gas check mould before doing so.----------aaaargh, jethrow

[9.3X62AL]

Some of Lyman's business decisions DO leave me scratching my head, but they aren't the only gun accessory maker to produce that response by a long sight. Of course, the mainstream manufacturers' failures to address market needs just opens the door wider for folks like NEI, Gator, Mountain Molds, and others of like description. Since the latter folks make some VERY FINE products, no real loss occurs.

[BruceB]

Just a couple hours ago, I tried-out a brand-new Lyman .357"-diameter die, or so it is marked.

My 358156 WW boolits measure around .359-.360", depending which band and which of the four cavities we're talkng about.

After sizing in this new die, they are only a flat .356", and that's NOT what I wanted. This has been a beef of mine for many years, and the only solution I see is to send one's dies off to Stilwell to be honed to the dimension we actually want. Lyman can hold dimensions in their loading dies far better than this, and it's past time that they smartened up for the bullet-sizing dies, too!

There is no excuse.

[454PB]

This is the reason I make my own sizing dies. Yeah, it takes a lot of time, but I enjoy the work and end up with something hand made.......sort of like casting your own!

[7s&8s]

Checked the output of the following Lyman sizers the other day...
(see post under Swappin & selling!
1) .284 die sizes .287 (purchased new 20 years ago, sized +/-1000 casts)
2) .285 die sizes .287 (purchased new 5 years ago, sized +/-300 casts)
3) .285 die sizes .287 (new, old stock, ebay, priced too low to pass)
4) .287 die sizes .289 (new, old stock, ebay)

[PatMarlin]

This is the reason I make my own sizing dies. Yeah, it takes a lot of time, but I enjoy the work and end up with something hand made.......sort of like casting your own!

Care to post the process some time 454PB?... and with pics?

It would be greatly appreciated...

[454PB]

Here are some examples. Notice that I don't machine the O-ring feature, I found that it's not needed.

[Blackwater]

BruceB, would you mind giving us Stilwell's address?

[Scrounger]

BruceB, would you mind giving us Stilwell's address?

Bruce apparently isn't in tonight, so in his stead, here's Stillwell...

http://www.sizingdie.com/

[NVcurmudgeon]

I thought Lyman sizers consistently ran oversize...wrong! Truth is, there is no rhyme or reason. Here are the nominal and actual sizes of my Lyman dies, when sizing boolits cast of WW plus 2% tin.

Nominal Actual
.287 .2875 over
.309 .3094 over
.310 .3107 over
.314 .3134 under
.325 .3246 under
.356 .3570 over (guess I'll quit using it because it's rough)
.357 .3570 right on (can also use in place of my .356)
.359 .3592 over
.360 .360 right on
.429 .4295 over
.431 .4307 under
.451 .451 right on
.452 .4525 over
.457 .4570 right on

Lyman sizers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Thanks to Forrest Gump.

[BruceB]

Thanks for posting the Stilwell site address, Scrounger. I woulda had to do a search to find it again, anyways...not that it takes much trouble.

I have had one die honed-out by them, and another one built from scratch, and both are very nicely done. The one he honed for me was one I'd botched-up to an out-of-round condition, and he said it gave him fits trying to fix it....but he diid fix it, and at the standard charge, too.

[beagle]

Intersting post here on the sizers.

I'm amazed that there is so much tolerance on them. Apparently, Lyman hasn't much of a quality assurance program on them and RCBS is about as bad.

I've used a couple of Stillwell's sizers and they're pretty close on. MKL (now defunct) had the same service as Stillwell several years ago and theirs were good as well.

My machinist shooting partner does ours as he has a Sunnen grinder at work. He says that accuracy is within .0003" on it and so far, any he's done fro me have run out within that tolerance.

With this in mind, it's amazing to me that we get stuff from Lyman and RCBS like we do as they have the same equipment.

It's also amazing how many people on here take the stamped diameter for granted on their sizers and don't really know what they're shooting./beagle

I thought Lyman sizers consistently ran oversize...wrong! Truth is, there is no rhyme or reason. Here are the nominal and actual sizes of my Lyman dies, when sizing boolits cast of WW plus 2% tin.

Nominal Actual
.287 .2875 over
.309 .3094 over
.310 .3107 over
.314 .3134 under
.325 .3246 under
.356 .3570 over (guess I'll quit using it because it's rough)
.357 .3570 right on (can also use in place of my .356)
.359 .3592 over
.360 .360 right on
.429 .4295 over
.431 .4307 under
.451 .451 right on
.452 .4525 over
.457 .4570 right on

Lyman sizers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Thanks to Forrest Gump.

[PatMarlin]

I think it may come down to a guy- who is really good at his trade, a craftsman- may not want to work at a place like Lyman.

Lyman might have to settle for semi-skilled labor, like many other industries today. How else could you explain those machinist having access to the same equipment, and so far off the mark? They prolly either don't know better, or don't give a shiat.

[PatMarlin]

Here are some examples. Notice that I don't machine the O-ring feature, I found that it's not needed.

That's some nice work. What kind of stock do you use, and what steps do you take?

I've got a small lathe, and I'm just learning, but it looks like I could make them. -Now that I just bought the rest of the sizes I need..

[454PB]

Over the years, I've tried various materials, including stainless. What I learned is that even very mild steel works fine, and that it is much easier to machine. Some of my home made sizers have sized thousands of bullets, with no measurable wear or change in bullet size.

I made the majority of them using scrap 3/4" grade 2 bolts.

I start by machining the major diameter to .723", that is the diameter of the top which fits inside the nut on the Lyman 450 sizer. I drill .125" holes beginning .435" from the top of the die and spaced .220" apart. This process can be altered to suit the bullet length. I usually drill the holes first, all the way through the 3/4" stock. You can chuck directly and turn, or use a live center. I don't use a center, it gives more room and the length of stock protruding from the check is only 1.6". Center drill the end, then turn to .702" up to the greater diameter. This is about 1.397", since the greater diameter at the head is .160" long. Once that is done, I drill the pilot hole deep enough to protrude through the length (1.555") of the finished die. I then part off at the greater diameter, or you can hack saw it off and face it to the correct length. Flip the die around, then drill to a diameter slightly less than the desired finished result. I have a large number of drills, so I can usually come within .015" of the desired diameter. I then use a steel rod, with a slot sawed down the center to hold emory cloth and hone the die to the desired diameter. This is a slow process requiring lots of measurement, progressively finer paper, trial and error. I learned long ago that the target diameter is about .002 less than you would think. This reflects what others have already mentioned: there is some "springback" of lead bullets after sizing. I use both a reference spud that I've turned in the lathe, and lead slugs driven through the die to measure progress. As a for instance, I would use a 9mm jacketed bullet (.355 diameter) as a measuring gauge for a .357 die. There are lots of creative ways to do the interior measuring as the honing progresses. Keep your lathe ways clean to prevent emory dust wear.

For the flat nosed sizer punches, I use an appropriate end mill in the tailstock chuck to rough them out, then a custom ground lathe tool with the lathe reverse turning to attain proper bevel.

After you've done some of your own, I'm sure you will deveope your own techniques.

[Blackwater]

Pat, you're probably right, but they also probably don't much cotton to working under what most factories hire as "middle management" these days. If there's a better example of the old "Peter principle" at work in modern business, I don't know what it'd be. Way too much "diversity" and way too little know how, if you ask me, but nobody did, so I'll rant off now.

You guys KNOW you're working me to death now, don't you?