I really, really, really hate...

[Whitespider]

...lube-sizing bevel-base boolits.
The bevel-base acts like another lube groove... only worse because the lube gets forced between the boolit base and whatever that floating center pin is called. Talk about making a friggin' mess.
I was trying to lube-size bevel-base boolits for my .45-70 tonight and the frustration level reached critical mass... I quit.
The only thing I've found that works is to punch the boolit into the die so the lube holes line up relatively close close with the lube grooves. Then pressurize the lube reservoir, and then depressurize the reservoir before punching the boolit back out of the die. Flipping that little wrench over and over gets old, and the whole procedure makes for slow production.

I really need to come up with a simple, quick, effective way to remove the bevel-base from molds using typical home shop tools... especially iron molds.
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[nagantguy]

Someone already solved the problem of messy slow and stuck boolits; pc! I totally understand your frustration! And lube sizing was one operation I couldn't get my daughter to help with she hated it, most time I did to, went pc and have never looked back. I've heard pc isn't the answer for bore riders but I've found a lighter pc coat to work splendidly! Just my experience but I do remeber how mad I would often get at the stupid wrench over and over.

[Catshooter]

Can't say I care for it much either.

To make it a bit better, I find some light foam, sorta like the white thin styrofoam containers you buy beef in. Punch out the caliber diameter needed and put it under a boolit, size. With the bevel base there's is going to be lube everywhere and it usually will make the foam stick. The base of the boolit compresses the foam and then around the edge the foam kinda fills in the bevel.

Can help, hope it does.


Cat

[richmanpoorman]

I know my SAECO lubesizer can be set so no grease gets below the bottom grease groove so I have no issues with bevel bases. About all I now run thru it are rifle boolits as PCing handgun boolits (with the right mold) requires no lubing or sizing.

[OS OK]

Can't say I care for it much either.

To make it a bit better, I find some light foam, sorta like the white thin styrofoam containers you buy beef in. Punch out the caliber diameter needed and put it under a boolit, size. With the bevel base there's is going to be lube everywhere and it usually will make the foam stick. The base of the boolit compresses the foam and then around the edge the foam kinda fills in the bevel.

Can help, hope it does.


Cat

Brilliant!

[Wayne Smith]

Yep, I keep a styrafoam coffee cup up by the sizer for just this purpose. Gotta change it out about every twenty or so boolits, it gets compressed.

[Dusty Bannister]

First fix was to remove the bevel portion of the mold to make it a flat base. Later got the Star and now no need to alter the mold. Some will have the top of the push out rod (I portion of the HI die) machined to just fit the base of the bevel based bullet and support and seal the base of the bullet in the size die. That seemed to be a lot more work than just removing that part of the mold.

[richmanpoorman]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.

[Dusty Bannister]

Sure, for pistol bullets with only one lube groove, just block the lube ports in the die. Multi lube groove rifle bullets might take a bit more adjustment or modification.

[centershot]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.

I agree, I never have a problem with BB bullets in my Lyman 450 once I get the adjustment correct!

[OS OK]

Yep, I keep a styrafoam coffee cup up by the sizer for just this purpose. Gotta change it out about every twenty or so boolits, it gets compressed.

This seems like the right idea for a fix...perhaps a piece of thick/soft leather would last a lot longer...for the right size plug just sharpen a brass case and use it for a punch.
God only knows how much time I've spent trying to adjust that dang die using the bevel base SWC's (thank God for PC when it came along!)...what a simple fix...duuuhhh!

[dondiego]

Could you lube the boolit by sizing/lubing nose first? You really don't need lube in all of the lube grooves.

[Echo]

Could you lube the boolit by sizing/lubing nose first? You really don't need lube in all of the lube grooves.

Would be extremely iffy w/Lyman/LAM-type loobers. Pressure in the loob store will force loob into the void formed by the nose of the boolit. My solution is to order a Star die for a new boolit with a small BB. Will work like a champ, when I get it adjusted.

[dondiego]

Yes, I see it would act like a real bad BB. I mostly tumble loob now and haven't used my 450 in a long time.

[rondog]

Myself, I just hate bevel-based bullets period. And I've never lubed my cast bullets, I went straight to sprayed-on powdercoating.

At one time I'd bought lots of bullets from Z-cast in many calibers, all bevel-based from Magma machines, and they shot terribly. Ended up melting them down into ingots to make GOOD boolits with. That was some expensive lead.....

[ShooterAZ]

Here's the solution. Take your chamfering tool and "sharpen" the mouth of one of your cases. Then take the top part of a styrofoam egg container and use the sharpened case to cut "cookies" out of it. Place the cookies on top of the piston and size away. The styrofoam will compress to take the shape of the bevel on the boolit, and won't allow lube to get under it. It works for me. It doesn't last forever though, so just cut several cookies to have on hand when they need to be replaced.

[dragon813gt]

I use the Star or BLL for the few bevel base bullets I use. I honestly try to avoid them at all costs because of lubing issues. Thankfully BLL works very well for heavyweight 9mm bullets. They're the only bevel base bullets I shoot in any volume.

[ascast]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.

in addition you could plug a hole in the die with a small shot, like #6

[Whitespider]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.

Please enlighten me ... what is this "simple" adjustment??
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[richmanpoorman]

My SAECO lube sizer has an adjustable stop below the die that determines how far the boolit goes into the die. By moving the stop up/down, you determine how far into the die the boolit goes. By setting it so that the bevel is BELOW any lube dispensing holes, you won't get any lube on the base. RTFI !