A few top punch questions.

[Bazoo]

I have a 31141 mould, and I have a #8 top punch. The punch's cavity is just a touch larger than the nose of the bullet. It would seem to me, it'd be better, if it fit just right.

Is it supposed to fit better than that?

I know bullet moulds vary depending on the cherry and how many times it was sharpened or replaced. But what about top punches? If I buy another #8 top punch, will it be somewhat different?

Are there any other top punches I might try that will be close to what I need?

Up till now, i've done larger bullets with the sizer and have a flat top punch. I tried the flat punch with my 31141, and I couldnt center it enough, and some of the bullets were sized more on one side than the other.

Thanks for yalls help and time. ~Bazoo

[Bazoo]

Well, long story short, I found a 402 top punch, and it will work for the 31141 perfectly.

[gwpercle]

Custom fit the bullet to the punch with a little JB Weld Epoxy putty. Clean and degrease the top punch cavity and install in lube/sizer (mines a Lyman 450) , grease the nose of the boolit , place the boolit in the sizing die and take a small ball of mixed epoxy putty and place it on the boolits tip , get the boolit lined up vertical and square then lower the handle and start the boolit going into the sizing die about halfway ...stop and make sure no epoxy is oozing out and getting in places it shouldn't be.
If all is OK let the epoxy set up. The next day remove the punch and clean up any excess epoxy.
That's it ...the boolit is now perfectly fitted.

I have discovered that if a boolit has a flat spot on the nose.....a flat punch works best.
I made a flat punch , filled a RN punch with JB Weld , and use it to seat wadcutter , semi-wadcutter, round-flat , truncated cone and I even use it on round nose. The flat punch seems to let the boolit self adjust or self center a lot better than the conforming punches do.
All I know is sizing boolits with the flat punch is a lot easier , with less messed up/off center sized boolits , then when I used the punches that the chart said would fit but they really just almost fitted and were seldom a perfect match....I have a box full of "almost but not quite" fitting punches .
The JB Weld can make a perfect fit or can be used to make a flat punch...try the flat punch, you might like it.
Gary

[Bazoo]

Thank you for the tip. I did try a flat punch, but it was larger. If I had one that was the same as the nose of the bullet, im sure it would have given better results. I actually bought the 402 punch for the lee 358 140 SWC bullet, and just so happens it seems to fit the 31141. I havent tried it yet. I do have a few that I could modify with epoxy though.

[Wayne Smith]

I just took a couple of 1/4" brass bolts, cut off the threads, flattened the head and turned it to diameter in my drill press with a file. Viola, flat punch.

[Grmps]

I do what gwpercle dies but I use hot melt glue. Quicker and easier for me.