Lube-A-Matic woes

[jgh4445]

Trying to load some 45 ACP wadcutters and am trying to size/lube them in an RCBS Lube-A-Matic. Its the old one with the two ended ratchet wrench. Anyway, my die is stamped .452 on the top rim. It has two rows of lube holes. I have the rod up as far as it will go and each time I pull on the ratchet, it loads lube up all over the top half of the boolit and very little in the groove. I get a bit on the base of the boolit too. If I set the rod so the boo lit goes deeper, its a mess with lube ll over the top of the boo lit like a blanket wrap. Could I have the wrong die for 45 ACR wadcutters?

[RED BEAR]

It sounds like your going to deep. Even if rod is all the way up i have switched the adjustment tube upside down to stop bullet from going to deep some people close some of the holes off to stop lube from going were it ain't supposed to be . Never actually done it myself and not sure what they use . Maybe someone who has can chime in.

[Hickory]

There are two rods that go down to a small crossbar that raises your boolit out of the die. Adjust it upward an 1/8" and see what you get.

[jgh4445]

Thanks Hickory! Never thought of that. Now its doing a much better job!

[huntnman]

If you want to plug a row of openings I used lead shot, I believe it was #6 shot. It is easy to removed if needed.

[Land Owner]

Another aspect of the LAM is when the lube is warmed, it takes very little pressure (1/4 turn maybe) to introduce the lube into the grooves when the die is adjusted. More than that and it may squirt onto the base. Just scrape the die head off with a plastic "spatula" (you will have to make or purchase one), or Q-tip, before proceeding. I don't believe a tiny (and I mean TINY as in trace) fraction of wax on the base will affect the powder in the case.

[stubshaft]

I have had to plug the top holes in my .451 and .452 dies when I size short boolits.

[osteodoc08]

I've ended up flipping over the adjustment screw so that I don't go down as far. I shoot very few rifle boolits compared to handgun boolits and it has saved a lot of frustration.

[Mike W1]

I've ended up flipping over the adjustment screw so that I don't go down as far. I shoot very few rifle boolits compared to handgun boolits and it has saved a lot of frustration.

Here's another fellows solution that I tried and it works. My gunsmith brother-in-law fabricated a 1/2" longer screw for mine and that worked even better for me.

"I was wandering through Lowes looking for some screws for another
project when I saw a drawer in the hardware cabinet labeled Steel
spacers and there it was, a 1/4 x 3/8 x 3/4 steel tube for $1.15.

I bought one - went home removed the H&I Die, pulled the stem out
the hole where the die had been, put the sleeve around the stem and
reinserted it, then reinserted the H&I die and viola!!! Now I can
adjust the sizer until it only allows 1mm travel for gas check
seating or any depth greater than that for bullet sizing without
having to plug the holes. If I need the extra depth, it takes about
30 seconds to remove the sleeve and I'm back in business. "

[Land Owner]

pictures would help...I, and others, are visual.