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Thread: Sizing Down 6m/m bullets to .223 cal ?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Sizing Down 6m/m bullets to .223 cal ?

    Asking for a relative. He was wondering if anyone has sized down 6mm bullets to .223 cal and if so how did they work?

  2. #2
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    Texas by God's Avatar
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    Trying to size down 1/5 of an inch would ruin any Bullet cast or jacketed.

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  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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    I haven't sized a boolit down this much before, so take what I post with a grain of salt as it is mostly speculation based on a little experience.

    I would imagine that a 0.020" reduction would cause a loss of the lube grooves, especially if not prelubed. With lube in the grooves, the grooves may be retained, but would probably be distorted. I would be concerned about distortion in the boolit from uneven sizing. To accomplish this with the least amount of distortion, the boolit should be sized down in less that 0.005" increments. Larger increments would likely result in more distortion and difficulty in sizing. Even 0.005" might be too much for a hard boolit.

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    Boolit Master
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    The simplest fix is to trade them or melt down and recast.

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    Nope, I haven't done it.

    If you are talking jacketed bullets, that will be a difficult task with cast boolit sizing dies. If you tried it with a Lee brand bullet sizing die, you will likely wreck the die, as the Lee has a fairly narrow band that actually does the sizing.

    If you are talking cast boolits, usually Rifle boolits are a harder alloy, so sizing them down will be a difficult task, unless you cast with a softer alloy, then heat treat after sizing, but that will make them easier to deform, which would be bad for the rifle's accuracy.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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  6. #6
    Boolit Master RKJ's Avatar
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    I've tried to size some 458 cast to to .452 and didn't have much luck. They resized but they were deformed more than I liked.

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    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Thanks, That is more or less what I told him. Now maybe he will believe me.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master



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    Quote Originally Posted by Texas by God View Post
    Trying to size down 1/5 of an inch would ruin any Bullet cast or jacketed.

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    Texas, LOL, your math is off my a factor of 10. Yes a factor of 10 (ten) the difference of .224 and .243 is 1/50th of an inch not 1/5. your decimal point slid on you move it to the left one place and you will be much closer.

    Ken
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  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master
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    A change that large isn't sizing, it's swaging. As others have said, this is not on its face a very promising idea; with a big enough press, the right dies, and enough power you can make a sewing needle by swaging down a 50 cal machine gun projectile, but it's just not a practical proposition.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Screwbolts View Post
    Texas, LOL, your math is off my a factor of 10. Yes a factor of 10 (ten) the difference of .224 and .243 is 1/50th of an inch not 1/5. your decimal point slid on you move it to the left one place and you will be much closer.

    Ken
    Yes, math is a foriegn language to me often. But .243" minus .223" = .200"- correct? If .250" is a quarter inch, why isn't. 200" a fifth of an inch? Either way, that's too much to squeeze.

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    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Texas by God View Post
    Yes, math is a foriegn language to me often. But .243" minus .223" = .200"- correct? If .250" is a quarter inch, why isn't. 200" a fifth of an inch? Either way, that's too much to squeeze.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
    Not quit .223 from .243 is .020 . Taught Math a few years when I was a much younger man.
    Last edited by brstevns; 03-17-2020 at 11:12 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by brstevns View Post
    Not quit .223 from .243 is .023 . Taught Math a few years when I was a much younger man.
    Really.....
    Larry Gibson

    “Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
    ― Nikola Tesla

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by brstevns View Post
    Not quit .223 from .243 is .023 . Taught Math a few years when I was a much younger man.
    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Gibson View Post
    Really.....
    Oops, That is too funny!!!!

  14. #14
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BK7saum View Post
    Oops, That is too funny!!!!
    OK Thought you would like that.
    You guys made me have to correct it.
    Mind and typing fingers do not always work together.

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    OH! I get it now! (Memories of school). It'd be funny if I DID drink.....it's kinda sad otherwise.
    My apologies for passing cerebral gas on this thread! I haven't felt this stupid since I got out of bed

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  16. #16
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Texas by God View Post
    OH! I get it now! (Memories of school). It'd be funny if I DID drink.....it's kinda sad otherwise.
    My apologies for passing cerebral gas on this thread! I haven't felt this stupid since I got out of bed

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
    Between both of us, I think we gave the members a good laugh!

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Laughing here! All in good fun!

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    I suppose if you sized it down to 20 caliber, and swaged(with proper bullet swaging dies) that back up to 0.223" it would work. That would be and awful lot of work.

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  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    as one who frequently suffers from neurological flatulence, i feel you pain!!!

  20. #20
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Forgive my Brain Fart as well! Please!

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