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Thread: Losing sleep, need an answer...or two.

  1. #21
    Boolit Mold Holdmonkey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
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    Bryceville, Florida
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    8
    Good evening, Gentlemen. Sorry to take so long to get back to y'all. I had read a bunch of your answers late this afternoon, and they made excellent sense! The main reason being, I have never used cast bullets thaat I loaded, and in my short reloading career (less than two years) I have never had a need to flare my cases. Everything just fit... But yes, I got home and did NOT have a Lyman "M" die, nor even a Lee Universal Neck Expanding die. But what I DID have was the memory of reading someone say he had used something with a taper and a smack with his hand. So when I got home from work, I took all those cases and a brass plumb bob and a rubber mallet, just a light smack put the cutest little flare on each one and I loaded the remainder of my cast bullets with nary a single problem. Thank you very much, Gentlemen, for your time, your knowledge, your expertise, and above all, for helping a newb when you all probably had things you'd rather be doing. For what it's worth, the bullet in question was for a .45 Colt, a Lee #90359 (dual-cavity, C452-300-RF) mold. But, for the record, I also cast some 405 grain flat nosed bullets for my .45-70 Government, none of which had flared case mouths, either. Now they do. I will be investing in the Lyman "M" dies for both calibers directly. Like Mr. Spock says, it's only all logical and stuff!

  2. #22
    Banned
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    3,409
    brass plumb-bob new one to me but I LIKE IT. neccesity is the mother of invention

  3. #23
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Tennessee
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    2,794
    Reason n I said, something similar. I have used an 8mm pull down fmj “back in the day”. Necessity is the mother of invention. Glad you got it going, and welcome aboard!
    “You don’t practice until you get it right. You practice until you can’t get it wrong.” Jason Elam, All-Pro kicker, Denver Broncos

  4. #24
    Boolit Grand Master

    mdi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    So. Orygun
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    7,239
    If I had to use "dedicated reloading tools" only I might have gone without or in worst case scenario, not reloaded. Been a machinist/mechanic for a very long time and I have 40+ years of tools accumulated and don't remember how many of my tools, not dedicated reloading tools, I've used in the past. I think my first was a plastic mallet I used for tapping bearings in place, and when I first ran into primer crimps I got a countersink out of my tool box. One item I used early in my lead shooting to flare cases was a cold chisel head, the tapered end....
    My Anchor is holding fast!

  5. #25
    Boolit Master




    Cherokee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Medina, Ohio
    Posts
    2,227
    To the OP, welcome and keep coming back.
    God Bless America
    US Army, NRA Patron, TSRA Life
    SASS, Ruger & Marlin accumulator

  6. #26
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    East Coast
    Posts
    792
    Just to throw my quip in with the rest. Be sure you are flaring your case mouths adequately. Yes, you should be sizing. Don't use a very tight crimp. Just enough to take the flare off. Welcome to the forum!

  7. #27
    Boolit Grand Master

    Wayne Smith's Avatar
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    Mar 2005
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    Hampton Roads, Virginia
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    13,616
    Glad you found a fix. Yes make do works, and for a revolver maybe that's all you will need. Once you get into longer ranges precision matters.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!

  8. #28
    Boolit Grand Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Northern Michigan
    Posts
    8,897
    BTW, no need to seat and crimp in two separate operations. It is easier to set up the dies and do it in separate operations but many old timers loaded millions of rounds on Stars that used one die for both functions. Also, on some progressives, seating and crimping on one station allows freeing up a station to add a powder check die.

    There are people that have trouble setting up a seat/crimp die but once you learn it is not a big deal.

    Like your plumb bob solution BTW. If speed is not an issue it will work just fine. If you do not want to invest in a flaring die, another option is to set up a short tapered shaft on a drill press...set the depth of throw...and go at it. Pretty easy to form the profile you need with the drill press running and a file.
    Don Verna


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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check