how soon after casting do ypu guys size?

[haven't got a clue]

I think I read somewhere that when water quenching your cast projectiles you should wait 24 hrs. before sizing them to achive maximum hardness. Is there any scientific basis to this?

[DLCTEX]

No, size them right away to make it easier and to avoid work softening the surface of the boolit. They may grow a little after a few weeks.

[runfiverun]

i size waterdropped right after the casting session.
there are exceptions to this.
but if sizing down more than .001 it's wet to lube.

[Lead Fred]

Ive done it in hours and weeks, and see no difference

[jlchucker]

Ive done it in hours and weeks, and see no difference

Same here.

[R.C. Hatter]

You may size immediately (unless water dropped, in which case, the boolits shoud be dried first) or you may wait weeks before sizing. Either way, you'll never notice a difference.

[FAsmus]

Gentlemen;

I've pretty much considered "sizing bullets" to mean the same thing as "damaging bullets"

Cast them the right size in the first place, size on a GC if necessary but always use a larger die than the as-cast bullet diameter.

If you DO size a HT'd bullet be prepared to use a good deal more force than is normal for an air-cooled item.

Good afternoon,
Forrest

[klcarroll]

.....I've pretty much considered "sizing bullets" to mean the same thing as "damaging bullets"........

That may be true; ........But only if your molds are significantly better than mine.

.....I count on my sizing operations to correct molded-in roundness errors.


Kent

[Bob J]

i size waterdropped right after the casting session.
there are exceptions to this.
but if sizing down more than .001 it's wet to lube.

This is what I do as well..... I have noticed that they are significantly harder after 24 hours.....

[Char-Gar]

Cast bullet do gain a little hardness over time and then loose a little. But if the hardness is right to start with the gain or loss won't make any difference in the performance of the bullet at the target.

This is one of the subject where folks on this board like to "major on the minor". To my simple way of thinking when you size doesn't make any difference. Will it make some difference in bulleet hardness? Yes. Will it make any difference in the terminal performance of the bullet? Nope, likely.

I cast a bunch of .452423 from No. 2 alloy ten years ago and let them sit in a plastic cofee can. Last week I sized and lubed a hundred and shot them in my 1911 pistol. There was no leading, accuracy was good and I could tell no difference between them and the many thousands of other bullets from the same mold I have cast over the past 48 years.

About once a year, I will set aside a couple of weeks and cast like crazy and store the raw bullets until I need them. They may sit for months or even years and I loose no sleep over the issue.

Cast bullets shooting has more variations and therefore complications that shooting those dreadful little yellow thingies, but some folks make it far more complex that it really is.

[1Shirt]

I size and lube asap after casting.
1Shirt!

[SP101GUY]

What is sizing? I just cast, lube and load. All my molds drop between .001 and
.0015 over. How lucky was that? Wish I had bought the molds before the sizing kits I don't use now.

AJ

[Adam10mm]

I sized whenever I got around to it. Sometimes it would be 6 months or so as I cast from April to October and that was it. Size when I needed to size.

[Hank10]

No time limit but usually soon as I get them back to the shop. Like some others I've sometime sized them yrs. later with no noticable difference.
H10

[FAsmus]

Klcarroll;

It is important to have round bullets.

I work on my molds some to ensure that they'll be within +/- 0.001 round. unless they will do that well I find that they fall into dis-use and are eventually sold.

Good evening,
Forrest

[Shiloh]

Ive done it in hours and weeks, and see no difference

Same here.

Me Three. No difference. I size them as I need them.

Shiloh

[deerslayer]

I water drop mine and I leave them in the water till I am ready to size them. I just cast until my bucket gets the desired ammount even if it is a few casting sessions. Then I tumble on a towel to dry and tumblelube and let dry. Size them the next day and tumble lube again.

[sniper7369]

Ive done it in hours and weeks, and see no difference

Same here. I just sized a bunch of 356-102-2Rs that had been sitting around since last summer.

[winelover]

I've always did my casting in the Spring and sizing in the Winter. I also only air cool.

Winelover

[shootinxd]

I size ASAP.