Nose first sizing RCBS LAM or Lyman 4500?

[kamikaze1a]

Wondering if any tried adjusting their RCBS or Lyman lube/sizer to work nose down? It would seem to be a doable task...

I sometimes have lead dragged or pushed onto the ogive when sized/lubed the normal base down attitude. The lead being there interferes with the throat and causes my slide to not return to battery. If it was sized nose down the lead would migrate towards the base and could not interfere with the throat...

[turbo1889]

Get yourself a length of steel rod the right diameter to chuck into the nose punch holder (can't remember the exact diameter off the top of my head) and cut it to long enough you can just barely get the boolit into the top of the sizing die with the handle all the way up. Cut it off nice and flat. Then pull the center plug rod out of the die and all the lift up return stuff on the bottom of the sizer and put a bucket underneath it.

Put a regular box end shorty wrench on the lube screw down thing instead of that stupid thing that comes with the 450 sizer that you can't back off.

Work the boolit in nice and slow a little at a time until the lube groove(s) line up with the lube holes. Grab the hacksaw and lay it flat with the top of the die hold down nut and make yourself a little mark in your push rod to mark that point.

Handle full up. . . . Boolit nose in the die. . . . Pull handle down until the mark lines up even with the top of the nut (mount sizer high and/or bend down so that top of nut is eye level. . . . Stop pulling lever down. . . . Crank down the lube pressure to lube boolit. . . . Back off pressure one full turn. . . . Pull handle all the way down. . . . Lift handle. . . . Repeat. . . . Repeat. . . . Repeat.

That will do you. Convert the lube reservoir to be pressurized with an air cylinder and then put a push button valve on the air line with automatic exhaust on release to back off the pressure and then it is just the push of a button to lube and you don't have to manually crank it down and back it off every boolit by hand. Works good for single lube groove boolits using RCBS dies and if you get lucky you can get a multi-lube groove boolit to line up right on a Lyman die.

[HeavyMetal]

And after all that it still won't be as nice as a Star!

However it will be faster than it was when stock!

I did the same thing, then decided to sell the Lyman for what ever I could get for it and all the dies, apply that and however much cash I needed to make the difference up and bought my first Star!

A decision I have never regretted! EVER!

[Gunslinger]

Get yourself a length of steel rod the right diameter to chuck into the nose punch holder (can't remember the exact diameter off the top of my head) and cut it to long enough you can just barely get the boolit into the top of the sizing die with the handle all the way up. Cut it off nice and flat. Then pull the center plug rod out of the die and all the lift up return stuff on the bottom of the sizer and put a bucket underneath it.

Put a regular box end shorty wrench on the lube screw down thing instead of that stupid thing that comes with the 450 sizer that you can't back off.

Work the boolit in nice and slow a little at a time until the lube groove(s) line up with the lube holes. Grab the hacksaw and lay it flat with the top of the die hold down nut and make yourself a little mark in your push rod to mark that point.

Handle full up. . . . Boolit nose in the die. . . . Pull handle down until the mark lines up even with the top of the nut (mount sizer high and/or bend down so that top of nut is eye level. . . . Stop pulling lever down. . . . Crank down the lube pressure to lube boolit. . . . Back off pressure one full turn. . . . Pull handle all the way down. . . . Lift handle. . . . Repeat. . . . Repeat. . . . Repeat.

That will do you. Convert the lube reservoir to be pressurized with an air cylinder and then put a push button valve on the air line with automatic exhaust on release to back off the pressure and then it is just the push of a button to lube and you don't have to manually crank it down and back it off every boolit by hand. Works good for single lube groove boolits using RCBS dies and if you get lucky you can get a multi-lube groove boolit to line up right on a Lyman die.

Have you done this mod yourself? How did it turn out? Would like to see some pictures

[geargnasher]

I've done it with RCBS dies (one row of lube holes) and with Lyman dies with one set plugged, it works ok but catching the boolits is tedious since you never know exactly when they're going to drop out and cranking the screw back and forth is a real pain. Never did the air thing.

Gear

[kamikaze1a]

I know this is would be a PITA but I wondered about sizing to say .402 and then running through a .401 Lee push through sizer...but I think the Star is in the "stars" for me.

[quasi]

you can just back the lube pressure off, and size nose first with everything configured normally. On raising the handle the "I" Part of the H&I die will eject the bullet as usual, once all the boolits are nose first sized, size again base first and pressurize the lube as usual and boolit is lubricated.

Or buy a Star.

[beagle]

The problem on either is the lube pressure which you want as certain times and don't at other times.

It's far easier to use a Lee push through die or a adapter to handle RCBS and Lyman dies in a single stage press and seat checks and nose first size and then come back and lube in a separate step./beagle

[Doby45]

If you wanna go nose first and can't afford a Star, get ready to pan lube, cake cut the boolit and then use a Lee push through sizer. This is the closest you will get to Star quality, but not Star speed.

[kamikaze1a]

The problem on either is the lube pressure which you want as certain times and don't at other times.

It's far easier to use a Lee push through die or a adapter to handle RCBS and Lyman dies in a single stage press and seat checks and nose first size and then come back and lube in a separate step./beagle

I thought that you need to have some lube to size with the Lee push through? The manual mentions leading of the die without lube. I used to like tumble lube but the lube on the exposed part of the bullet started to become a problem when dropping mags in the dirt. Wiping after seating a pain too...

[Doby45]

You can run boolits through a Lee push through without proper lube. You can "lube" them with a bit of soapy water. I reckon it also depends on how much you are sizing the boolit down.