GC Seating Methods?

[juniorsonic]

I have LEE bullet size dies for the bullets I will be casting and I am wondering if these actually do a good job of seating the GC? Or do I really need to spend the extra dough on a lubri-sizer?

[Ben]

If your g/c's are Hornady crimp on and your g/c shank dia. is the correct size, it should work just fine.

If you're trying to avoid the costly purchase of a lubri - sizer, I think you'd benefit greatly from reading this :

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=119056

Ben

[juniorsonic]

Thanks for the link. The only GC's I have right now are Hornady .308(9?) for my .30-cal 129-grain mold for 30-06.

[Ben]

juniorsonic

Have you tried to crimp one with the Lee sizer and then try to remove it with your finger nails.

Most likely you won't be able to. If that is the case, you're good to go.

Do you think pan lubing ( like you saw in my link above ) is within your reach ?

[Larry Gibson]

I have LEE bullet size dies for the bullets I will be casting and I am wondering if these actually do a good job of seating the GC? Or do I really need to spend the extra dough on a lubri-sizer?

Whether or not the Lee sizer will properly seat the Hornady GCs on those bullets depends on several things;

Does the base of the bullet seat to the bottom of the GC before sizing?

If not cand you consistently thumb or otherwise push them solidly seated before sizing?

Is there enough "sizing" happening to the bullet so the ram keeps the GC bottomed before crimping?

I have found that many times with tight fitting GCs the lee sizer will not seat the GC to the base of the bullet before crimping. Thus theGCs can be crooked and some degree of inaccuracy may very well result. If the GCs do not seat fully to the base of the bullet prior to sizing/crimping then I always seat the GCs solid via another means. There are other, makeshift means that can be used to seat GCs prior to sizing if need be. However, The Lyman lubrasizer is nice to have and use. I have 3 Lyman 450s and numerous Lee sizers and use all of them.

Larry Gibson

[Old Iron Sights]

Even if you can seat the GC firmly by hand, I assume you still need to crimp it to size it down to the bullet? Reason I'm asking is that I seated some boolits with GC's and the GC expanded the neck out too much and the boolit was loose. I can use a crimper die to firm it back up but I was wondering if i'd be better off with a sizer just to crimp the GC. First time using GCs. Kinda new to casting.

[juniorsonic]

juniorsonic

Have you tried to crimp one with the Lee sizer and then try to remove it with your finger nails.

Most likely you won't be able to. If that is the case, you're good to go.

Do you think pan lubing ( like you saw in my link above ) is within your reach ?

Yes, pan lubing is definitely in the realm of possibility here. I have not yet attempted to use the LEE sizer to crimp the GC. When I do, I will try the "fingernail check" like you mentioned. Thanks.

[Whiterabbit]

I'd like some of these gs check tips too. My castings don't easily slip into the hornady checks. A good 40 percent will snap in if I squeeze very hard, the rest either dont or need a whack with a wood block to make them go. This usually seats the check crooked.

the result is half the checks are cupped after sizing in a lee die, and most rotate easily.

I'd love some advice to improve this performance.

my first castings, my first time with gas checks.

[Capn Jack]

I use the .459 320gr RCBS mold and almost all of my GC (Gator Copper & Home made alum.)have to be seated with a small hammer. This hasn't been a problem as the bullets are FN.
Any RN boolits I tap the bases gently on my vise until they are seated. I then run them all backwards through my seating die with a nose punch to crimp the GC.

Jack...

[shotman]

if you start the check on boolit and set on the die ram. start the boolit in the die till it sticks . Take the handle of press and start tapping the base [like you are driving a nail.} It will seat the check straight . you can feel it after a few tries then push it through.I have only run into one that wont work that way The Lee 338 mold and Gator checks have to go in backwards

[castblast]

I just recently realized (last week), I was not fully seating my gas checks. My LAMII was crimping the checks before they seated flush to the base. I had been firmly pressing them on with just my fingers. Poor accuracy was a result (patterns, not groups ).

Then I had the bright idea to pound the checked boolits on a table before sizing. I could tell right away they seated better. My groups went from 5 to 6 inches down to 1 to 2 inches. Five shot 100 yard groups! Fifty rounds total last week. All very, very consistent. The poor accuray has been driving me crazy for a while. Now, hopefully, I can get down to the business of shrinking my groups down even more!

Earlier today I loaded some rounds, and to seat the checks I screwed a M die in my Rock chucker upside down, removed the shell holder, and put a penny on the ram. This seemed to work well. Haven't shot them yet. Also, I ordered a gas check seating die from NOE on Friday. I think I'm on my to hitting what I aim at!!

[Capn Jack]

After firmly seating every gas check, I give it a 360° "eyeball" check to see if
it aligns with the lube rings on the boolit before crimping.

Jack...

[carlsonwayne]

I cast with the Lee DC 312-155-2R for my 7.62X39, 7.62x54, and my 308. I also use the Lee sizers in either .311 or .309, depending on what gun I am loading for. I also cast with Lee's Six cavity molds for 44 and 357 (C358-158 SWC, and C429-240 SWC) and size them with Lee's sizers. I put the checks on and push them through with no more effort that unchecked bullets. I have had zero problems seating my gas checks on any of those bullets. I am hoping to get some of Pat Marlins check makers, and will see how well those work (Everything I read about them tells me they work even better than factory checks). Oh, I am currently using Hornady checks.

[Whiterabbit]

if you start the check on boolit and set on the die ram. start the boolit in the die till it sticks . Take the handle of press and start tapping the base [like you are driving a nail.} It will seat the check straight . you can feel it after a few tries then push it through.I have only run into one that wont work that way The Lee 338 mold and Gator checks have to go in backwards

Thank you sir. I did this last night, and not one issue. No oblong seats, no wonky crimps, no cupped bases, nothing. Nothing but nice, flat based, uniform sided, nicely crimped gas checks.

And no ground down crimp grooves from sizing after striking with a hammer, and no oblong noses from striking with a hammer less than perfectly center.

And best of all, no extra time taken adding another step to the process. Straight from pile of GC's and pile of casts to the sizer and out comes the completed round.

Perfect.

Thank you again.

[Jal5]

Some good suggestions here I will try. I started seating the GC by tapping it on the table top before inserting it in the press with the boolit base up and that eliminated the crater in the GC for my 270 boolit. haven't tested those out yet.
Joe

[Wally]

Drill a whole in a small board just a bit wider than the bullet caliber. Dripp it about 1/4" deep. Place the bullet nose first in the hole. Place the GC over the base and gently tap the GC "home" with a plastic mallet. A few gentle "blows" should do it after you get it "down" it goes quite easy and you will get the right feel. I place the board on my thighs so I don't hit it too hard. The wood will form a perfect cavity for the nose configuration.

[Capn Jack]

Cool Wally,

You got me thinking...For pointy boolits, you could use a "Step" drill.

Jack...

[Wally]

Cool Wally,

You got me thinking...For pointy boolits, you could use a "Step" drill.

Jack...

On pointed bullets drill a regular hole....chuck one into your drill and press into the cavity, then spin while you apply downward pressure... I try to use a drill as close to the bullet size as I can. I seat the GC's while watching TV...

[1Shirt]

Have had good luck with Lee sizers in .310/ .311/.312 with Pat Marlin checks and .012 alum. Then I run them thru RCBS luber.
1Shirt!