Lyman 45 modification . . .

[Fritz D]

I've made a modification to my old Lyman 45 Lube-sizer that I thought some might find interesting. My sizer had 2 problems that I've just lived with up until now.

On my sizer, the opening where the die goes measures approximately .725". I've measured a bunch of my dies to get an average measurement . . . the very top portion (above the O-ring) measures .723" and below the O-ring they measure .702". When I tighten the allen screw to lock the die in place, it forces the die to the rear and causes it to be out of alignment with the top punch. Also, when sizing hard and/or oversized bullets, several times I've had the die pop out of the sizer (on the upstroke).

I wanted something that would positively secure the dies from the top. I made this part on my lathe, and drilled/tapped 2 holes in the casting for the two 6-32 allen screws. I don't use the front locking screw with this setup, I'm counting on the O-ring to keep the die centered in the casting. I've only sized a few bullets with this setup but it seems to work fine. It takes a bit longer to change a die, but I can live with that.

[Digger]

WoW !! excellent ..... I want one , or two or three .... for mine.
that has always been a constant annoyance with the 45 .

[labradigger1]

Hmm, nice work and you got me thinking. I love my 2 45's and my 450 but, when sizing very hard (bhn23) 429421's the square bottom is sometimes awefully hard to get started into the die. I have been thinking of chamfering the top of the die but with your idea i could turn a very slight taper (maybe .04 to .00 the thickness of the ring) to start the squared edges of the boolit bases easier. I have broken 450 lower links from this problem before. Thanks fir the idea.
Lab

[enfieldphile]

That's a nice modification!

I think the die will automatically self-center after a few boolits get run in & out of the machine.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I haven't measured them...BUT,
I find I am less likely to have the problems described when I use older dies that don't have the O-ring. I suspect they might be a bit larger.
Jon

[Walter Laich]

if there is a problem with centering start a bullet down and loosen and retighten while the bullet maintains centering?
just a thought

[Fritz D]

Thanks for the positive remarks.

Jon B, I also have 1 die (without the O-ring) and it is almost a perfect fit in my 45. The upper half of that die has a much larger diameter than the new/current style dies.

[Beagle333]

That is a really neat idea! Currently I run all my boolits through a Lee sizer before going thru the 45. That way I don't have to stress any parts of the machine, including the screw's grip on the die. It's adding a step, but it still beat the holy **** out of pan lubing!

[M99SavNut]

The dies I own without the o-ring have, instead of the gentle taper lead-in of the o-ring types, a shoulder inside the die that sizes basically by shearing lead from the boolit. It's not necessarily centered in the die, or aligned vertically either, while it's being sized, so I no longer use those dies. This was a major criticism of the old-style lyman dies, and it got fixed sometime late in the Model 45 days, or when they brought out the 450. No o-ring, it just stays in the box.

Also, on your larger-diameter dies in the 45, the setscrew will push the die out of round, not a good thing, either, methinks.

The mod which started this thread is a good one, and solves both the problem described in it first post, and the out-of-round one, too.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I had forgot about this...It is a neat Modification.

[ndnchf]

Nice idea.