What size shot would pulg up the holes lyman sizer/lube die.?

[tackstrp]

What size shot would pulg up the lube holes in a Lyman .355 lube/sizer die.

I want to run some 100 grain .356 bullets (380) that only has on grease lube thru my Lyman 450 sizer. I was reading about the Star Sizer and they were to plug the exscess lube holes in the Star lube die. sounds like a good idea. I tried some #9 and #8 lead shot seem to small to fit tight in the hole.

Figure i will need to buy a box of shells for my 20 gauge, but what size?

Oh well worth a shot to ask? My idea may or may not work, just trying to get lube to only go in the grease grooves.

found commet from Magma Eng. about their lube sizer.
Feed all bullets nose first. Insert a bullet in the die and push it into the die until the push rod (#114)
actuates high-pressure piston (#124) with fulcrum lever (#112) and forces lube into the lube groove.
(A) All die holes must be plugged with #7 or #8 shot except the row being used on a particular
bullet. On single lube groove bullets you will use only the middle row of holes. Most dies
have three rows. With two row dies use the top row.
(B) Bullets with multiple grease grooves will use the appropriate rows for their design. Dies can
be ordered with proper spacing for most bullets.

[C.F.Plinker]

I just use pieces of the bamboo kitchen skewers that are about 1/8 inch in diameter.

[justingrosche]

I think it was #6 shot that I used.
Justin

[1hole]

IF you mean what I THINK you mean, you shouldn't need to plug any holes. What you need to do is limit the "down" travel of the bullet and you should do that with the threaded guide for the ejection punch rod that mounts on the bottom of the casting. Screw that guide up or down enough and the bullet will stop at any point you wish.

[justingrosche]

Ive had problems with really sort Boolits like the Lee 105 gr 38spec and the 356242 90 gr, getting lube in the crimp groove and on the nose. There doesnt seem to be enough adjustment to accommodate the really short ones.I've screwed the stop up as far as possible but still have lube in the crimp groove. If there is another way to do it, I'd love to hear the solution.

[tackstrp]

yes . that is the mold i am using. lee 105 gr.. All my others are Lee TL. I have a lyman 450, so am trying to use it. Read, see above comments about pluging some of the lube holes.

I have run a few bullets and think it may work. Using Black Lyman lube that must be 35 years old. Still cleaning that Speed green stuff out. Dont like at all for my needs, soft, sticky yucky. Put my commerial heat gun on the lyman 450 and the lube of any color turns to almost water. Seems to work as well as boiling to get the old lube out. Will drive up to cabelas get some Lyman orange magic


Ive had problems with really sort Boolits like the Lee 105 gr 38spec and the 356242 90 gr, getting lube in the crimp groove and on the nose. There doesnt seem to be enough adjustment to accommodate the really short ones.I've screwed the stop up as far as possible but still have lube in the crimp groove. If there is another way to do it, I'd love to hear the solution.

[tackstrp]

Have heard rumor that removing some of the lyman 450 parts, would allow bullets to be pushed all the way. While that may be possible, I can't figure out in my head how to control the lube. If it is possible would have to be on heck of a set up to get the lube to come out at just the right place. Sounds like a fun thing to try. Shoot so few 380 bullets not really worth the effort.

[shotman]

No 5 is near 1/8 if that helps

[1hole]

"Ive had problems with really sort Boolits like the Lee 105 gr 38spec and the 356242 90 gr, getting lube in the crimp groove and on the nose."

Haven't tried any bullets that short! But, IF I did, I think I would take that bottom adjusting screw guide and punch out, put a couple-three washers under the head of the punch so it would stick up a tad further. Maybe??

[BCall]

Ive had problems with really sort Boolits like the Lee 105 gr 38spec and the 356242 90 gr, getting lube in the crimp groove and on the nose. There doesnt seem to be enough adjustment to accommodate the really short ones.I've screwed the stop up as far as possible but still have lube in the crimp groove. If there is another way to do it, I'd love to hear the solution.


Take the down stop out and turn it upside down so the knurled part and nut is on top instead of underneath. This will allow the downstop to go up high enough to keep the boolit from going in so far. I had to do the same thing on some 22 boolits. Someone here gave me the tip on what to do.

[Von Gruff]

I have a need for minimal setting depth on occasion, and was frustrated with continual adjusting of the depth stem ( you can see some of the measurements I had noted on the bench top support rail), so with a bit of lateral thinking came up with this. I use the visable lube to "glue"the case to the stem.

http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv39/VonGruff/001-17.jpg


I leave the depth stop set for the longest boolit I need it set for and drilled a 3/8 hole through the primer pocket of some 44 spcl cases and cut about 1/3 of the dia away with length ways cuts so it will slip over the stem and limit the depth by the case length rather than screwing the depth stop up and down. I have a case cut for the individual needs and keep it with the associated die and top punch in canisters with details on the side.

Von Gruff.

[tackstrp]

I found some 60/40 pure solder in my electic tool box. size was good forced in the holes, cut off with wire snips. Pounded in with light hammer on block of wood. then filed off excess. Seems to work.

Closed all but the second row of two holes from the top. For the lee 9 mm 356-102-1R. seems to work. I say seems have not loaded any yet.

[justingrosche]

Von Gruff, I'm not sure that I'm fully understanding. Are you short stroking and using the case as a stop? Does this leave lube at the base of the Boolit?

[Von Gruff]

Von Gruff, I'm not sure that I'm fully understanding. Are you short stroking and using the case as a stop? Does this leave lube at the base of the Boolit?

The stem in the sizing die is stopped on its downward travel by the case head that is arround the threaded adjustable depth stem and rests under the stem head by sitting on the locking nut. Different length cases are simply sat on top of the lock nut against the threaded stem and this saves loosening the lock nut and adjusting the threaded stem for the required depth ( often with a bit of trial and error - re-adjusting) and re tightening the lock nut.
The lube only comes out of the holes above the die stem so there is no lube under the bullet ( or no more than might be with the usual set-up) if the correct use of the pressure ratched is observed, that is turning the ratchet just enough to lube the boolit.
The one in the pic above is set for nose sizing a short portion of the bore rider for my 7x57 which has a bore a 1/2 thou smaller than the cast boolit so I adapted an unused die to take bushing die bushes and get a better fit at the OAL I want. This was what required the big adjustment every time I wanted to size some boolits I had the size and GC then raise the stem a long way to set the boolit for nose sizing. Slipping the case on the adjustable stem locknut saves anything other than changing the die and top punch.
The small screw driver is indicating how little depth is needed for the nose sizing.
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv39/VonGruff/002-1.jpg

Admittedly there is no lubing needed for the nose sizing but the same procedure works for lube purposses.

Von Gruff.

[JIMinPHX]

I'm pretty sure that I used #4 shot to plug unneeded lube holes in Lyman dies. The lead shot squished in there pretty well. Plug the bottom holes, not the top ones. If you plug the top ones, then the shot will press into the boolit when you work the lube injector lever.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I have a need for minimal setting depth on occasion, and was frustrated with continual adjusting of the depth stem ( you can see some of the measurements I had noted on the bench top support rail), so with a bit of lateral thinking came up with this. I use the visable lube to "glue"the case to the stem.

I leave the depth stop set for the longest boolit I need it set for and drilled a 3/8 hole through the primer pocket of some 44 spcl cases and cut about 1/3 of the dia away with length ways cuts so it will slip over the stem and limit the depth by the case length rather than screwing the depth stop up and down. I have a case cut for the individual needs and keep it with the associated die and top punch in canisters with details on the side.

Von Gruff.

Good idea!
Sort of a modified gas check seater tool- allows you to drop in or out for various bullets and save time in adjustment. I'll have to adapt that idea to my LAM press. I have done what BCall does- that is a lot of trouble, unless you have two LAM's to work with, which I don't.

However, when properly adjusted you don't need to plug holes in sizer dies. I used to have two Lyman 450 presses and could never get them adjusted properly, and they agravated me to no end. Sold them and went back to pan lubing, but then came upon a RCBS press in a trade. It works much better than the Lyman press, IMHO. No agravation what so ever. Could that be part of your trouble, too?

[geargnasher]

Tackstrp, you got the right idea with the solder. I use solid-core "stained glass 60" solder, it is a snug slip fit in the holes. Cut short pieces and rivet them in the holes using the ejector as an anvil.

If you need to plug the top set of holes, do the same thing with the solder, but cut it long enough to allow you to peen a mushroom head on it, then gently pry it back out, file about 1/32" off of the end so it won't drag the boolit, and do the other three the same way. Then, clean the holes in the die body and the plugs you made with brake cleaner, coat the stems of the plugs with blue Loctite, insert back in the holes and wrap tightly with electrical tape. Wipe excess Loctite from the inside of the die and allow to set up overnight. When set, remove the tape and reinstall the die like normal, the holes will be plugged. To undo it, just warm up the Loctite and pry out the plugs. Make sure the heads of your plugs are small enough to allow the die to go into the sizer, if the heads stick up more than 1/16" they won't go.

I had to plug the top set of holes on several dies, one pistol design with long bearing surface that wasn't sizing the top band properly with only the bottom holes plugged, and another couple for rifles with long boolits on which I was only filling the bottom two bands.

Gear

[tackstrp]

yuck. Modifed my #311 top pucnch to not put a ring around the bullet nose.. Ran about thirty thru the lyman 450 with Lyman orange magic. Yeah it works, can see need to get the temperture just right to get cleaner bullets with no magic orange outside the lube groove.

But after all is said and done, find will stick with Lee sizer and white lable xlox 60% mimeral sprits and 40% xlox. My objective was to not have to wipe any excess xlox off of the bullet just in fromt of the taper crimp on a 380 Auto round. Less work to do things the xlox way. My experiement was a waste of time, and about $20 for Orange Magic and a dremel grinder stone.

Disappointed.

[geargnasher]

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. If the tumble lube works for you, then I would stick with it, but the machine should be working better for you. If you have any further interest in trying to make it work, PM me and I'll walk you through the adjustment and setup process. Who knows, you might need it for another caliber one day.

Gear

[justingrosche]

I wonder if it would be worth the trouble of tapping the holes and screwing in set screws. As long as you didn't screw them all the way into the bore, I'd think it would work great. It would take away the "I wonder if this is gonna hold?" uncertainty.