Sizing down .358 to .356 for 9mm?

[bizzledude]

I'm almost dismally confused now...
From everything I read, going .001-.002" over slug bore diameter with cast boolits will enhance accuracy.
Therefore, I purchased a .358 boolit mold that casts great.
I cast the boolits, measure, tumble lube, and cram them into cases. They chamber with a tighter crimp than my jacketed boolits.
I have a couple of questions...

Does tumble lubing increase diameter? I've noticed some come out slightly thicker on my calipers...
Should I be sizing these boolits to .357 or even .356, and then tumble lube?
Can the lube fill the bore like the alloy can? Or will .356 boolits in a .356 bore allow gasses to escape past the boolit when the lube heats up?

Dag-gummit this relatively simple issue is confusing...

[Char-Gar]

I am not a tumble luber nor think much of the notion, so my input may be of very little value to those who are. I do load for several 9mms and size my bullets .357. I have good luck in a variety of Euro and American 9mm pistols.

The groove diameter of these pistols are all over the map running from .354 to .357. I have found .357 to work in them all and .358 would also do just fine, unless it caused the ammo to be tad too fat for good feeding.

As, I said I don't tumble lube, but that goop is a layer on top of the bullet, so it must cause an increase in the size. I don't know that that is an issue or not, and have no plans to find out.

[GP100man]

Shoot as big a boolit as will chamber reliably !!!

I don`t think the alox is keepin the sizing operation from happening ! check the thickness of ya brass different brands vary & even vary from lot to lot !!!

Boolits can vary as cast , temp of alloy,temp of mold , alloy blend , & handle pressure on the mold can all cause dia. to vary a bit , how much ??? it all depends !!!

Want to add this also : If ya cast boolits & as cast varies then when sized (& again this is related to alloy) they will have a certain amount of springback !!

[chris in va]

I don't use Alox anymore. JPW and mineral spirits works much better for me, and it doesn't have a thick, tacky coating like Alox. My 9mm is sized to 358, no problems.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

,,,,,,,

[runfiverun]

alox has been used to upsize boolis or thier noses before...

[bizzledude]

I'd run them at .358 . . . and a light taper crimp . . . with a heavy one your just case sized them to .355 (or there abouts)

I crimp just enough to allow them to chamber...

[1bluehorse]

If you're using a Lee FCD you may be swaging your loaded rounds down to SAAMI specs. I still use them for cast boolits in my 45's I just remove the carbide sizer.

[bizzledude]

Oh no!
I am using the Lee FCD.
Mine only has a seater plug and seating adjustment pin. I don't know how to remove the crimp ring...
I seat and crimp seperately (that is, screw the adjustment pin all the way in, set my die to the correct seating depth, seat, and the adjust my pin back to and crimp to my necessary taper...
Is there an alternative? Preferably a cheap one?
I really hope I'm not sizing my boolits when I crimp...

Wait...maybe I don't use the Lee FCD...I have the 3 Carbide die set. On Lee's site it doesn't say whether my seater/crimper is the FCD...

[easyrider604]

Wait...maybe I don't use the Lee FCD...I have the 3 Carbide die set. On Lee's site it doesn't say whether my seater/crimper is the FCD...

You are correct. Lee's 3-die sets do not have the FCD, but they have the dual purpose seater/crimper die instead.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

measure it!

[Charlie Two Tracks]

My Lee seating die was reducing the diameter of my boolits. I don't know if they all do that or not........... but mine did. I got a Lyman M die and all is well. I got this M die per recommendations on this site.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Really?

[NHlever]

I'm almost dismally confused now...
From everything I read, going .001-.002" over slug bore diameter with cast boolits will enhance accuracy.
Therefore, I purchased a .358 boolit mold that casts great.
I cast the boolits, measure, tumble lube, and cram them into cases. They chamber with a tighter crimp than my jacketed boolits.
I have a couple of questions...

Does tumble lubing increase diameter? I've noticed some come out slightly thicker on my calipers...
Should I be sizing these boolits to .357 or even .356, and then tumble lube?
Can the lube fill the bore like the alloy can? Or will .356 boolits in a .356 bore allow gasses to escape past the boolit when the lube heats up?

Dag-gummit this relatively simple issue is confusing...

Though your boolits will check larger with your calipers, you don't have to consider that as part of the boolit diameter. You are on the right path, and I wouldn't size the boolits smaller to "make room" for the lube, and I think that is what you are asking. The cast boolit itself is the "cork" that seals the bore, however, the loaded rounds must chamber freely, and there is a chance that you might have to size to .356, or .357 to accomplish that. Take some cases that have been fired with full power jacketed bullets in your gun, and see if your unsized, and not lubed boolits will enter the cases freely. If they do you are good to go with your as cast diameter. If they don't, you will have to do some more checking to see how large a boolit you can use. You notice a difference now when chambering your cast loads compared to your jacketed loads because your cast boolits are .002-.003 larger in diameter.

[Gohon]

With LLA, when you seat the bullet the case walls will push the lube off the side of the bullet into the lube grooves. Only lube you have now outside the lube grooves is on that part of the bullet exposed outside the case. Pull a seated bullet lubed with LLA and you will discover very little if any lube below the crimp except in the lube grooves. Bottom line is if they will chamber then just load and shoot.