help 9.3 with 375 checks and lee sizer?

[acsteve]

Ok, so I just got a new mold in .367" installed the 375 checks, and could not run them through nose first and keep them on. The checks would seat if I pushed through backwards, with great force using my rock chucker. I finnally measured the before checks, they were about 390" and 368" after but the process ruined a bunch of boolits. So will annealing the checks help or should I order a ranch dog 379" lee die and step fit the gas checks or ????? thanks On a different topic, the custom shop lee sizer die leaves slight scratches on the boolits and checks, is this normal or just a bum sizer.

[crash87]

I just went through this a few days ago. When I 1st tried this I had just took delivery of my lee custom sizer die. Pushing the bullets through nose 1st resulted in checks being sized on and many were off centered and the the "pusher" had made an off center indent in the base of the bullet, for lack of a better description they were ruined and I was pissed. I measured the pusher and found it undersize, it would appear to me they made me a sizer and took the pusher off the shelf that was made for a .358 sizer, now I was really pissed.
Of course I sent it back with demolished checks attached to bullets and got the right one. Fast forward to a couple nights ago when I needed to size some bullets I had cast over the weekend. 1st few were good, then i started having the same problem as before!. O.K. long story short, I had thought about annealing then scraped the idea. I 1st put a 376 sizer die in my RCBS lubrisizer and "just" started the check into the die. I then ran it through the 367 Lee die, then back to the RCBS lubrisizer in a 368 sizer for lubrication. No more problems. whew!! it's a lot easier to do than explain.
You, in my opinion, have a bum die.Send it back and have them polish it for you. Lee makes economical and some times good stuff. There ideas are good, but sometimes their workmanship has something to be desired. Hope this helps. Crash87

[acsteve]

thanks crash. I'll go ahead and order a lee in 375 today

[Ranch Dog]

When you special order a Lee L&SK, you should specify the size of the punched otherwise they will use the nearest stock size rounded down. School of hard knocks here... I bet I've bought more SO kits than anybody!

I am a bit confused. You are putting Hornady 375 checks on a. 367" bullet? How can that work?

[crash87]

When you special order a Lee L&SK, you should specify the size of the punched otherwise they will use the nearest stock size rounded down. School of hard knocks here... I bet I've bought more SO kits than anybody!

I am a bit confused. You are putting Hornady 375 checks on a. 367" bullet? How can that work?

YES, Specify, as that is what happened to me, school of hard knocks graduate also.
I had mountain molds cut the shank to fit a 375 check. It's really the only way to do it unless you can obtain the proper checks for the 367 bullet. Not really an in stock item, if at all. Crash87

[acsteve]

I had done a bit of research on the 9.3 and it seemed that most used the 375 checks and some the 35 checks. I figure if Mountian makes them that a way, I will trust the man who made the fine mold I just recieved. I did think about the group buy for the 286 gr GB, but decided that I really wanted a 220 for a couple of reasons. I think that sizing the checks down to 375 then to 368 will eliminate my minor concerns.( I hope). I did anneal the remaining checks and await my newest lee sizer. I really should have bought a RCBS type sizer to begin with. Lee stuff works well, just not quite as visually apealling.

I really like the Ranch dog molds I own, 460-350, 460-425, 432-265, 311-170, they are a great design. I am looking forward to the 360-170RD for my revolver or Marlin I have yet to aqquire.

[crash87]

Well acsteve, for the record it worked for me, starting with the .375 1st then to .368. An extra step but 'm not really to worried about, how many bullets per hour but more so in the quality, garbage in/garbage out as they say. My own mold is a 270gr. with a LFN profile and a gc. Just did some shooting with it last week. Ruger No.1 9.3X74R. I could stop right now but want to tinker some more with differnt powders. I am shooting air cooled W.W., but am going out today to alloy some 50/50. PB/W.W. from what I read it has merit, and more importantly, I have a good supply of sheet lead and would like to see my W.W. last a little longer.

[dicko]

Ok, so I just got a new mold in .367" installed the 375 checks, and could not run them through nose first and keep them on.

The 9.3 groove dia is 366, the 375H&H is 375. How on earth do you expect a 375 gas check to fit a 9.3 bullet ? There is some latitude, and sometimes an oversize gas check will fit. But that much difference is expecting too much. You managed to make it fit by sizing base first because the die reduces the gas check to 366, but that overly much reduction of the gas check explains the pressure it took. You need gas checks made for the 9.3.

[crash87]

The 9.3 groove dia is 366, the 375H&H is 375. How on earth do you expect a 375 gas check to fit a 9.3 bullet ? There is some latitude, and sometimes an oversize gas check will fit. But that much difference is expecting too much. You managed to make it fit by sizing base first because the die reduces the gas check to 366, but that overly much reduction of the gas check explains the pressure it took. You need gas checks made for the 9.3.

ONCE AGAIN.....THE SHANK IS CUT TO "FIT" THE 375 CHECK!! :groner:

[9.3X62AL]

I'm a longtime user of a Mountain Molds 9.3mm design that uses 375 caliber checks. In the Lyman 450 H&I die, Hornady 375 checks work well and take on a slight convex aspect that follows the dished profile of the "I" ejector shaft face.

[crash87]

9.3X62AL, I have had that to. By running it thru a Lee push thru die I tend to eliminate that from happening. The extra step I take in sizing in the Lee is simple enough. I use an RCBS lubrisizer, the force needed to push the bullet into the die, really any large caliber bullet for that matter, plays hell on that insipid, poor design of the handle yoke, broke way to many of them, even after reinforcing.
So I add the extra step and then basically am only lubing the bullet.
CRASH87

[9.3X62AL]

Maybe I've been luckier than others. Even with the convexed checks, the boolits shoot WONDERFULLY to 1800 FPS. I plan to strain the boolits further and kick them out harder soon, and we'll see if the accuracy holds. If it ain't broke--don't fix it. So far, anyway.

[nanuk]

crash87: just to be clear to us simple folk, you size base first through a .376 die just to seat the GC, then base first through a .368 die. that seats the GC and lubes...

The RCBS unit is operates on the same principle as the Lyman 450?

[crash87]

crash87: just to be clear to us simple folk, you size base first through a .376 die just to seat the GC, then base first through a .368 die. that seats the GC and lubes...

The RCBS unit is operates on the same principle as the Lyman 450?

Yes to the .376 base 1st, then I run them nose 1st thru a lee push thru.368 die, and back to the rcbs for lube in .368 die. What the 1st step is actually doing is giving the check a slight crimp , partial size if you will, so there isn't so much pressure on the handle when running them thru the lee. It does put a bullet ruining divet on the base if not 1st done that way. It works for me. And again I do the 2 step process with any hard and or long bullet, simply because of the poor design of the RCBS handle yoke. Crash87

[nanuk]

thanks for that
I have a Lyman 450 and a couple 45's. I was thinking the 450 would be the same as your RCBS so I was interested in exactly how you did it so I wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel

[crash87]

thanks for that
I have a Lyman 450 and a couple 45's. I was thinking the 450 would be the same as your RCBS so I was interested in exactly how you did it so I wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel

It's basically the same, albiet the linkage is somewhat different. I had one once, gave it to may Dad and got an RCBS. They are BOTH prone to breakage however. There are some linkage fixes/reinfocment ideas i saw on the net somewhere for the Lyman, I have done some reinforicing of the handle yoke on the RCBS, still broke after time, but was better, lasted longer, than the stock item. CRASH87

[missionary5155]

Howdy Crash
I do not think you will be dissapointed with 50/50 mix for a hunting boolit.
I do my load developement with WW then cast 50/50 with the same load for hunting. There is little leading if any and 50/50 will expand at 1200 fps on deer ribs and whatever else gets in the way. At 1500 fps 50/50 will really make a loud "thwap" out in the early morning river bottoms.

[dicko]

ONCE AGAIN.....THE SHANK IS CUT TO "FIT" THE 375 CHECK!! :groner:

You didn't need to say "once again," I saw it first time. I am familiar with the technique. As a commercial caster I have bored out several moulds to fit oversize gas checks. It works, but is an improvised solution not as good as gas checks made the right diameter to start with.

My reply was to the original question from acsteve, who did not mention boring out the mould. Presumably he was fitting a 375 GC to a 9.3 bullet from an unmodified mould. It is therefore no surprise that he was having difficulty, so that is what I explained. If you think that warrants sarcasm, its no skin off my nose, but adds nothing to the quality of discussion.

The real solution to unavailable gas checks is to order a Freechex or Checkmaker tool and make your own.

[crash87]

My reply was to the original question from acsteve, who did not mention boring out the mould. Presumably he was fitting a 375 GC to a 9.3 bullet from an unmodified mould. It is therefore no surprise that he was having difficulty, so that is what I explained. If you think that warrants sarcasm, its no skin off my nose, but adds nothing to the quality of discussion.

"Presumably" I therefore "presumably" didn't take his post as meaning the same as you, again, Presumably. OH OH I said again, again. Also, I don't quite comprehend your statement about, "boring out the mold" ?? But it is, at this point, rather moot. But, If it was no skin off your nose (I'm sure it wasn't), why then did you feel compelled to comment? Relax a little dicko, no harm intended, please believe that. I can quote numbers also, The man was looking for an answer not numbers. and like I said, I had just gone through exactly, once again, exactly, what he was and had, at least I thought, the answer's he was looking for.

missionary5155, I just alloyed some 50/50 last night. I casted a few LBT .431 LFN gc with this alloy. I'm air cooling them to find out the bhn, with the alloy I mixed. Also I have some 41 cal Gator gas checks Thin cup. I bought them to use on some .412 cast bullets I have, but found they wouldn't fit, to loose, as in, check shank to small. A while back, I read a post from Veral Smith on the subject of 41 gc's. He mentioned they should or could, work on some 44 gas checked shanks, Hmmm. So I triied it, They fit, so thankfully I now can use them. I'm thinking that bullet and 50/50 alloy should be a favorable combo in my 44 special.

I'd like to Thank you, both, for your comments. And, acsteve, I see there doing a small group buy, active now, on that 286gr boolit mold. If your looking for something a little heavier, it sure does look like it would do the job. CRASH87

[crash87]

apparently double up on the response.

[acsteve]

just ran a small batch through a 375 lee sizer then a 367(actually368 lee
and the booliits came out great as did a 250 grain -.379 lee designed for the 38-55. the extra step really helps.

[PatMarlin]

If there's interest, it would be great if someone could send me some samples of their 9.3 boolits as cast- (standard shank not the custom), I would be happy to design a set of Checkmaker™ dies for the caliber.

Also- by using an optional male die sized appropriately, the dies may be adjusted and work for the custom cut shank version as well I would imagine.

[NHlever]

9.3X62AL, I have had that to. By running it thru a Lee push thru die I tend to eliminate that from happening. The extra step I take in sizing in the Lee is simple enough. I use an RCBS lubrisizer, the force needed to push the bullet into the die, really any large caliber bullet for that matter, plays hell on that insipid, poor design of the handle yoke, broke way to many of them, even after reinforcing.
So I add the extra step and then basically am only lubing the bullet.
CRASH87

A couple of plastic zip ties pulled tight with plieres before being cut off will reinforce a broken spot weld on the RCBS lubesizer. RCBS will also send you a new handle.

[crash87]

The spot weld is not what breaks, although it has, the metal fatigues and cracks, wear it comes up into the handle. The part as you already know is just a stamped out piece of sheet steel, they would do better to have the handle yoke cast. Heck i'd pay for the upgrade, as I am already a, standing customer for replacements. Thanks Crash87

[GSSP]

Ok, this is for my 9.3x62. I had Veral Smith make me a mold to throw 1 GC and 1 PB 170 gn wfn. The PB is great. Veral suggested I obtain .375 GC from Bullet Swaging Suppy in West Monroe, LA. I did. They measure .388" in diameter.

I obtained a custom RCBS sizer die, .365", from Buffalo Arms. I did and the PB bullets sizer to a perfect .365". I know it seems small but that is the sizer Veral suggested after he obtain my throat slugs I sent him.

Trying to size and crimp the GC on the GC bullet is a disaster. Then entire unit is destroyed.

Suggestions.

Alan

[9.3X62AL]

GSSP--

I tried to answer your PM, but receipt is blocked. See my above comments regarding Hornady 375 checks with the Mountain Molds/"Eirik"-design 270 grainer.

[GSSP]

9.3x62AL,

Thanks for the reply. I'll look into my setting so I can get PM's.

Talked to Larry, CS rep @ RCBS this afternoon. He asked a few questions that for now, stop me dead in my tracks from the path I was going down.

What is the dia of the bullet's shank? .357"

What is the thickness of the Bullet Swaging Supply .375 GC's I have? .017"

Duh!

I did the math.

.357" + .017" + .017" = .391"

He pointed out their was no way that combination would work together. Swaging would be the name of the game, not GC crimping!

So, back to the drawing board. For now, i'll focus on the 170 gr PB bullet that is in the mold and developing a load.

Larry @ Bullet Swaging Supply told me this am he is more than likely going to start developing a dedicated 9.3 GC. Maybe in 3-4 months he'll have one up and ready to ship.

Thanks,

Alan