Not sure how to size bullets

[Kyrifleman]

I'm new to casting and am in the process of gathering all the tools. I've been using a Lee 2 cavity 170 grain flat point mold for the 30 WCF. I'm just now starting to cast purdy boolits and with some extra work, the mold is dropping them free without slapping the **** out of the hinge bolt. I'm to the point where I'm looking at the Lee 4500 so here's my question. The mold drops boolits at .310". I hammered a soft lead ball through the bore of my 94 and it measures .310" at it's widest point. I've read that a cast boolit should be 1-2 thousandths larger than groove diameter, so do I just run them through a .310" die and start loading or should I try to get another mold?

[chuebner]

Shoot them as is. The results on paper should give a good indication if you need a bigger boolit. Then read up on "beagling" your mold. Have fun.

charlie

[selmerfan]

Don't bother sizing your boolits, try them as-cast first. Put some lube on them though! :)

[Kyrifleman]

So would tumble lubing be enough? I want to try to reach 2000 fps so I guess I'll at least have to run them through a bullet sizer to seat a gas check.

[buyobuyo]

I would run them through a .311" sizer for seating gas checks. I haven't heard of a tumble lube that will do 2000fps, so you may have to try pan lubing. I'm sure someone will be along that can give a better answer about the tumble lubing.

[PacMan]

Run them thru your .310 sizer die and seat your GC.If they do not size down any you are good to go and as stated above your target and you barrel will let you know if you need to go bigger..If they do size down some try them anyway.You never know.
If you are using a Lee die they are real soft and can be opened up easilly if need be.

[Ben]

Kyrifleman

Take a minute and read this article that I wrote for " CastPics ".
I think you'd like it. If you've already got a Lee bullet sizing die
of the proper dimensions, this is all you need.

If you've got 2K fps as a speed goal, this system will allow that kind of speed.


http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/HowTo/CantAffordALuber.pdf

[HeavyMetal]

Ben's Pan Lubing Kake cutter deal is the hot tip for anyone just getting into casting.

The bonus here is it will allow you to try different lube's if you want to.

That's one of several down sides to the "tumble" lube process, LLA is LLA no matter how you mix it, plus it's way messier.

Strange that after I started pan lubing in the 70's I've come full circle and am once again pan lubing for a few HP molds for my 45-70.

Nice pic's Ben!

[PacMan]

Very nice lay out there Ben.
You have done well and this will help a lot of guys.
Thanks

[Ben]

dwight hardy

I've done some pretty stupid things in the past 50 yrs. related to reloading and casting ( some of which I prefer not to divulge....). However, the things that worked well, I do enjoy sharing , hoping that it will be of help to someone.

Thanks,

Ben

[DukeInFlorida]

As Ben pointed out, Lee doesn't make every .001" size for sizing dies. Likewise, Lyman doesn't either.

Choices:
1) Hone an existing die to a larger size. I like to use emery cloth rolled strip, and cut a slot in a wood dowel of an appropriate size, and wind the emery cloth onto the dowel. Add some light oil to the cloth and the part. Chuck the dowel in a drill motor, and spin the dowel. Should take about a minute at medium speed to remove about .001 of material. Be sure not to go over. Stop and check progress often.

2) If you need to make a die smaller, wash in the hottest water you can handle, and dry in dryer, hottest setting. Just kidding on that one. Can't make dies smaller.

3) We have some very talented machinists here. I had Lathesmith (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=62874) make me some custom sizing dies for my Lyman 4500. They were sizes that Lyman didn't offer. His price was very good.

[Kyrifleman]

Thanks for all the advice. I been away from the forum for a few days so I have a lot of reading to do now :-o