Bumping up cast boolits

[lbaize3]

Some time back I purchased some cast 44 caliber boolits from a friend. He got them from Butte Casting Co., Inc. . The box info says they are economy cast bullets, 240 grain swc, and .429 dia. I needed some .431-.432 boolits. Discovering that the bevel base boolit would accept a gas check I tried to bump the boolits up on my Lyman 450 sizer... without success. Then I ordered Swede's gas check tool...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_113004e5e63e5041e6.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1983)
I tried it first in my Lee classic cast turret press. I could not get enough leverage becase the ram was too high. Next I tried a C press and had the same problem. I then put a washer on the press ram and had some success, but the lever still was not going down enough to give me the pressure I needed. Then I tried my PW press above.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_113004e5e64b45b71f.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1984)
I installed Swede's check tool and a large 45 caliber top punch designed for the 45-70. To make things quicker, I circled where the boolit sat, on the press base, straight in the top punch.http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_113004e5e657a241a2.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1985)
The method worked well.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_113004e5e6649af30f.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1986)
The boolit on the left is the boolit as cast. The middle boolit is as cast with a gas check sitting under it. The right hand boolit has been bumped using the method I described above.
Before bumping the boolit base band was .429, the top band was .430 and the nose was .318.
After bumping the boolit base band was .432, the top band was .435 and the nose was .333.
The boolits weigh 246.2 grains without the gc and 253.6 grains with the gas check.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_113004e5e671588976.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1987)
I really like the bigger nose.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_113004e5e67be0be53.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1989)
As soon as it cools off enough, I will be out shooting these out of my .44 special and .44 mag pistols and rifle. Will let ya know how well these bumped up boolits work.

[Bret4207]

Good job. Most folks are unfamiliar with "bumping".

[BudRow]

I tried bumping up some boolits once and had trouble with symmetry. They didn't get fat in an even manner.

[RBurke44]

Bumping cast bullets is easy if you have the right equipment. I would not dare use my Lyman 4500, it would break on the first try. I bought Corbin's CS-1 press
and a number of external punchs for .45 Cal. I reform .357, .40 cal .429 and .45
into .45's with all kinds of nose shapes. No problem at all except for checking account damage. I also bought their knurling tool to do diamond pattern on the reformed bullets for greasing. The same equipment installs gas checks on almost any bullet, also installs or makes half jacket bullets. I do not use any lead wire,
just medium soft lead cast bullets. Tons of fun.

[Bret4207]

I tried bumping up some boolits once and had trouble with symmetry. They didn't get fat in an even manner.

If you used you sizer then sometimes that comes from misalignment or flex in the frame. I used and RCBS LAM.

[HARRYMPOPE]

I sometimes use custom bump dies for 30 caliber bullets in RCBS and lyman sizers but after awhile they give way and the handle breaks.A taper only die in a sizer works fine though.A bump die made for presses is what i use now with success.Somtimes i only use it to taper the fist band but if the bullets nose is undersized i can bump it up and its symmetrical.I haven't found bullets "bumped" to be any less accurate than as cast.Some of the old Hanned Precision "co-ax" dies worked well if you modified them with a positive stop to control the bump with the press stroke.The whack the top rod with a hammer method they had wasn't very accurate (but often but worked better than expected)

George