Process question

[TXGunNut]

Pretty sure I messed up and may know the answer but want to be sure. I'm using the RD moulds, Lee sizer, LLA/Rooster Jacket and Hornady gas checks. My goal is to have a tough, accurate hunting boolit capable of 2100 fps in .32 Spcl and .35 Rem and 1600 or better in .45-70. I read in Fryxell's book that heat treating should be done after sizing but I think I got the other processes out of order. Here's how I arranged the processes:
Cast
Size
Heat treat
Tumble Lube
Install gas checks
Re-lube w/ Rooster Jacket lube

.32 gas checks were a bit tough to install correctly, many had to be seated with a mallet on an anvil likely due to the layer of lube and the lack of resistance on the second trip thru the sizer.

Here's how I think I need to arrange the processes:
Cast
Install GC's and size
Heat treat
Tumble lube

I'm tempted to resize and relube at the end of this process, this batch is just now coming out of the oven.

Suggestions?

[JIMinPHX]

I just water drop as the boolits come out of the mold. Heat treating after the fact probably gives you a little bit better consistency, but if you keep a regular rhythm while casting, water dropping can give pretty good results. Heat treating as an extra step is a lot of extra work for modest gains from what I have seen so far.

I've found that air cooled wheel weights perform better when hitting soft skinned game than water dropped boolits do. Water dropped WW are a little more accurate for me in the .30-30 than the air cooled ones are, but not that much. The terminal performance difference seems much greater. I run my .30-30 hunting loads around 2300fps. As long as I use a gas check, 13bnh is plenty hard.

[TXGunNut]

Heat treating is a PITA but I'm pretty sure I'm not consistent enough in my rhythm and temps to get consistent water drop results. I had poor accuracy with air cooled WW's so decided to try heat treating. Headed to the range shortly, I'll know more soon.

[1Shirt]

Water drop consistancy is like the old birth control method of "Rythm!" In checking hardness consistancy on my cabin tree, I find that I get good results from water drop. Best results for me are when the mold and the drop blt sizzle (for lack of a better word) when they hit the water. Tried heat treating a couple of times, and PIA is not just an accurate or proper word for my consternation! Good luck!
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Sonnypie]

I'm tempted to resize and relube at the end of this process, this batch is just now coming out of the oven.

Suggestions?

Yeah.
Don't burn your fingers.
They'll stay hot longer than cookies do. ;-)

I water drop. And like One Shot, I go by the sizzel.
PAH-chooooo... plus or minus an o.
It's real scientific.
Are you going to HP your bullets?

My method is to:

1. Cast/ WD

2. Install gas checks
3. Lube (I'm a dipper loober)
4. Size
5. Clean

6. Load

[TXGunNut]

I took a few (OK, 100 or so) RD 359-190 GC boolits that would barely stay on a 8.5 X 11 target @ 50 yds and heat treated them. I wish I'd used another target for 100yds, POI for one load was basically the same for both distances. Odd. As you can see there was a dramatic improvement after heat treating. Heat treating is a PITA but less a PITA than re-casting. I'll graduate to WD when my rhythm gets a bit better. Cases needed trimming and have a few more tweaks to try. Tomorrow should be interesting.
The heat treated RD 460-350's were pretty awesome today also, pics on the 45-70 CB loads thread.
Didn't stay hot near as long as the ones I cast on a few 100+ degree casting sessions this summer. Had to wait til after sundown to bring them in. Honest!
No HP's. Smallest boolit I cast is .323" Don't think I'll be needing a bigger hole in anything I hunt.