sizing TL358-158-SWC

[ruger-p94]

Will sweating my butt off down here in Florida this morning it finally sunk into me that winter was made for casting...daaa. Anyways I have been loading my Smith Model 13-3 with TL358-158-SWC using 6-6.2 grains of unique and have found my best load. I use 45-45-10 to tumble lube and have had no leading at all. For the last while I have also been sizing all my bullets. I have read many places that if you have made these Lee bullets right you do not have to size the tumble lube ones. My plan next time on the range is to fire 12 rounds first that have not been sized and see what the results are. Will there be a noticeable difference that I will be able to see. I noticed when I do size that there is very little change in the bullet . I came up with this vision while sweat was pouring down my chin so am I doing right or is this just heat stroke....lol

[45-70 Chevroner]

I don't size any of my Lee TL boolits. They were designed to shoot with out sizing. The two I shoot most are from 6 cavity lee molds, one is the round nose and the other is a double ended wad cutter. They both shoot very well using a light coat of Lee liquid alox. Will you get a difference, shooting them both ways? I don't know, I have not tried it. IMHO I don't think so. Sizing them is a lot of extra work though.

[Wally]

Be sure to try a few loaded/unsized first to see if the will chamber... My Ruger has larger cylinder chambers than does my S & W & Taurus.

[genesis]

I don't size any of my Lee TL boolits. They were designed to shoot with out sizing. The two I shoot most are from 6 cavity lee molds, one is the round nose and the other is a double ended wad cutter. They both shoot very well using a light coat of Lee liquid alox. Will you get a difference, shooting them both ways? I don't know, I have not tried it. IMHO I don't think so. Sizing them is a lot of extra work though.

Ditto Chevroner. This is exactly what I have been doing for years. Never resize the TL bullets. They're meant to be fired as is with just the tumble lube added. And it doesn't take much lube. Just a very light coating for wad-cutters. To much and they get sticky. If it looks like they need more lube, they're probably just right.

Don <><

[paul h]

Vote #3 for just tl and use. I even tumble lube the 105gr swc and it works fine.

BTW, the most accurate group I've ever shot with a revolver 1 1/2" for 3 shots @ 100yds was with an as cast bullet that was tumble lubed. In that instance a 310gr lfn from a ballisticast mold fired from a 480.

[MikeS]

I have a couple of tumble lube boolits, and while they can be shot as cast I like to run them thru a Lee sizer die first. The reason for this is that with a properly cast boolit the sizing die doesn't really do much sizing, but in the case of the mould not closing 100% and so the boolits casting larger the sizing die will catch the error, and fix it. Using the Lee sizing die is lots quicker than using a Lyman lubrisizer, and I would rather spend a little bit more time reloading than find out that one or two of my boolits won't chamber in my gun because the boolit is too big! Just my 2¢.

[ipijohn]

+1 on what MikeS said. The small amount of time it takes to do push through sizing is small in comparison to the hassle of getting to the range with my kids and/or grand kids and having random cartridges that will not chamber.

[williamwaco]

I already knew the answer to this but rediscovered it yesterday.

After loading 250 of your exact bullets, I noticed to my chagrin a little note on the side of the bullet box "as cast".

I cried a little, cursed a lot, then went to the safe and pulled out my .357 Smith.

Sure enough, almost 50 of them would not chamber.

One in 5. That is what happens when you load them unsized. One in 5 will not chamber.

I never load them "as cast" - - - Well, almost never.



.

[fecmech]

I have been fortunate in that my "gift" 6 cav TLSWC throws .358/.359 bullets and I don't size at all. Great bullet, shoots well in everything I own and holds pretty much 3 moa out to 200 yds in the leverguns (3 of them). I just bought a 6 cav RNTL to try but will probably sell it off. It shoots as good as the SWC but drops from the mold at .360-.361 so I have to size it for use. I've got a conventional H&G RN that I'll go back to as long as sizing is in the picture.

[mdi]

Ya gotta know what size the bullets are and wht the dinensions of your gun are. Measure the diameter of your as-cast bullets (micrometer), slug the cylinder throats of your revolver. If the as-cast bullets are the same diameter or a bit larger than the cylinder throats, they'll prolly shoot fine w/o sizing...

[Wally]

I already klnew the answer to this but rediscovered it yesterday.

After loading 250 of your exact bullets, I noticed to my chagrin a little note on the side of the bullet box "as cast".

I cried a little, cursed a lot, then went to the safe and pulled out my .357 Smith.

Sure enough, almost 50 of them would not chamber.

One in 5. That is what happens when you load them unsized. One in 5 will not chamber.

I never load them "as cast" - - - Well, almost never.



.

Reminds me of a Lee .41 cal 175 TL SWC that i tyried in my M-57 unsized. I recall testing a few and they chambered so I Loaded up a batch of 500...big mistake...also did the same in the .357 caliber--I test chambered in my Ruger Blachhawk...much to my chagrin they would not fit in the S & W Mo 27.http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/smilies/Groaner.gif..

[Larry Gibson]

The reason for this is that with a properly cast boolit the sizing die doesn't really do much sizing, but in the case of the mould not closing 100% and so the boolits casting larger the sizing die will catch the error, and fix it.

+ another using MikeS reasoning. I cast the bullet of this thread and several other TL bullets with 6 cavity moulds and sizing (I use a .359 with the TL358-158-SWC) the bullets eliminates the over sized ones and gives me a chance for inspection to discard those with other defects. I also believe this adds to accuracy by more uniform psi's and velocitites because the bullets enter the forcing cone the same size.

Larry Gibson

[ipijohn]

+1 on what Mike and Larry said.