Making a top punch???

[mstarling]

OK Fellas,

I got a new mould in from NEI yesterday. Is a 4 cavity .366 rifle bullet mould. Cleaned it up and made 600+ slugs this morning. Mould works nicely. Makes bullets of 290 grains w gas check but no lube. Will be good for double rifles regulated for 286 gr bullets.

Problem occurred when I tried to size the projectiles. The top punch purchsed for my Saeco from NEI while being cherried for the bullet does not push the bullet deeply enough into the sizing die to crimp the gas check on ... and this leads to a huge number of other problems ... really nasty. I determined this to be the cause by using a Saeco top punch from for .357 RN bullet. Works fine but messes up the nose of the bullet.

NEI was NOT real helpful in assisting me to identify the problem or in telling me what the included angle of the bullet nose is ... grumble, grumble.

So I grabbed a piece of SS hex stock and made the body of a punch (the top thread is 5/16-24 by the way). Now I have to get the punch surface that contacts the bullet formed.

Interested in input to my plan.

Thought I would drill a hole in the punch face a little larger than the tip of the bullet. I would then make a small cutter and set it to the angle (on the opposite side) on the nose of the bullet held in the chuck. Then I would cut the inside of the punch.

After that, I will use a bullet to lap the inside of the punch with some valve grinding compound.

Anyone think of a simpler or more direct way to do this little job that gets me a top punch that works so I can lube bullets tomorrow?

Thanks,

mike

[melw]

I would drill or bore out the inside of the punch some what over size and fill with JB weld. Put a relase compound on a bullet. Center the bullet in the sizer and push the punch down on the bullet and wate. After the jb weld is set you pop out the bullet and you are ready to go.
Mel W.

[Ben]

Ditto

[mstarling]

Thanks for the idea Guys. In the absence of comments before I went back to the shop, I did everything but the lapping. Used a center drill (for making a lathe center hole) ... and it is so close to the right angle that just a touch of lapping will make a perfect fit!

Am pleased.

Will remember the JB-weld for bullets that are not quite so accomodating!

Thanks again!

[verney]

Are you using 35cal or 375cal gas checks? If 35cal then .366 sizing die just might not able to crimp the gas check on. In that case you need to crimp the gas check with say .357 die and then lube the gas checked bullet with the .366 die.

I don't know what happens when you crimp a .375cal gas check on. I think NEI moulds are designed to use .35cal gas checks, but don't take my word for it.

[John Boy]

Mike, another way to make a 'fit all top punch' ...
fold over a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil into a square. Put some lube on one side of the square and finger press it into an existing punch. Lower the lube/sizer arm down onto the bullet.

The foil will create an exact mold image of the bullet nose and no rings on the nose with hard or soft Bhn bullets.

I cast with about a dozen molds (RNFP's with small to large metplates to Spitzers) and only have 4 top punches - caliber specific

[mstarling]

Guys,

The top punch is finished as I described. The lapping step worked like a champ. Did not need to take off very much as the cut was close to begin with.

The new top punch solved the problem completely. The bullet needed to be pushed a lot further into the die than was being allowed by the NEI supplied top punch ... which must have been designed but never actually used in a Saeco sizer. NEI dropped a step in my view on this one. The money spent on their top punch was completely wasted.

Thanks for the aluminum foil idea. I make make another one specifically to be used for multiple other calibers. I really wanted this one to be right.

mike