Need help with RCBS Lubeamatic

[lts70]

So I haven’t been able to do much casting in the last year or so, I had two sets of twins back to back within 17 months... well my wife did anyway. That makes 6 kids 6years old and younger for me. 4 in dippers and cribs. 5 boys 1 girl, lots of shooting buddies, I am very blessed yet very busy.

So to my actual question. I have a RCBS lubamatic for sizing and lubing my boolits. I started out trying to lube some 45ACP round nose boolits but it won’t fill in the lube groove. When I give it one more crank or half crank and try again the lube shoots up under the boolit and makes a mess while still not getting the groove done fully. I tried adjusting things but could not find a way to make it better. The thing that kills me is that last year I did not have this problem and nothing has changed.

So I casted some 38 special boolits to try them. When I started everything worked great for about 30 boolits then back to the same cr@p shoot again with the boolit being pushed out of the die by a column of lube.

Any suggestions on what the heck is going on. I like to tinker but these days I don’t have time to tinker and get a task done, I just want this thing to work like it did before. Please help

[Ed_Shot]

Sounds like you are not pushing the boolits deep enough into the sizing die.... especially when you say lube is not filling the lube grove. Are you keeping downward pressure on the boolit while putting pressure on the lube? What lube are you using.

[rexherring]

Yup, mine will do the same if the boolit isn't going deep enough and you have to much pressure on the lube res. It's pushing the lube under the boolit. Turn the very bottom bolt under the die out a little and that should help. Also, is the lube soft enough to work without excessive pressure? If no, heat it up ( the lube sizer res.) a little with a hair dryer or something to help the lube flow without so much pressure.

[Mk42gunner]

One thing that will make adjusting the depth a less messy occurance is to back all the pressure off the reservoir beforehand. I never like digging the boolit diameter string of lube out of the top of the H die.

Check how far down the lube holes are in your lube die, then adjust the boolit so the lube groove goes that deep.

Silly question time, is the top punch the same as the one last year?

Robert

[lts70]

I have always turned the pressure handle to build pressure then pulled down on the handle to size and lube the boolit. Do I need to size the boolit first then leave it in the sizing die while I crank on the pressure wrench to fill the grooves?

I don't know how much deeper I can go Ihad to take it back up a bit as it was filling the crimp grove on my 38 RN

If I don't have the right top punch will it mess it up? I know the 45ACP was defiantly the right punch but the 38 may have not been. I just looked through my punches till I found one that looked right

[Ed_Shot]

If you are getting lube in the crimp grove you can raise the stop on your sizer a little. May I recommend that you push the boolit all the way to the stop (adjust as required) in your sizer then holding pressure on the boolit crank some pressure o the lube. I use a Lyman sizer and find that if I have good lube pressure I can size 3 or 4 boolits without having to add more pressure to the lube.

[Mike W1]

I always hold the handle down and then apply just enough pressure that I can feel it. You get sort of a feel for what is right after a few tries. Doesn't take too much pressure to do the job if you've got the depth adjustment right.

[Mk42gunner]

I have always turned the pressure handle to build pressure then pulled down on the handle to size and lube the boolit. Do I need to size the boolit first then leave it in the sizing die while I crank on the pressure wrench to fill the grooves?

I have lubed thousands of boolits on my LAM by sizing first, then adding a bit of pressure for each boolit.

I don't know how much deeper I can go Ihad to take it back up a bit as it was filling the crimp grove on my 38 RN

The manual for the LAM and LAM II are available as .pdf files on RCBS's website for download, sometimes the will answer the question. For me it took a while, many boolits and re reading of the manual before I came to a happy medium on the depth of insertion. Now I don't change it and all of my boolits get lubed as needed.

If I don't have the right top punch will it mess it up? I know the 45ACP was defiantly the right punch but the 38 may have not been. I just looked through my punches till I found one that looked right

As long as the top punch isn't distorting the boolit, it doesn't really matter what you use. I have successfully used a homemade flat tipped punch (cutoff ¼" bolt) for RN rifle boolits.

If you go too deep, you get lube all over the nose of the boolit.

Since you did all right with this sizer last year; it may be that you just need to get used to using it again.

Good Luck and take care of those little ones,

Robert

[leadman]

Go to the RCBS website and look for the instructions on adjusting the sizer.
Basically you put a boolit in the sizer and push it into the die with pressure on the lube. Start shallow. If the boolit is not lube turn the bottom stop down some and use another boolit and try again. Repeat with a new boolit everytime until the boolit is lubed.
If you are using a heater I have found that a DVOM with a temperature probe works great to find the right temp for your lube and boolit. I bought mine at Walmart for around $20.00.
Also if your boolits are just being touched by the die this lube excursion may happen when you start to raise the handle. There is not enough tension on the boolit to keep it in place until you raise the handle.

[detox]

What is the as cast boollit diameter and the sizer diameter? Maybe you are not sizing at all, causing lube to escape base of boolit.

Are your cast boollits out of round (off set)...my new Lee two pin mould (45 acp 230 round nose) was famous for this.

[lts70]

I am using White Label BAC Beeswax-Alox-Carnauba Special Blend.
I am using a #311 top punch.
I am using a #358 sizing Die
I am using a RCBS LUBEAMATIC
I am trying to lube Boolets cast out of a - LYMAN 358311-751 158gr. .38sp./.357"
and an - Ideal (LYMAN) 358429-A890 Hollow Point 38 sp. / .357" - Predecessor to the Lyman 358429

Is this the right Top Punch?

[Mk42gunner]

The #311 is the right top punch for the 358311 and some other round nosed boolits, but your 358429HP call for a #429 top punch. The round nose top punch doesn't match the squared profile of the 429.

I have sized thousands of the 358429, and a few of the HP version with nothing more than an inch long piece of ¼" bolt cutoff square for a top punch.

Did you get the depth adjusted so the lube groove is getting filled?

Robert

[lts70]

I get it adjusted and everything is going good for 20-30 boolits then it goes back to a lube blow out. It simply is unexplainable to me.

[lts70]

Its weird... if i let it sit for awhile and go back to it, changing nothing from before, it will do great at first then get bad. Could it be as I use the press it heats up and thats the difference? It is the only variable I can think of.

[Mk42gunner]

If you aren't using a heater or light bulb close to the sizer, I can't see how a LAM would be heating up enough to matter.

I have only used SPG (two sticks years ago) and my version of FWFL in my LAM. What I have seen is that the lube can become more plastic and flow easier after a bit of use. How much pressure are you putting on the ratchet handle?

I bought my LAM used, and it did not come with the ratchet, so for several years I used a ¼" bit screwdriver handle to apply pressure. It is pretty hard to apply too much pressure with a screwdriver handle.

Other than that; I am about out of ideas.

Robert

[DLCTEX]

I would suspect too much pressure. Apply only enough to fill the grooves on each boolit and tweak the screw for each boolit. If you are working in cooler conditions than in the past, that may explain why you are having problems now. Use a hair drier to warm the sizer in that case. Always back off pressure before applying heat to allow room for expansion.

[GaryN]

Get a small screwdriver and clean off the top of the rod that the boolit pushes down when sizing. Keep it clean. If there is any debris or extra lube that gets in there it will let more in. If your boolit had a bevel base it would be easy to explain. If the bases of your boolits are not square (have a ragged or uneven base) that will also cause it. It can also be caused by the sprue cut hanging out too far. I have a die that Buckshot made for me that has a vent drilled through the rod that the boolit pushes down when sizing. It works great. It also has the rod the boolit sits on "dished " to allow a little build up. Your boolit has to sit square in the die. If the top punch is off or out of alignment it could also cause the boolit to tip and let lube under the boolit.