Upgrading to a Real Sizer

[BIGRED]

All,
You have helped me alot in my journey of casting, i call upon you once again for some guidance.
i am going to make the plunge and get started casting and sizing for Rifle. the pistol casting is similar yet quite different. and my current pistol casting involves the TL design. i am upgrading to RCBS LAM2 and i have the sizer sizes figured out but had no idea the top punches were so complicated. can i use a flat nose top punch for just about any FN bullet (same Caliber) because i see different model #'s for different bullet weight and profiles. i know i can't interchange a RN with a FN but i want to try casting a Lee 170 gr FN bullet but i only see RCBS #546 for a RCBS 180gr RN. can i use this one or is it as complicated as it looks?

also any recommendation for a 160-170 gr 309 bullet mould? i would like one mould for my 30-30, 308, 300wsm, 300WM, 30-06. for plinking / maybe hunting use? i prefer to stay in the 160-170gr range and i want one bullet that can be used in all. what is my best choice?

are most of you using a heater or no heater on the LAM2?
and what would be a good all around "buy it" Lube for 30 and 35 cal bullits fired at under 2K FPS.

Thanks

[theperfessor]

BIGRED -

Can't help with the other questions but I can help with the top punch issues. If I sound a little self-promoting please excuse me. A flat nose punch that is flat all the way across (mine are) can be used on any flat nose bullet. Most Lyman and RCBS punches have a collar around the rim and that limits them to bullets that have a flat nose of a certain size or smaller. Some folks use a 1/4" flat head bolt; I can sell you one in any caliber you want for $8 (free shipping in USA) that has a true flat, square face.

The traditional nose punch for other than flat nose bullets has a hard cut (machined) interior that often is a poor fit to the bullet nose. I sell a cup face punch in any caliber imaginable that is designed to have the cup filled with epoxy or JB Weld and then molded to the nose of a greased bullet. When the epoxy sets up you have a perfect fit. Mine are $8.50 each, and can be made to fit any bullet nose profile.

Here is a link to a review by Recluse: http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=116445

You didn't ask about it but I also sell a die retention nut driver that makes changing dies a lot easier.

I'll let some of our rifle shooting experts help you with the rest of your questions.

[Dan Cash]

For a bullet, the Lyman 311041 is hard to beat. For me, it does well in .30-30, .30-40 and .30-06. Accurate mould makes an excellent copy of it if current Lyman quality control does not please you. The Lee 170 gr FP is also similar. This bullet, when sized to .303 makes a fine core for paper patching as well.

[PS Paul]

I have the flat top punches from The perfessor and they work wonderfully! From .312 (for .32 caliber et al), .35 and .45. I sometimes use conformal punches, but even for some RN pistol designs I use these too. For rifles, if not a flat design, I almost always use a conformal punch. Almost always. the flat punch will place a nice flat on top of a RN boolit, but for rifle I prefer not to do this UNLESS it is for close plinking. for distance accuracy, conformal punches.

I don't use a heater, but I DO sometimes set my Lyman 450 in front of a wall heater if it is cold in the garage. I have mine on a wood cutting board which I can then clamp onto any table in the house. I size in front of the TV with family as I did last night.

Hope this helps a little? I canno correctly answer the other questions, but I am certain other guys can/will soon......
PS P

[BIGRED]

thanks everyone.
When i am ready to get some top punches it looks like i will contact theperfessor. i have always listened to his wisdom carefully and he sounds like he knows more about this stuff than anyone should...

What is a die retention nut driver? and what does it do.

[theperfessor]

When you change sizing dies there is a 15/16" hollow nut that screws into the base and holds the die in place when you raise the handle to kick out the bullet. You have to remove the nut to do the change over. RCBS is not as bad as Lyman, their 450 and 4500 use a 7/8" nut with a fine thread that can easily be cross threaded and strip out the base. The RCBS uses a coarser thread and generally is easier to change, but my nut driver fits in the ram and holds the nut square and concentric to prevent cross threading. I can post a link later to a post about them.

[BIGRED]

thanks, i just ordered everything i need minus your punches and nut driver. as soon as i get this LAM2 in my Paws i will PM you with my order. looks like i am going to be doing 309 cal FN, 356 FN, 358 FN. will a 356 FN punch work with a 358 Bullet & sizer? just wondering if i need a 356 FN and a 358 FN punch.

Thanks again

[theperfessor]

My punches have an OD that's is 0.007" to 0.010" smaller than the nominal die size, so the punch can go down far enough into the die to work with even stubby bullets. A .30 caliber punch will measure about 0.298" - 0.301" and the 9mm/.38 size will measure about 0.348" - 0.351".

Truth be told, unless your sizing a full wadcutter bullet, most 9mm/.38 bullets have a meplat that is 0.300" or smaller and the .30 caliber would probably work fine for both. Your choice.

The punches always ship free, the nut driver purchased by itself has a $6 shipping fee to cover the small flat rate shipping cost. If you order two or more punches along with the nut driver I will ship everything for free.

[mac60]

When he says "A better product at a lower price..." he speaks the truth. I wouldn't buy a top punch from Lyman or RCBS as long as the perfessor is around.

[PS Paul]

Not only great products I've found, BUT a vendor sponsor of our most-beloved Castboolits forum too. What's not to like, eh?

[BIGRED]

no arguments from me. he has helped me before and his words of wisdom are the reason why this site is incredible. I will be ordering everything from you professor.
I planned on getting a top punch for the 308, you said the 30 TP would work for 9/38. my original inquiry was regarding a 9mm .356 TP and a .358 TP. I figured I could just use a.356 TP for both.
all bullets will be FN.

[theperfessor]

Sure you can use the same punch for .356 and .358 flat point bullets. Just trying to point out that the flat nose type work for a range of calibers. For folks that shoot pistol calibers a set of 3 flat nose punches in 9mm/.38, 10mm/.40, and .44 (really of course .43 caliber) cover everything from 9mm to .45 or even .480 caliber. You don't need a special punch for 9mm Makarov or .41 magnum or .45. Add a .30 caliber punch for .32 pistols and .30 rifle and you have 99% of all flat nose cast bullets covered.

I've been selling nose punches for several years now and I can tell you what calibers people are casting and shooting and basically it's .30 and up in rifles and .9mm/.38 and up in pistols. Sure folks cast for .22s and 6mms and .270s and such but add all of the under .30s together and then think about all the .308s, -06s, and 30/30s out there, and all the 9mms, .38s, and .357s and there is no comparison.

I'll sell anybody anything I make, but I figure I'm not going to get rich if I sell another nose punch, and I'm not going to go hungry if I don't, so why not help you spend your money in a way that satisfies your needs and gives you the greatest value? I want repeat customers that can trust me to deliver products that perform properly, not one-time buyers that feel exploited.

Besides that, I didn't join this site with the intention of turning it into a commercial venture, I love to shoot and cast and reload and everything else that goes with this hobby we are all addicted to. I try hard not to be a commercial troll or a reborn George Herter, but I do try to make tools and devices that make my hobby more fun, and I love to share them with my friends here.

Sorry, it's late and I'm rambling.... Night all!

[leadman]

Using one size of flat punch will work but the only thing you will not be able to do with it is align the sizer die per the RCBS instructions. Not a big deal when using the flat punch but can be an issue when using a punch for a pointier boolit. The outside of the punch aligns the die in the sizer body.
I install the nut in the sizer using the ran as a guide, just lower it to the nut with just a little pressure and turn the nut slowly. If the nose punch is too large to go in the die you will have to remove it first.