casting 38/357 Lee TL

[ringleboy]

having problems with casting my 38/357 boolits. some are good some are oversize, causing cast bulge wont fit in cylinder. having to resize them. any ideas thanks

[ku4hx]

Unless you use the exact same alloy Lee used at the exact same temperature they used, you'll get variations. Given manufacturing tolerances, that can happen anyway. Resizing is a common task, maybe less so with TL, but still it's a common practice.

Pictures of your boolits, a description of your alloy, a more detailed description of your processes and etc. will help in diagnosing your problem(s).

[bangerjim]

Even though Lee brags about "sizing not needed", I size EVERYTHING. That is a good safety check. Every 12 or so you find a "hard mover" thru the die. You would not want that in your casing or barrel. The short time it takes to size and the very low cost of the Lee sizing set.......it is definitely worth it.

As mentioned, temp, alloy, your procedure during casting, and mold accuracy all factor into this "game we play".


banggerjim :drinks:

[Larry Gibson]

Two cavity Lee mould or 6 cavity Lee mould?

What alloy?

Dipper or bottom pour?

Larry Gibson

[Boolseye]

I always size my Lee TL 38/.357 bullets for that reason. Some will cause chambering problems.
Size to .358, lube again and load.

[williamwaco]

If it a six cavity Lee mold, see this page:


http://reloadingtips.com/pages/missing_tumble_lube_grooves.htm


.

[williamwaco]

having problems with casting my 38/357 boolits. some are good some are oversize, causing cast bulge wont fit in cylinder. having to resize them. any ideas thanks

PS.

I read this wrong the first time.

That is normal.
The claim that you can cast'em and shoot'em without sizing is a myth.

If you do, in the .38/357 at leas one in ten will not enter the cylinder.

Size them before you lube them. Then you can shoot them all.



.

[Fishman]

Check carefully for lead on the face of your mould halves

[Shiloh]

Every boolit that will be lubed with alox or any other tumble lube concoction, get sized. They are run through a LEE push through sizer for consistency. The variation is eliminated.

Shiloh

[ipijohn]

I have never shot an as cast boolit, always Lee push through sizers to size castings from any of my molds.

[captaint]

If you are using a 6 cav mold, keep your hand off the sprue cutter handle. Completely off. The slightest touch on that handle will make boolits a lot bigger. Mike

[Recluse]

Even though Lee brags about "sizing not needed", I size EVERYTHING. That is a good safety check. Every 12 or so you find a "hard mover" thru the die. You would not want that in your casing or barrel. The short time it takes to size and the very low cost of the Lee sizing set.......it is definitely worth it.

As mentioned, temp, alloy, your procedure during casting, and mold accuracy all factor into this "game we play".


banggerjim :drinks:


Every boolit that will be lubed with alox or any other tumble lube concoction, get sized. They are run through a LEE push through sizer for consistency. The variation is eliminated.

Shiloh

+1 to both of the above.

So many new casters try to go "cheap" justifying Lee TL mold designs because Lee strongly infers "no sizing needed" which is absolutely one hundred percent bovine excrement.

In the sticky I wrote about making and using 45/45/10 and how to tumble-lube, I remark that I always, without fail, size every single boolit I cast. Of all the variances that can come with reloading (thickness and condition of brass, lot # of primers/powder, OAL, etc etc) the more variables that I can control and eliminate, the more consistently reliable and accurate ammunition I can make.

Sizing every boolit ensures that every boolit is of the same diameter and that they are concentric. The Lee push-through sizing dies are inexpensive, although of late I'm reading how the quality-control on them is as non-existent as the rest of the product line and that it's a coin-toss as to whether or not the diameter is correct.

But even given THAT, we have excellent machinists here who make push-through sizers for about the same cost and who will make the die to your EXACT diameter requirements.

That extra twenty or thirty bucks you spend on a sizing die is for a tool that will last forever and that will guarantee you consistent results forever, thus eliminating several variables that can adversely affect your reloading of the given caliber you're casting for.

:coffee:

[williamwaco]

+1 to both of the above.

So many new casters try to go "cheap" justifying Lee TL mold designs because Lee strongly infers "no sizing needed" which is absolutely one hundred percent bovine excrement.

In the sticky I wrote about making and using 45/45/10 and how to tumble-lube, I remark that I always, without fail, size every single boolit I cast. Of all the variances that can come with reloading (thickness and condition of brass, lot # of primers/powder, OAL, etc etc) the more variables that I can control and eliminate, the more consistently reliable and accurate ammunition I can make.

Sizing every boolit ensures that every boolit is of the same diameter and that they are concentric. The Lee push-through sizing dies are inexpensive, although of late I'm reading how the quality-control on them is as non-existent as the rest of the product line and that it's a coin-toss as to whether or not the diameter is correct.

But even given THAT, we have excellent machinists here who make push-through sizers for about the same cost and who will make the die to your EXACT diameter requirements.

That extra twenty or thirty bucks you spend on a sizing die is for a tool that will last forever and that will guarantee you consistent results forever, thus eliminating several variables that can adversely affect your reloading of the given caliber you're casting for.

:coffee:


Yeah!

. . .

. . . What he said!

[Shiloh]

We have excellent machinists here who make push-through sizers for about the same cost and who will make the die to your EXACT diameter requirements.

That extra twenty or thirty bucks you spend on a sizing die is for a tool that will last forever and that will guarantee you consistent results forever, thus eliminating several variables that can adversely affect your reloading of the given caliber you're casting for.

:coffee:

And other work as well. Fly-cutting molds to remove bevel bases, oversize powder funnels, among other things. Gonna have a push through as well as a custom Lyman sizing die made in the near future.

Shiloh

[ku4hx]

I get the feeling we're all preaching to our own choir ...

[Love Life]

Sizing every boolit ensures that every boolit is of the same diameter and that they are concentric. The Lee push-through sizing dies are inexpensive, although of late I'm reading how the quality-control on them is as non-existent as the rest of the product line and that it's a coin-toss as to whether or not the diameter is correct.
:coffee:

Funny you mention that. In the several years I have been casting I have bought 13 Lee push though dies. NOT A SINGLE ONE SIZED TO THE DIAMETER THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO!!!!

They all sized .001 under and I have had to open up all of them.

[Ben]

Love Life :

My experience also.

Ben

[jmort]

"They all sized .001 under and I have had to open up all of them."

I am going to have mine "blueprinted" - I am a dumb-a$$ for a$$uming anything as I am sending out my FCDs to get "race-tuned." I'll add the sizers to the order. For the $$$ machining services make sense and are a good deal.

[TenTea]

...so, if I want .452, I guess I better get a .453? :swagemine: