Lee Casting & Sizing woes

[Airman Basic]

Got a Lee 6 cavity 45 mold which turns out a 200 grain TL SWC. When sizing in a Lee pushthru .452 die, the lube bands are pretty much gone. Anybody else experience this?

[454PB]

Picture? The tumble lube designs don't have deep grooves to start with...what are you sizing them? Have you measured the sized boolits?

[MT Chambers]

The Lee molds drop them too big and their sizers size them too small, that's the way it's supposed to be, sometimes it's the other way around.

[rsrocket1]

Another question is have you tried seating a unsized round into a case and tried chambering it? If it works, you are good to go. If not, maybe adjust the seat depth or taper crimp to close the mouth to just barely beyond vertical (not too much).

[TenTea]

Micrometer (and maybe scale) measurements thru the process will tell you (and us) exactly what is happening. Pics may help too...

Are you lubing them prior to sizing?

[Jupiter7]

The Lee molds drop them too big and their sizers size them too small, that's the way it's supposed to be, sometimes it's the other way around.

pretty much my experience also. I have the 452-228, drops .453, lee 452 sizer, sizes .4505. Talk about leading my first time out....I can live with fixable problems, I guess. Undersized molds and oversized sizers would have warranted a call to lee CS. Had to open the sizer up to .4525 with drill and emery cloth.

[Mohavedog]

The Lee tumble lube molds were designed to tumble lube and shoot without sizing. Like the previous poster said load em up and if they chamber--shoot em. If they don't chamber, then size them down to where they will. Don't worry about the lube grooves getting too shallow, it won't make much difference on a tumble lube boolit

[Shiloh]

I opened my LEE push through to .4525. The grooves get squashed a bit. No worries. I run all mine trhrough a sizer. I got tired of have rounds jam up the works in autos, and not chamber in revolvers. That boolit, the LEE 200 gr. SWC is plenty accurate. I thought that the short squat shape would give issues, but it doesn't in autos or revolvers.

Shiloh

[williamwaco]

Got a Lee 6 cavity 45 mold which turns out a 200 grain TL SWC. When sizing in a Lee pushthru .452 die, the lube bands are pretty much gone. Anybody else experience this?


YES.

Does this look familiar?

75793


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

[45-70 Chevroner]

Don't worry about the lube grooves getting too shallow, it won't make much difference on a tumble lube boolit[/QUOTE]

That is unless sizing them wipes all the lube off the side of the boolit. And like Mohavedog said above "lube um and shoot um". I shoot a Lee 230 gr. tumble lube boolit in my Ruger Vaquero's and all I do is cast, lube and load and shoot. I have a number of Lee tumble lube molds in different calibers and I don't size any of them.

[jmort]

You are supposed to re-lube after sizing. If you need to size, open-up the sizer as suggested. Good advice here, especially on trying to shoot "as is."

[shadowcaster]

If you can shoot them as is, you are good to go. Otherwise opening up a Lee sizer is quite simple.

Shad

[mac60]

Don't worry about the lube grooves getting too shallow, it won't make much difference on a tumble lube boolit

That is unless sizing them wipes all the lube off the side of the boolit. And like Mohavedog said above "lube um and shoot um". I shoot a Lee 230 gr. tumble lube boolit in my Ruger Vaquero's and all I do is cast, lube and load and shoot. I have a number of Lee tumble lube molds in different calibers and I don't size any of them.[/QUOTE]

Me either. If they'll chamber reliably I load 'em and shoot 'em. They'll be round and sized correctly when they come out the other end.

[dverna]

YES.

Does this look familiar?

75793


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

I would think that a bullet that has been sized like that will not be very accurate. Has anyone group tested bullets that look that bad?

Don Verna

[williamwaco]

I would think that a bullet that has been sized like that will not be very accurate. Has anyone group tested bullets that look that bad?

Don Verna

No, I toss them.
It is too easy to avoid making them.

See:

http://reloadingtips.com/pages/missi...be_grooves.htm

[captaint]

Airman - You may want to do a couple of things. First, check to see if there's something on the face(s) of your mold that's holding the halves apart when casting - making really big boolits. Second, what is the actual sized size of your boolits. Maybe your sizing die is too small as others have mentioned.
So, mic the boolits before sizing and after. That should tell you everything you need to know. And, as the other guys said - you may be able to simply lube them and choot em.!!!!! Mike

[Muddydogs]

I started to get big bullets out of my Lee .40 cal mold, what I noticed when trying to figure out the problem is that when the sprue cutter is closed and pushed hard the mold blocks opened up a little. If the mold handles are not squeezed tight the mold blocks remain open. I sloved my problem by closing the sprue cutter but not craming it closed then a quick visual to make sure the mold blocks are tight together. Might be something to check out with your mold. I was getting bullets that look like the one posted in the pic above and once I figured out the problem all I am seeing now is a light rub on the lube grooves.

[prs]

When I get "big'uns" like WilliamWaco shows, it is because the mold blocks have caught some lead splatter on the inner faces or that I let my hand stray onto the sprue cutter handle. My Lee 45 SWC tumble lube boolits just get a hard kiss from the Lee .452" sizer and once I verify that with a given batch, I skip the sizing. My two Lyman 45ACP molds consistently drop boolits that just barely kiss the same sizer.

To the OP: check for lead splatter on the inner faces, keep your hand off of that third handle while filling the mold, hold the mold up to bright light to see if the blocks are closing fully.

prs

[fredj338]

The TL bullet was never designed to be sized & lubed, but lubed & shot as cast. Not a fan personally, I prefer conventional lube grooves, regardless of how you want to lube.