Size, GC, and Lube At The Same Time?

[gunboat57]

I've been casting for a few years now and can pour decent bullets now and then. But I'm just getting into GCs, sizing, and using hard lube. I have a Lyman 450 lube and size press.
After casting my Lee C312-185 boolits, I want to attach a GC, size to .312, and fill the grooves with hard Alox/beeswax lube. I'm trying to do all of these operations at the same time in my Lyman press.
I have the press adjusted so the grooves are at the lube holes at the same time the GC is fully seated. I've done about 30 boolits this way so far and it seems to be working. Messy, but working.
Are you SUPPOSED to do it this way? Is it better to crimp the GCs on first, then lube and size in a second operation?

[btroj]

I always add checks while sizing and lubing.

[williamwaco]

You CAN do it that way.

I used to do it that way.

If you do, you will find a moderate percentage of the checks will seat and crimp crooked.

I now seat the checks in operation one, then size and lube second.

I don't know if the 450 comes with the gas check seater.
If it does not, use your die wrench, the one you use to remove the nut that holds the die in place.
Lay the wrench flat on top of the die.
Place the check on the bullet as straight as possible with your fingers.
Set the bullet on the die wrench check down and use the 450 as a press.
Pull the handle down and insert the nose of the bullet into the top punch align it straight up and down and press the bullet into the check setting on the flat side of the wrench.
Now size and lube.

I seat them all-then size them all. You can seat them, set the wrench aside, then lube them. Your preference.

[runfiverun]

bet a penny/nickel/dime would work just fine too.

[M Hicks]

You CAN do it that way.

I used to do it that way.

If you do, you will find a moderate percentage of the checks will seat and crimp crooked.

I now seat the checks in operation one, then size and lube second.

I don't know if the 450 comes with the gas check seater.
If it does not, use your die wrench, the one you use to remove the nut that holds the die in place.
Lay the wrench flat on top of the die.
Place the check on the bullet as straight as possible with your fingers.
Set the bullet on the die wrench check down and use the 450 as a press.
Pull the handle down and insert the nose of the bullet into the top punch align it straight up and down and press the bullet into the check setting on the flat side of the wrench.
Now size and lube.

I seat them all-then size them all. You can seat them, set the wrench aside, then lube them. Your preference.

I never thought of doing it that way. Pretty interesting. I usually get it all done in one operation. Lyman and RCBS lubesizers are slow enough as it is. Effective but certainly slower than some.

[gunboat57]

Well, I did some fiddling with my Lyman 450. I know I can get a gas check seater for $12 to $19 plus shipping. But what I'm going to try is just running the threaded sleeve up as far as it will go to block the push rod from moving. To get it high enough I have to take off the lock nut on the sleeve. With the sleeve up as far as it can go, the gas check bottoms out less than 1/4" down in the die. Then after I've seated all my GCs, I adjust the sleeve for sizing and lubing and run all the boolits through again.

There are a couple other tricks I discovered which probably everybody knew about except me.
To get a sizing die out of the press, remove the retaining nut, lower the handle, then put something between the knockout link and the push rod. When you slowly raise the handle, the push rod shoves up on the bottom of the die and pushes it out about 1/2" or so to where you can grab it.
When installing a die, put the retaining nut on the die first, then put it into the press. As the die starts to seat, it holds the retaining nut square so it can start threading correctly. For me that makes threading the retaining nut a lot easier, especially when everything is goobed up with Javalina or Alox.

Like I said, I'm just getting started into lubing and sizing. So I'm discovering these common-sense tricks as I go.

[leadman]

Sounds like you have most of it figured out. With the RCBS sizer/luber the instructions say to use the top punch in the ram as a guide when seating the die in the cavity to get it lined up properly with the ram. I also do like you and use the ram to get the nut started.

[williamwaco]

Well, I did some fiddling with my Lyman 450. I know I can get a gas check seater for $12 to $19 plus shipping. But what I'm going to try is just running the threaded sleeve up as far as it will go to block the push rod from moving. To get it high enough I have to take off the lock nut on the sleeve. With the sleeve up as far as it can go, the gas check bottoms out less than 1/4" down in the die. Then after I've seated all my GCs, I adjust the sleeve for sizing and lubing and run all the boolits through again.

There are a couple other tricks I discovered which probably everybody knew about except me.
To get a sizing die out of the press, remove the retaining nut, lower the handle, then put something between the knockout link and the push rod. When you slowly raise the handle, the push rod shoves up on the bottom of the die and pushes it out about 1/2" or so to where you can grab it.
When installing a die, put the retaining nut on the die first, then put it into the press. As the die starts to seat, it holds the retaining nut square so it can start threading correctly. For me that makes threading the retaining nut a lot easier, especially when everything is goobed up with Javalina or Alox.

Like I said, I'm just getting started into lubing and sizing. So I'm discovering these common-sense tricks as I go.

Welcome to the club!

You have now passed the entrance exam!

[geargnasher]

Good tips you've picked up, Gunboat.

I use a "knock out" disc from a steel electrical breaker panel for seating gas checks when they need to be seated in a separate step.

I used Lee moulds and Hornady checks for years, they never seemed to give me any problems when doing it all in one step, but now with custom moulds, odd sizing requirements, aluminum gas checks, and a myriad of other things it seems the dang checks have to be seated home before sizing.

Gear

[Recluse]

I seat my gas checks using push-through sizers, then lube. In the lubesizer, I use a sizing die that is .001 larger than the boolit's diameter so that it is a lube-only operation. I hate putting too much pressure via a nose-punch on my long rifle-caliber boolits.

:coffee: