Can I hone out my .309 sizing die to be .310?

[hawaii five-0]

I want to try out a .310 sizing die for my cast boolits, but I see that Lee doesn't make one. I have a .309 sizing die that I was wondering if I could hone/polish to become .310? If so, what would be the best way to get good/easy results? Thanks

[prsman23]

I must got one from the lee custom shop. $35 shipped

[Firebricker]

Yes I think there is a stickie on it try a search and it should pop up. Or you can PM member Buckshot he makes them very reasonable price. I think he is the one that posted the easy way to do it with a dowel and fine sand paper. FB

[MT Chambers]

Keep the .309 and order a .310, down the road sometime you'll wish you had a .309".

[blikseme300]

Yes, you can hone it out. A dowel rod with emery cloth or sand paper works along with patience. Lee does do custom sizes but their polish is not always the best so doing it yourself may result in a better finish.

[frkelly74]

it will take you about 5 minutes to get it polished out with 600 grit paper. be careful not to go too big. It will have a finish superior to factory when you are done.

[kungfustyle]

A man by the handle of Buckshot on this forum makes those to spec if you would like to get in touch with him...And it's about the same price....$30 for Lee and 32 for Lyman.
Keep Shooting....

[Full Mold Jack]

I recently honed out .003" from a lee with a split dowel to hold the emery, some WD40 and a drill.

The finish was better than factory and it's easy to do, just take it slowly.

[dudel]

+1 for Buckshot. I got mine from him, when the Lee custom shop was closed. Even when it was open, there was a longish lead time. Buckshot made me a Lee style custom sizer. Price was great, workmanship is excellent, deliver time was quick. Even came with a sized boolit for confirmation. Highly recommended.

[zuke]

I've honed out 5 or 6 LEE dies.
I start out with a .285 and go from there.
I now have a complete set starting at .301 then .303,.305,.307
I ordered 3-4 .309's to hone out.

[sghart3578]

Yes, you can do it. Easy project. But I like the suggestion of ordering a custom one and keeping the .309 on hand also.

[country gent]

Ive polished several out now also and its not hard to do. Work slow and easy with fine emery/ automotive wet dry paper and check often. I normally use low rpms with a drill motor and about a 2" stroke at high feed forward and back so the polish lines cross over. How much you want to take out depends on what grits you start out with. I took one from 358 to 379 and that took a little while but it can be done. Keep the paper / spindle wrap snug in the bore and polish. A glove may be handy at first with heavy pressures and such, some of the threads are a little sharp on the edges.

[grampa243]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?215888-I-may-have-ruined-a-Lee-sizer&p=2424018#post2424018

a must read on lapping out sizing dies :)

[adrians]

My .309 is now a fatter .314. [smilie=p:

[1Shirt]

As all rifles in my opinion are female, they need to be treated accordingly. It is not a bad idea to have a .309/.310/.311/.312/.314 etc. Just because you don't have a rifle that wants one or the other today, doesn't mean that you might get another rifle tomorrow. I have a couple of rifles that like one weight of cast boolits sized .310, and another weighing differently wants .311. Like treating a lady, if you give them what they want, it will make your life much easier.
1Shirt!

[MTtimberline]

How much can you go before seeing problems with leakage past the ejector pin? I was considering honing some commonly available dies to sizes needed but am now considering custom for this reason. I just might hone one to see the results for myself.

[zuke]

How much can you go before seeing problems with leakage past the ejector pin? I was considering honing some commonly available dies to sizes needed but am now considering custom for this reason. I just might hone one to see the results for myself.

Do so and post the result's.

[WILCO]

Keep the .309 and order a .310, down the road sometime you'll wish you had a .309".

Best answer!

[MT2DAY]

what is factory sizer die finish grit?

[blixen]

I have a .309 sizing die that I was wondering if I could hone/polish to become .310?

I'm doing exactly the same thing when I get a bit of time. I honed a die for my 8mm Yugo, using 300-grit, followed by 600 and some Fitz. Worked great. I used a drill press 'cause I've got one, but a hand drill would work as well.

[grampa243]

I want to try out a .310 sizing die for my cast boolits, but I see that Lee doesn't make one. I have a .309 sizing die that I was wondering if I could hone/polish to become .310? If so, what would be the best way to get good/easy results? Thanks

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?215888-I-may-have-ruined-a-Lee-sizer

i used a 8 inch peice of brake line and fine wet/dry sand paper.

[.5mv^2]

Lee makes a .312 stock

[Love Life]

I just hand honed a .401 die (it was .400 when I got it) to .402 using a wooden dowel and varying grits of and paper and some rem-oil. It took me about 15 minutes. I finished it with 1500 grit. A added benefit of honing is a better interior finish. I use vertical strokes with the 1500 grit since that is the sizing direction.

As a matter of fact if I ever get a Lee die that sizes at the advertised diameter (I'm on my 12th die and all 12 have .001 below the advertised size) I will hit it with some 1500 grit just to make the interior finish better.

I like lee stuff, but I swear that they use a wood turning lathe and wood turning tools to cut their sizing dies.

[wmitty]

I took a Lee .357 to .367 for paper patching a .375. It did leave a fin at the base of the .367" slug using the original ejector pin. I seated a .375 gas check upside down on the top of the pin and that helped some but still have a small fin left. I started chucking the boolets in a drill chuck and removing the fin with a points file.

[grampa243]

I took a Lee .357 to .367 for paper patching a .375. It did leave a fin at the base of the .367" slug using the original ejector pin. I seated a .375 gas check upside down on the top of the pin and that helped some but still have a small fin left. I started chucking the boolets in a drill chuck and removing the fin with a points file.

would running them threw base first work??

[sprinkintime]

If I was going to lap them out I would use a lap and 600+ grit in a drill press reversing every minute or so, this will keep your part concentric, sometimes using a dowel and sand paper you can get bell mouthing, it all depends just how close you need it. Sprink.

[Shiloh]

it will take you about 5 minutes to get it polished out with 600 grit paper. be careful not to go too big. It will have a finish superior to factory when you are done.

And if you touch it up with FLITZ, Simichrome, or the equivalent afterwords, you will have a mirror polished sizing die.

Shiloh