View Full Version : Boolet Sizing Dies
cdupuy
01-22-2014, 11:38 PM
Gentlemen:
I got bored and started building Boolet Sizing dies for my Lyman Lubrisizer. I made a
.3575 for the SA Ruger, a .4515 and .4520 for the Reider SA Vacaro. The question is I used W1 for the dies and did not Heat Treat. Ya think it will be suitable for lead sizing without the Heat traet.
No need to heat-treat. Soft steel is still much harder than lead.
Elkins45
01-23-2014, 09:44 AM
I've made a couple of push-thru dies by drilling and reaming sections of 7/8-14 threaded rod. I doubt that stuff even could be hardened if I tried. So far there hasn't been any measurable dimension change in them. Personally I would worry more that I would warp them during HT than I worry about frictional enlargement. How many lead boolets would have to go through a steel die to wear it open even .0001?
44man
01-23-2014, 11:57 AM
Heck, I have made a few from brass!
bangerjim
01-23-2014, 01:36 PM
As long as your die material is harder than lead! Hard brass even works!!!!!
Besides if you HT it, you will probably change the size a bit and will have to grind an lap it! Way too much work1
banger
pworley1
01-23-2014, 01:51 PM
What did you use for the I part of the die? The only place where you would probably get any ware would be from the points of contact between the H and I dies. If your I die is made of a softer material, than your H die your dies should be good for a life time or two. If not, maybe only 1 lifetime.
pdawg_shooter
01-23-2014, 02:06 PM
I use pre-threaded 4140 u-bolt stock I get at work. Makes great dies.
MarkP
01-23-2014, 02:13 PM
I have used 7/8-14 Grade 5 bolts for push thrus with no issues. After a few thousand thru my .380 (33-55) die it still mics the same. Only a few hundred thru the others.
I made a size die for my 17 wildcat out of O1 and have used it un-heat treated for 18 years with no issues. I was worried about polishing out the scale on the tiny neck so I never heat treated it.
If you do heat treat the ID will probalby shink 0.001" or so depending on I.D.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.