Drill Press for boolit sizer will it work or will it be to hard to push through

[Survival Bill]

11111

[badbob454]

i dont think it will work cant get enough pressure on the boolits ... wait for a press ,, my opinion

[GunFun]

I think if you hammer them, you will not have very consistent bullets. A basic lee single stage or smart reloading brand one should be $26 new or $20, and used 15-20.

The force required is dependant on how much bullet you are sizing down. if it is just kissing a little at the base, it might work, but this will still be slow and hokey.

Do you have a vice? if you are really that hard up, and have too much time, it might be a better way to get the force required.

But seriously Here's a turret press for $26. what are you sizing bullets for if you don't have a press? http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEE-TURRET-PRESS-RELOADING-PRESS-3-HOLE/221401164328?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D21235%26meid%3D5845623027686826296%26pid%3D 100005%26prg%3D9374%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D1813 63505914&rt=nc

[zuke]

Get on Gunnutz, there's a guy with a used turret press with all it need's to run at a decent price.

[mdi]

Depending on the drill press size, I don't think it would work and if too much pressure is needed, you may damage the press. Lee made a small kit for pan lubing, years ago, it was a small pan, a cake cutter, a die and a punch. The bullet was placed in the pan with melted lube and when cool the cutter removed it from the cake. Then the bullet was placed in the die and "hammered" through for final sizing. Worked great.

If you have access to an arbor press a push through die works pretty good and punching them through with a mallet is also good, but slow. If you're punching them through one at a time (push through, remove bullet from die, push through, remove, etc.) it'll be slow, but are you in a hurry? When I rework a Lee size die I clamp it in a vise (careful of the threads) and push several bullets through, with a mallet, I just catch them in a pan with a folded towel to soften the fall.

If you can find a cheap single stage press (or I've sized bullets with a Lee Hand Press) that's the way to go, but basically all you're doing is pushing a chunk of soft metal through a hole to swage the diameter smaller. How it gets pushed through is just a matter of preference, the chunk of metal won't know the difference...

[375RUGER]

no reason why your drill press won't work if it is sufficient size, it's basically an arbor press anyway.

[Wayne Smith]

Drill press has plenty of ability. You can even use drill rod of the proper diameter to push them through The potential problem is holding the die.

[bear67]

If you need to size to .452, I have a lee push/hammer through pan lube kit in my "stuff" that has a size die. You can have it for postage if it fits what you need.
Bear

[jonas302]

I think it could work depending in the drill press and how much sizing is required crimping a gas check and light sizing I bet it would I'm sure you could make a device with a long handle for leverage to push boolets though also even out of wood

[2AMMD]

Thinking like jonas302, With a drill press, you could probably make a sizer out of scrap steel and some hardware store rod. Should work if it's a push through die and you aren't trying to lube at the same time. Just a suggestion.
2AMMD

[bangerjim]

You will have to buy the Lee push-thru dies to guarantee you get the exact size you want anyway.

Why not just spend ~$30 on a Lee single stage simple press? The dies fit and you are good to go in a very small area on your bench!

Using a drill press is like sharpening a screw driver for a chisel. Use the right tool for the job. Don't re-invent the wheel! A drill press has very little mechanical advantage with the quill rack & pinion set-up. You will not be happy. Buy a press.

bangerjim

[Boogieman]

I use my drill press to size boolits using the dies I made with it. Drill a hole in a block of wood to hold the sizer & put your push rod in the chuck. I size .458 to ,452 for paper patching without lub. but I'm using soft lead 8.5-10 Bhn.

[bangerjim]

I have nothing but time! but not cash! lot of them ebay ones cost way to much to ship to canada anyways I could make something up out of wood I guess just make a long enough lever for machanical advantage!
I will see if the drill press works or not at least try it out and see I am going from .312 to .309 should I lube them up with something so that they go through the sizer easier or does it matter if I do or dont? Yes I would like to get a propper press eventually it will happen when the right deal comes along for me and will make things easier for me for sure...
Thanks everyone for your suggestions

You WILL need some lube of some kind! Commercial dies are polished and honed (relatively) and not just a drilled on a drill press. If you just drill them, the bore will be very rough and uneven, creating lots of drag on the lead. Reaming/honing will help, but you need to maintain your accuracy for size you need.

Also you will have all kinds of alignment problems getting your "die" centered and keeping it there while applying the large amount of pressure required to go down ~3 thou. I can be done, but it will be a considerable amount of work setting it up and keeping it aligned in a drill press. Drill presses as I said earlier, have little mechanical advantage. The drill and the motor do all the work!

But where there is a will, there is a way!

good luck and hope you find a single stage Lee press and the dies you need!


bangerjim

[Boogieman]

My dies are drilled & honed to their final size on the drill press. they are as smooth as my Lyman & RCBS sizers. the push rods are made with a file & grit cloth. Sizing with a drill press is at least as accurate as the old Lee hammer dies. As to the force needed ,how many boolits were sized with the Lyman nutcracker tools? Go to it Bill this country was built by people making due with what they had

[bangerjim]

My dies are drilled & honed to their final size on the drill press. they are as smooth as my Lyman & RCBS sizers. the push rods are made with a file & grit cloth. Sizing with a drill press is at least as accurate as the old Lee hammer dies. As to the force needed ,how many boolits were sized with the Lyman nutcracker tools? Go to it Bill this country was built by people making due with what they had

Well you are lucky my friend to have home-made dies like that.

Some (especially noobees) that read this thread may think they can just slam a plate of metal on the drill press table & drill a hole in it and ram a boolit thru that hole.....achieving desired accurate results. Then post threads on here asking "why they are getting poor groupings and leading up the keister".

I only point out the potential pitfalls of home brew equipment when 0.001 accuracies are normally desired in what we do on here. I personally have the necessary accurate machine tooling to make such equipment and maintain 0.0002 accuracies on all my tooling and end products. But most do not have anything even close to that. A drill press sure is not! And thus the situation requires most to invest the VERY minimal $$ purchase of commercially produced Lee dies and a press to put them in.

Homebrew is good......as long as you know your tooling limits and do not expect more from it than you can possibly produce.

bangerjim

[Wayne Smith]

As I read the question is was 'can you size boolits on a drill press', not 'can you make sizing dies on a drill press'. Two very different questions. I answered the first only.

[jmorris]

I used a little arbor press to test the die I built for my sizer.

I don't have much in the way of money in it but quite a bit of time putting it together.

Click photo to play video.
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/th_VID_20131008_114903_441_zpsdb21a12f.jpg (http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/VID_20131008_114903_441_zpsdb21a12f.mp4)

[dudel]

Should be able to use a drill press if you can mount the pusher straight, and have a way to hold the sizer die so the boolits fall through.

Using a drill press, shouldn't be much different than using an Arbor press. Doesn't seen like it would be terribly convenient or fast.

Why not just get a low cost Lee C press? I think they are around $28.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/807734/lee-reloader-single-stage-press?cm_vc=ProductFinding

Certainly seems much easier.

[Steve Steven]

I think you will have problems with the press springing, I bought a stout-looking Chinese DP from HF. When I was drilling thru some steel I found it was springing quite a lot.

Steve

[barrabruce]

I use my whacke'm lee sizer die all the time.
The one that came in an old pan lube kit.
Lubed or non lubed depends on bhn.
If I sizing soft bullets I can beat the gascheck shank shorter.
I fix that my placing the die on a bit of flat steel on top of a rubber strip.
Seems gentler on the bullet passing though.

I have used my press and yes they come out good but it more of a pain.

I just use the flat part of my vise and wipe the die across after sizingso the sized bullet falls into a container.
Pick up another bullet and go for it.
Plastic hammer works the best.

Hard wc bullets can be a bit tough but I don't use them. But sizing straight after casting in the same afternoon they tend to be easier to do.

Well mine shoot pretty good and aren't deformed if you tap'em through in stages.

I made a home made whack'em sizer for 311 to 302 and paper patch them.

I have been known to use the lee whack'em loader as a bullet sizer also.

Hope it helps
Barra

[GunFun]

You can harden after sizing too, and actually get harder lead, since sizing work softens at the point of swaging. Obviously that's the most critical point anyway.

[zuke]

I have a line on a Spartan reloading press that I don't need. There's an old boy I know that has it and for $20 + shipping you can have it.
What's your postal code?