ok im gonna get a lyman 45 lubesizer how...

[badbob454]

lyman 45 lubesizer gonna buy a used one need something to better lube my 45/70 guide gun
can i use any lyman sizing dies ? i have never used a lubesizer , juat a lee push thru in all my days of reloading . have no-one near me to ask for help so help .. ha ha i need a .460 diam sizer to fit and would like to lube size my sks @ .312 and a 359-360 in my 38 win rifle ., oh and what home made lube should i use ? i will also use a second coat of homemade bens liquid lube on top of the lubrisized pills. pleaze help ......

[Yodogsandman]

The homemade lube question is easy...Ben's Red, of course.

What about top punches? You never needed them for your Lee sizers.

That Lyman 45 looked like a good one, good find!

[35 shooter]

Ben's Red lube with or without the overcoat of BLL. You can even melt the Ben's Red and just pour in your sizer for a solid fill instead of making hollow tubes or stuffing it in.
Get the right shape top punch to fit your boolit nose to go with your sizing die and your good to go!!
I use both lyman and rcbs sizing dies with my rcbs lubra-sizer.
The Ben's Red will flow easily out of your 45!

I also try to get the sizing depth set so it just barely sizes all the bands and nor more to prevent lube over pour getting under the boolit base. That and don't crank down too much on the lube tension bolt goes a long way in preventing that.
Congrats on the sizer...you'll enjoy it!

[Char-Gar]

Yes, you can use both Lyman and RCBS sizing die, but save your money Bob and by a Lyman 450. The 45 is pretty flimsy but OK for handgun bullets. The 450 will make you much happier.

[badbob454]

thanks for the input i have a lot to learn on this i guess

[badbob454]

can i lube boolits with this without sizing? ... or does one need a sizing die of proper size to lube ?

[MT Chambers]

A die that is same dia. as the "as cast" dia. will lube without sizing.

[randyrat]

The Dies for the RCBS or Lyman are called H&I Sizer dies and top punches (Top punches are made to match the nose of the bullet) ie. Flat nose punch,round or pointed ect.....
Lyman or RCBS are easy to run and easy to set up approx half the cost of a Starr or less.

If you have the cash buy a Starr it is an investment that will never lose money. More costly but very easy to sell if you ever want to. Good luck finding a used one. The Cadillac of lube sizers.

[randyrat]

can i lube boolits with this without sizing? ... or does one need a sizing die of proper size to lube ?
Nope you need a die in it to work.You can buy used ones or new. The dies and top punches are for a particular caliber.

[badbob454]

Thanks guys!! Need some dies now

[largom]

I have a Lyman 45, 450, 4500, and a RCBS lub-a-matic. They all use the same dies and top punches. I lube without sizing by using a die one thousand over the boolit diameter. If sizing is needed, you can then size with a LEE push through to the size your want.

Larry

[Beagle333]

:goodpost:+1. My method too.

[Dusty Bannister]

"Yes, you can use both Lyman and RCBS sizing die, but save your money Bob and by a Lyman 450. The 45 is pretty flimsy but OK for handgun bullets. The 450 will make you much happier."

I am going to agree with this recommendation, especially since you are going to be working long and large 45-70 bullets. The real point to consider is that not ALL RCBS dies have the required groove around the die body to allow the use of the die retaining set screw of the Lyman 45. If you apply too much pressure on that set screw, I understand the casting can crack. That would be disappointing since I understand that new parts for the Ly 45 have not been available for quite a long time.

Good equipment, but some issues to consider. Dusty

[Dale53]

Here's a tip when using home made lubes. Use a desk top coffee warmer (110 volt type). You don't have to make a mold for the lube. Just put the lube in a one cup pyrex measuring cup. It will eventually melt the lube. The idea is to turn it on when you start lubing bullets. When you run out in the sizer, you can pour the lube in the sizer. The warmer will not overheat the lube even if it is on all day. I always top off my sizer when I finish sizing bullets. The sizer is always ready to use with NO waiting. Watch carefully when filling so as to not overfill (you must leave room to reassemble the sizer). After you overfill one time, you will NOT be doing THAT again...

When you are finished, just cover the cup with something to avoid dust settling in the lube (my set up is always on my bench ready to go). I just turn the warmer off, then after the lube left in the cup cools and hardens, I just turn the cup upside down. Voila! No dust in the lube...

I got this tip many years ago from Wolf's book on the 45/70 trapdoor and it works perfectly. The warmer has limited heat (that's the beauty of it) so don't try to heat up too much lube. I use about 1+ stick amount at a time and use a ONE cup container. If you can find one at a kitchen supply store an aluminum measuring cup works even better (less mass to absorb heat and better heat transfer).

At any rate, this is one of those items that save a LOT of work (trying to mold lube to match commercial types) as it is totally unnecessary. I have done both ways and believe me, the coffee warmer is FAR superior. You just have to think ahead a bit, as it takes a while for the lube to melt. However, if you fill your sizer immediately when you are finished, then you just drop some lube into the cup, turn on the warmer, start lubing and when you need more lube for the sizer it is ready.

Just a thought...

Dale53

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Bob, I have four # 45, five # 450, one RCBS sizer and I can tell you that not all # 45 will accept the newer dies. The older # 45 dies had a smaller outside diameter at the lower half of the die body than the newer dies and as has been pointed out they don't have the groove for the set screw found on the #45. I didn't notice this until a few months ago when I forced a new Lyman die into an old #45. I had to dismantle the body of the lubesizer and drive out the die with a punch from the bottom. I have many dies made for the older # 45 and all of them have a two step OD. Bob, I have some more advice for you. Forget the Star. It costs a lot and It was designed for pistol shooters that need a lot of bullets for practice. I don't think that is your problem. They are also a pain to change from one bullet to another. Also the dies are more expensive. Don't be afraid about the strength of the #45. I resize many rifle bullets with mine. The reason I have so many sizers is the fact that I have many different rifles in many calibers and I hate to change dies. By the way I only use Javelina lube because I was given a lot of it. Further advice as long as I am typing. Get a more modern lubesizer if at all possible. It's been pointed out that older Lyman dies are getting harder to get and even the older #45 are bringing 75 bucks or more.

[CHeatermk3]

I use my 4500 to uniform gas check shanks, if necessary, and put gas checks on then lube. If sizing is needed I size using the Lee push-thru type because I like to attach the checks before any lube goes on the boolit The Lyman setup does a better job of putting on check IMO.

[SniderBoomer]

The Dies for the RCBS or Lyman are called H&I Sizer dies and top punches (Top punches are made to match the nose of the bullet) ie. Flat nose punch,round or pointed ect.....
Lyman or RCBS are easy to run and easy to set up approx half the cost of a Starr or less.

If you have the cash buy a Starr it is an investment that will never lose money. More costly but very easy to sell if you ever want to. Good luck finding a used one. The Cadillac of lube sizers.

Indeed, but the Saeco is probably the best engineered for correct boolit alignment into the sizer die of them all.
I picked one up, an estate sale, for the equivalent of 30 bucks... with a 454 size die and flat top punch inside... dealer just didn't know what he had. I did. Make the truest-round boolits ever.

Edit - but Saeco uses it's own design of Size-Die and Top-Punch, not compatible with RCBS/Lyman. Keep that in mind. But even with the costly dies, it's worth it. Just in case you see one sat there, lookin lonely...

[badbob454]

thanks for all the input ill have to get it together , and try some lube sizing .

[smoked turkey]

Another + for Ben's Red with a second spritz of BLL overcoat. As long as the boolit is properly sized (.001"-.002" over groove diameter usually), I have found this extra lubing step results in a very clean bore after shooting. It may be all in my head but I also believe this overcoat of BLL enhances accuracy for me just a bit. I have not tried Dale53's tip on filling the lube-sizer reservoir, but it sounds like a very good tip that I plan to try as well.