ndnchf
11-20-2015, 07:48 PM
For quite a while I've had a box of bullets that are 300gr, .512" diameter. I've been wanting to try a 300gr bullet in my Uberti .50-95 model 1876 Winchester, but I need a .515" bullet to fit my barrel. I came up with the idea of using a .515" sizing die and an arbor press to enlarge the bullet's diameter .003".
As you can see, the bullet started out .512". I placed it into the die, base down and set it in the arbor press. Using the die's plunger, I brought slight pressure to bear on the plunger, pressing down on the bullet expanding it to fill the .515" die. Then I removed the plunger and flipped the die over so the base of the bullet was up. Then I used the plunger and press to push the bullet back out, ensuring it was sized evenly. I then measured the bullets and they were at .515". Simple!
A couple notes:
1. It requires consistent pressure from the arbor press, this takes a little practice. If I were to do a lot of bullets I'd make a new plunger that was maybe .010" - .015" taller than the die when the plunger is resting on the bullet nose. That way the press would push the plunger down .010" - .015" then stop when it touched the die. This would result in an even amount of compression and for each bullet.
2. The lube holes in the die must be above the area of the driving bands, otherwise lead will be extruded out the holes.
3. The bullet is a little shorter now with a wider meplat. In the example I compressed it a bit more than needed, but later bullets were not as short. But as long as they are consistent, they should work fine.
Now I have some .515" 300gr bullets to try in my rifle. I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this, but it was a new idea to me.
As you can see, the bullet started out .512". I placed it into the die, base down and set it in the arbor press. Using the die's plunger, I brought slight pressure to bear on the plunger, pressing down on the bullet expanding it to fill the .515" die. Then I removed the plunger and flipped the die over so the base of the bullet was up. Then I used the plunger and press to push the bullet back out, ensuring it was sized evenly. I then measured the bullets and they were at .515". Simple!
A couple notes:
1. It requires consistent pressure from the arbor press, this takes a little practice. If I were to do a lot of bullets I'd make a new plunger that was maybe .010" - .015" taller than the die when the plunger is resting on the bullet nose. That way the press would push the plunger down .010" - .015" then stop when it touched the die. This would result in an even amount of compression and for each bullet.
2. The lube holes in the die must be above the area of the driving bands, otherwise lead will be extruded out the holes.
3. The bullet is a little shorter now with a wider meplat. In the example I compressed it a bit more than needed, but later bullets were not as short. But as long as they are consistent, they should work fine.
Now I have some .515" 300gr bullets to try in my rifle. I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this, but it was a new idea to me.