Bent bullets

[vrh]

Had casted some .243 louvern style bullets. Put on copper gas checks by using my Lee C press by running bullet with gas checks thru my Lee resizing die base first. Then I powder coated bullet and re-ran bullets thru sizing die again for sizing a final time.
I noticed that some of the bullets had bent right at the base of the bullet's nose. Hmmmmmm...... so I tried something different in my method.
Cast bullets were gas checked. As usual, base first thru sizing die. ( that step also sizes the bullet at same time) Then I powder coated the bullets, but did not resize them.
I believe that by sizing base first to seat gas checks with powder coating, caused to much pressure against the next bullet's nose that was feed into die..
Learn something everyday.
Anyway this seemed to solve the problem of the bent bullet.

[popper]

Use a small dish of water to dip a boolit, then size. Reduces possible leading and nothing to remove from boolits or sizer.

[hardy]

Use a small dish of water to dip a boolit, then size. Reduces possible leading and nothing to remove from boolits or sizer.
What popper said!.....Mike

[joatmon]

I always seat and size tip first, not much pressure on the tip that way.
Aaron

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Pushing on the boolit's round nose with a flat base punch...is a recipe for bent boolits, as you found out.
Because it is virtually impossible to place the Nose in the center of the punch every time, if you are slightly off, you won't be placing concentric pressure on the boolit.

[runfiverun]

push them all the way through.
for the star sizers many of us have a bunch of little rods there we drop on the boolit in the sizer and push it out before the next one goes in.
the LEE sizers would work the same way going forward.

[44man]

I made nose punches for the Lee with epoxy to fit.

[Char-Gar]

We discovered long ago that pushing on a long skinny rifle bullet nose to size it, was a good way to bend bullets. That is why we use nose first sizing. Seat your gas checks on the base, expanding the check a tad if necessary and then run them through your Lee sizer nose first. The check will crimp on just fine that way.

[44man]

I had checks pull down with nose first. They drag in the die.

[Soundguy]

I always seat and size tip first, not much pressure on the tip that way.
Aaron

Agreed, I've always sized and gas checked thru lee dies nose first, to date, I have ruined a SINGLE gas check out of thousands doing this.

[Soundguy]

I had checks pull down with nose first. They drag in the die.


First, clean your die, then polish with some ultra fine rubbing compound, and a mop installed in a drill.

Next, make sure your plunger is not undersized for that die.

Are you lubing your projectiles prior to sizing?

[runfiverun]

he rubs the lube on by hand.

I have seen some of the thinner checks act up going nose first.
I think if you anneal them that problem might go away.

[Soundguy]

Maybee soda can checks, but 0145/016 material should be fine.

Annealing helps with checks that dont grip because of being too springy, at least for copper anyway, for aluminum, I imagine less results trying that.

[beagle]

.22 and .25 bullets are really bad about bending from my experience. This is one reason we developed the nose first sizing adapter. Size and check first and then come back and lube in a warn sizing die( not one that's been sitting in an unheated garage or outbuilding). Having said that, I had a bunch of RCBS 25-120-SP bullets that were bent and I had loaded a box before I noticed the problem. I fired 'em up through my .257 Roberts and groups weren't appreciably affected. But, I'd rather not. Nose first is the way to go on skinny, long bullets./beagle

[tomme boy]

What about the powder coating? Maybe they have been cooked at close to the critical temp and they were slumping. I can see how they bent sizing base first too.

[dkf]

I had checks pull down with nose first. They drag in the die.

Same here, pretty much always on smaller diameter bullets. Happens regularly with .223 bullets with aluminum or copper checks. All me Lee dies are bought under the size a need and polished out to super smooth finish with 1500 grit.

[Soundguy]

1500? Smooth?

In the world of polishing, that's lil using a cold chissle and a hasp.

Try 2-4000, and then the ultra fine 'cleaner' style polishes. You can polish optical quality polycarbonate with that crystal clear.. 1500 would leave it matte opaque.

[joatmon]

Trying to see in my minds eye how a check can drag down when the push rod Is pushing the check which is pushing the boolit?
Aaron

[dkf]

1500? Smooth?

In the world of polishing, that's lil using a cold chissle and a hasp.

Try 2-4000, and then the ultra fine 'cleaner' style polishes. You can polish optical quality polycarbonate with that crystal clear.. 1500 would leave it matte opaque.

Its polished on a lathe. The grit glazes over from pressure and turns a lot finer than 1500. It is plenty smooth and shiny. Not my first rodeo with this stuff.

[Soundguy]

Trying to see in my minds eye how a check can drag down when the push rod Is pushing the check which is pushing the boolit?
Aaron

Usual causes are:

Poor loose fit to boolit base, thus the base not backing up the check wall, then it buckles and folds in, or the opposite, not enough clearance and it folds back.

Either of these are exasperated by dirty or rough dies, poor/no lube, or an undersized plunger, or check thickness not suitable for the application.

[Soundguy]

Its polished on a lathe. The grit glazes over from pressure and turns a lot finer than 1500. It is plenty smooth and shiny. Not my first rodeo with this stuff.

Its not any of our first rodeo's. In a hobby where the devil is in the details, my loin was why start with a coarse grit and rely on decomposition to a finer polish, vs starting with a finer polish. Less time/chance for metal removal, unless that was your goal to open it up.

The fact you are doing it on a large adds nothing to the conversation. Something can be done better, good or worse on any technique you like.

Not trying to argue, just wondering why starting at a relatively coarse grit when much ( much much ) finer is available. ( now I know, start large and wait for it to be small. ;) ) No need for the rude comment either.

Have a good day

[44man]

I don't size much as my molds are close to size. I use the Lee die to remove excess lube mostly. A .431 boolit in a .431" die or a .476" boolit in a .476" die does little to the boolits.
They are easy to push so the check can grab and even though tight the gap above the check increases. You need boolit resistance in the die to keep checks all the way on.