I really, really, really hate...

[Whitespider]

...lube-sizing bevel-base boolits.
The bevel-base acts like another lube groove... only worse because the lube gets forced between the boolit base and whatever that floating center pin is called. Talk about making a friggin' mess.
I was trying to lube-size bevel-base boolits for my .45-70 tonight and the frustration level reached critical mass... I quit.
The only thing I've found that works is to punch the boolit into the die so the lube holes line up relatively close close with the lube grooves. Then pressurize the lube reservoir, and then depressurize the reservoir before punching the boolit back out of the die. Flipping that little wrench over and over gets old, and the whole procedure makes for slow production.

I really need to come up with a simple, quick, effective way to remove the bevel-base from molds using typical home shop tools... especially iron molds.
*

[nagantguy]

Someone already solved the problem of messy slow and stuck boolits; pc! I totally understand your frustration! And lube sizing was one operation I couldn't get my daughter to help with she hated it, most time I did to, went pc and have never looked back. I've heard pc isn't the answer for bore riders but I've found a lighter pc coat to work splendidly! Just my experience but I do remeber how mad I would often get at the stupid wrench over and over.

[Catshooter]

Can't say I care for it much either.

To make it a bit better, I find some light foam, sorta like the white thin styrofoam containers you buy beef in. Punch out the caliber diameter needed and put it under a boolit, size. With the bevel base there's is going to be lube everywhere and it usually will make the foam stick. The base of the boolit compresses the foam and then around the edge the foam kinda fills in the bevel.

Can help, hope it does.


Cat

[richmanpoorman]

I know my SAECO lubesizer can be set so no grease gets below the bottom grease groove so I have no issues with bevel bases. About all I now run thru it are rifle boolits as PCing handgun boolits (with the right mold) requires no lubing or sizing.

[OS OK]

Can't say I care for it much either.

To make it a bit better, I find some light foam, sorta like the white thin styrofoam containers you buy beef in. Punch out the caliber diameter needed and put it under a boolit, size. With the bevel base there's is going to be lube everywhere and it usually will make the foam stick. The base of the boolit compresses the foam and then around the edge the foam kinda fills in the bevel.

Can help, hope it does.


Cat

Brilliant!

[Wayne Smith]

Yep, I keep a styrafoam coffee cup up by the sizer for just this purpose. Gotta change it out about every twenty or so boolits, it gets compressed.

[Dusty Bannister]

First fix was to remove the bevel portion of the mold to make it a flat base. Later got the Star and now no need to alter the mold. Some will have the top of the push out rod (I portion of the HI die) machined to just fit the base of the bevel based bullet and support and seal the base of the bullet in the size die. That seemed to be a lot more work than just removing that part of the mold.

[richmanpoorman]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.

[Dusty Bannister]

Sure, for pistol bullets with only one lube groove, just block the lube ports in the die. Multi lube groove rifle bullets might take a bit more adjustment or modification.

[centershot]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.

I agree, I never have a problem with BB bullets in my Lyman 450 once I get the adjustment correct!

[OS OK]

Yep, I keep a styrafoam coffee cup up by the sizer for just this purpose. Gotta change it out about every twenty or so boolits, it gets compressed.

This seems like the right idea for a fix...perhaps a piece of thick/soft leather would last a lot longer...for the right size plug just sharpen a brass case and use it for a punch.
God only knows how much time I've spent trying to adjust that dang die using the bevel base SWC's (thank God for PC when it came along!)...what a simple fix...duuuhhh!

[dondiego]

Could you lube the boolit by sizing/lubing nose first? You really don't need lube in all of the lube grooves.

[Echo]

Could you lube the boolit by sizing/lubing nose first? You really don't need lube in all of the lube grooves.
Would be extremely iffy w/Lyman/LAM-type loobers. Pressure in the loob store will force loob into the void formed by the nose of the boolit. My solution is to order a Star die for a new boolit with a small BB. Will work like a champ, when I get it adjusted.

[dondiego]

Yes, I see it would act like a real bad BB. I mostly tumble loob now and haven't used my 450 in a long time.

[rondog]

Myself, I just hate bevel-based bullets period. And I've never lubed my cast bullets, I went straight to sprayed-on powdercoating.

At one time I'd bought lots of bullets from Z-cast in many calibers, all bevel-based from Magma machines, and they shot terribly. Ended up melting them down into ingots to make GOOD boolits with. That was some expensive lead.....

[ShooterAZ]

Here's the solution. Take your chamfering tool and "sharpen" the mouth of one of your cases. Then take the top part of a styrofoam egg container and use the sharpened case to cut "cookies" out of it. Place the cookies on top of the piston and size away. The styrofoam will compress to take the shape of the bevel on the boolit, and won't allow lube to get under it. It works for me. It doesn't last forever though, so just cut several cookies to have on hand when they need to be replaced.

[dragon813gt]

I use the Star or BLL for the few bevel base bullets I use. I honestly try to avoid them at all costs because of lubing issues. Thankfully BLL works very well for heavyweight 9mm bullets. They're the only bevel base bullets I shoot in any volume.

[ascast]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.

in addition you could plug a hole in the die with a small shot, like #6

[Whitespider]

Seems like a lot of work when a simple adjustment to the lube sizer will solve the problem.
Please enlighten me ... what is this "simple" adjustment??
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[richmanpoorman]

My SAECO lube sizer has an adjustable stop below the die that determines how far the boolit goes into the die. By moving the stop up/down, you determine how far into the die the boolit goes. By setting it so that the bevel is BELOW any lube dispensing holes, you won't get any lube on the base. RTFI !

[Whitespider]

My SAECO... RTFI !
Sorry man... you are flat clueless.
My Lyman is not a SAECO... whenever any gap passes by the lube dispensing holes in a Lyman the always pressurized lube is forced into that gap, as the boolit both enters the die and exits the die... any gap, including the gap provided by the bevel-base. My "stop" is set so the base is below any "dispensing holes"... but that does not stop the lube from "dispensing" into the bevel-base as it passes by those holes.
Your SAECO works completely different... I could RTFI until cows fly and it wouldn't matter for sour owl squat, because your SAECO ain't what I have.
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[Strtspdlx]

ive become a fan of non bevel base molds, ive converted all my bevel base mold to flat by removing the bevel using a drill bit and something round and some sand paper and slowly working the shape, it doesn't have to be exactly perfect, the lube sizer fixes most of that or all of it, if done well enough. I too prefer not wasting time wiping 1/3 of the lube off the bullet. I felt like I was wasting so much lube, and I don't really prefer pc just yet. I'm sure ill find something I like it for. However at the moment I like to sit in front of the lube sizer and do they quality control while sizing. don't be afraid to remove the bevel, just go a little at a time and try it out. Worst case scenario you go slightly over and the sizing die fixes it. just make sure the bottom edge of the bullet is sharp and not rounded or itll leave a flashing on the base that to me is annoying.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

On my .38/.357 sizer I center drilled the piston so that I only have about 1/32" flat left on the end where I put the bullet for sizing. Unless the bullet bottom is really out of square, this will prevent much, if any, lube from getting on the bottom of the bullet.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

[fredj338]

I use the Star or BLL for the few bevel base bullets I use. I honestly try to avoid them at all costs because of lubing issues. Thankfully BLL works very well for heavyweight 9mm bullets. They're the only bevel base bullets I shoot in any volume.
Same here. When I do conventional lube with a bb, the Star is the way to go.

[lightman]

I'm not a bevel base fan. They are kind of a PITA. Its had to not get lube on the base with a Lyman sizer.

[Thin Man]

I have a general distaste for any bevel base mold because of the lube ring left on the bottom of the boolit after sizing. My usual response to this is to remove the bevel and end up with a square base mold. Other than that I have tried using a gas check to fill the bevel "void" in the sizing die. I place the gas check into the die the same as if the boolit would accept and hold it during sizing. Of course the gas check and boolit do not hold together during sizing but the check keeps most if not all of the lube off the base of the sized boolit. Down side - the checks will often come out of the sizing die with the boolit and require a slow-down to re-install them. Now that I have read about styrofoam I will give that a try. That is, if I still have any molds that are bevel base. The numbers of those are shrinking regularly in my collection.

[Mitch]

I made my center plug match the BB boolits.Just a cup shape will work to seal the lube off.I agree there s no simple adjusting on a lyman lube sizer

[JohnH]

Heat. I don't know how hard your lube is. I use FWFL (Felix World Famous Lube) you can find the recipe here. It makes a rather soft lube, but If I don't apply some heat to the lubesizer ( I use a hair dryer for the task) I have to apply so much pressure to the lube that It will get get between the boolit and the center pin and makes just the mess you refer too. PITA. Heat can make it worse. But also makes it better. I take my hairdryer and warm up the housing of the lubesizer, important part here, with no pressure on the lube. Then take a boolit and run it through the sizer as you are increasing the pressure (go slow) until you are lubing the boolit and just getting the lube groove filled. You will still get a small amount of lube at the bevel but it will be negligible and you can either wipe it away or ignore it. I ignore it. I've also found heat to be a cure for bent boolit syndrome. I have far less trouble with rifle boolits bending in the sizer when the lubesizer has been heated than not. There is a heater you can buy, Lyman sells one that inserts into the back/bottom of the tool and there is another style that is a pad which the sizer is mounted on. I've used a hairdryer for years. Works just fine. Takes a bit to get used to how heat changes the process, but once you get the hang of it, it makes life with a lubesizer much easier.