Lyman 310 sizer stem material?

[wonderwolf]

Have a small shop project, easy pretty straight forward. A 310 tong tool sizer die that came to me missing the push through rod so it needs replaced.

On one hand I'm thinking a mild steel would be ok however I feel it would not take wear very well.....on the other hand something like 0-1 would be too hard (harder than the die and the base wear plate and cause premature wear on those parts....

A friend said 0-1 should work very well esp if I don't heat treat it (was not planning on it) but I'm not convinced.

The die is a .358 die and though I'm not 100% sure of the length the rod needs to be I'm assuming its about the same as the .308 sizer die I have as well, just a different diameter.

[Green Frog]

Are you talking a out the unthreaded push-through sizing dies? If yes, the original drive-out rods I've seen have been of very mild steel. In fact it's not unusual to see them peened over and mushroomed from the pounding. I tried to use a piece of "properly sized" drill rod. I put properly sized in quotes because I forgot to allow for the decrease in ID of the case necks after sizing and had a devil of a time getting it back out without ruining the case! BTW, many of the original knock-out rods I've seen have had a depression in the end that goes into the case so they would work with balloon head cases.

Froggie

[Char-Gar]

I have made several push out rods for the 310 sizer dies from common bolts. The harness really is not an issue.

Be aware that if you really try to size a bullet with these gizmos in a 310 hand tool, you will find out quickly it is a gut wrenching task. These "sizer" dies were intended to scrape the lube off a pan lubed bullets and not much else. These dies can be adapted to a bench press to size bullets.

Push out rods for Lyman Shell Resizer dies are also easy to make from cold roll steel. Just be sure and cut a small divot in the part that contacts the inside of the case, to prevent the burrs etc on the flash hole from being mashed around. Of course you can remove these with another tool.

[Green Frog]

Friend Char-Gar, I’m still not sure which sizing dies the OP is asking about... you mention the threaded BULLET sizer that came with a fairly closely fitted push rod that had a large enough head (like a large nail head) to bear on the 310 tool handle or the shell holder of a Tru-Line Jr press as well as the UN-threaded case sizing die into which a lubed case is pressed or driven in, then pushed out with simple rod. I especially like the latter for slightly altering (ie “case forming”) a few cases for special purposes. In fact, an unused piece of barrel stock can serve as a donor to be reamed with the reamer used for that very chamber for which the cases are intended.

Regards,
Your Phriendly ‘Phibian

[Char-Gar]

Friend Char-Gar, I’m still not sure which sizing dies the OP is asking about... you mention the threaded BULLET sizer that came with a fairly closely fitted push rod that had a large enough head (like a large nail head) to bear on the 310 tool handle or the shell holder of a Tru-Line Jr press as well as the UN-threaded case sizing die into which a lubed case is pressed or driven in, then pushed out with simple rod. I especially like the latter for slightly altering (ie “case forming”) a few cases for special purposes. In fact, an unused piece of barrel stock can serve as a donor to be reamed with the reamer used for that very chamber for which the cases are intended.

Regards,
Your Phriendly ‘Phibian

I take it, he most likely mean the 310 bullet sizing die as he did mention "tong tool" and the Lyman Shell Resizers are not adaptable to the "tong tool". BTW....I have these case resizers in over 40 different calibers. I collected them when they sold for a pittance on Ebay. Like all things reloading the prices have gone up since those days. They indeed can be very handy for all kinds of creative case modifications. I use a 1 ton Harbor Freight press, to which I have fitted a longer handle to do the push in and push out work.

[KCSO]

I make mine from plain old hot rolled and they have worked fine for the last 30 years or so,

[wonderwolf]

http://www.hensleygibbs.com/casting/310sizingwithtool_files/image002.jpg

Yeah, sorry I mean the bullet sizer die. The stem is what I'll need to make. I have a variety of steel to choose from so I may just make 2 and put both of them in the box kit I have for my .357/38 kit.

I love my 310 tong tool....for a year it was almost the only thing I had to reload with as everything else of mine was in storage. I do think fondly of the hours I spent listening to audio books in my tiny (less than 80 sq ft) apartment/room and using a dipper I had made and my 310 tool loading 38/357 for my LCR, GP100 5" and 77/357 carbine.

Some of the most relaxing reloading sessions I've done have been with this set up.

[Green Frog]

Thanks for the additional info, WW. I will say that if you are doing much sizing of very many bullets, especially hard cast, your love for the 310 tool may reach a bump in the road. [smilie=b: When you start the bullet through, you will likely have the handles spread pretty far, so the reach of your hand will be a bit awkward. If you're just cleaning up the bullets to finish them off a little, the 310 sizer should reach fine. BTW, I'd still go with some mild steel rod to make the rod, I'm just not sure that I would start from stock as big around as the head would need to be (and generate that much scrap.) Maybe I'd make a screw in or even press in cap to go on the proper diameter rod. 8-)

Froggie

[wonderwolf]

Thanks for the additional info, WW. I will say that if you are doing much sizing of very many bullets, especially hard cast, your love for the 310 tool may reach a bump in the road. [smilie=b: When you start the bullet through, you will likely have the handles spread pretty far, so the reach of your hand will be a bit awkward. If you're just cleaning up the bullets to finish them off a little, the 310 sizer should reach fine. BTW, I'd still go with some mild steel rod to make the rod, I'm just not sure that I would start from stock as big around as the head would need to be (and generate that much scrap.) Maybe I'd make a screw in or even press in cap to go on the proper diameter rod. 8-)

Froggie

Wont be too much extra work but I'll see what stock I have on hand and go from there this weekend. My thinking is for TL bullets I'll use the 310 set up from time to time, I have a lee push through and a 4500 so I have other options. I just want to have a sizer up and running for the tool I use from time to time to load with.

[Wayne Smith]

I'd go to the hardware store with the shell holder for my TruLine Jr and see which nail head fits in it. Get a long one and cut it off to the required length.

[wonderwolf]

I'd go to the hardware store with the shell holder for my TruLine Jr and see which nail head fits in it. Get a long one and cut it off to the required length.

Shhhhhhh I need to justify the existence of my lathe.....

[wonderwolf]

Does somebody have a .358 or similar 310 sizer die? Can you please mic the length on it. I'm not sure how long to make this thing.

[Char-Gar]

I have a Lyman 310 bullet sizing die in .358. Here are the specs.

Over all length is 3.10 inches
Push rod diameter is .359
Last .5 inch of push rod is .356.

The die is designed to push the bullet through base first, so the nose of the rod is contoured to the nose of the bullet. In mine, the rod is No. 311, which corresponds with bullet no. 358311 which is a round nose bullet.

I hope this helps.

[wonderwolf]

I have a Lyman 310 bullet sizing die in .358. Here are the specs.

Over all length is 3.10 inches
Push rod diameter is .359
Last .5 inch of push rod is .356.

The die is designed to push the bullet through base first, so the nose of the rod is contoured to the nose of the bullet. In mine, the rod is No. 311, which corresponds with bullet no. 358311 which is a round nose bullet.

I hope this helps.


Why base first? I've always been confused by that...And MANY thanks for the dimensions!

[Char-Gar]

Why base first? I've always been confused by that...And MANY thanks for the dimensions!

You will have to talk to Lyman on why they did it that way.

Now with the use of a compound sizing machine, a long slender rifle bullet can have it nose bent with the pressure it takes being forced into the die. On pistol bullets it make no difference base or nose first.

[wonderwolf]

Yeah, maybe I'll shoot them an email someday, I'm sure the guy who designed it is long gone. I do know what you mean about the longer bullets at risk of bending, I have done that a time or two in my 4500 when I'm not careful.

[bedbugbilly]

I have 310 bullet sizing dies for the calibers I load - 30/30, 8mm mauser, 38/357 and 45 Colt. Fortunately, I have steel tongs for all of them as, as mentioned, it sometimes is a struggle to use them. I primarily have them to use when I want to reload the cartridge completely with the use of the 310 die set/tongs - just for nostalgia sake. I just added a Tru-Line Jr press a few months ago and go tit mounted to my bench back in Michigan but didn't have time to try it out before leaving for AZ for the winter. I'm anxious to see how well the bullet sizing dies work on it.

Over time, I've picked up the old vintage Lee "whack a sizers" that came in their old pan lube kits years ago in the sizes I need. They seem to work fairly well and so I put them with my 310 kits as well.

Char-Gar makes a good point on the 310 bullet sizing stems as far as putting the in base up and pushing on the nose but that shouldn't be an issue if you have a lathe as the profile in the end would be easy enough to turn. On my boolits, I've always pushed the through the 310 nose first with the drive pin on the base and I can't see where it has ever made a difference.

It's nice that you have the lathe when projects like this come along! Enjoy!

[wonderwolf]

I have 310 bullet sizing dies for the calibers I load - 30/30, 8mm mauser, 38/357 and 45 Colt. Fortunately, I have steel tongs for all of them as, as mentioned, it sometimes is a struggle to use them. I primarily have them to use when I want to reload the cartridge completely with the use of the 310 die set/tongs - just for nostalgia sake. I just added a Tru-Line Jr press a few months ago and go tit mounted to my bench back in Michigan but didn't have time to try it out before leaving for AZ for the winter. I'm anxious to see how well the bullet sizing dies work on it.

Over time, I've picked up the old vintage Lee "whack a sizers" that came in their old pan lube kits years ago in the sizes I need. They seem to work fairly well and so I put them with my 310 kits as well.

Char-Gar makes a good point on the 310 bullet sizing stems as far as putting the in base up and pushing on the nose but that shouldn't be an issue if you have a lathe as the profile in the end would be easy enough to turn. On my boolits, I've always pushed the through the 310 nose first with the drive pin on the base and I can't see where it has ever made a difference.

It's nice that you have the lathe when projects like this come along! Enjoy!

My idea is to use the sizer just with tumble lube bullets for my 38/357, the only one I have right now being a tumble lube 148gr wad cutter from Lee so thats a bit of a moot point I guess for me. But for future punch profiles I'll try a nose punch and see how that goes. If I get hardcore into this I'll be getting 2 cav molds for a "field kit" that are tumble lube. Lee only makes so many of those so it'll be easy settling on a profile.

I can't imagine life without my lathe, its not ideal but its "saved" me a lot of money and grief in having to pay somebody else to do what I want or need done.

It cost me $600 and has probably saved me, dad and friends 10 grand EASY, I'm on vacation this week and working through my list of projects I've probably done $300 worth of work that would have been charged me by a professional in the last 4 hours alone. Chopped, re-crowned and threaded some barrels. Not to mention installing 2 sets of sights using the mill.

[Green Frog]

Wonderwolf, your post calls up the distinction between a serious enthusiast and a dabbler. The fact that you can go to the shop and turn raw materials into useful parts to repair, modify, restore, or upgrade your (and your friends') guns puts you into the serious category for sure! OTOH, as Dirty Harry once said, a man ought to know his limitations, and although there is a lathe and a small bench mill in my basement right now, I've shown repeatedly a propensity to turn perfectly fine raw materials into scrap in very short order! I know what I should do with my equipment, but lack the devotion to develop the skill I need to do it. Now that I am retired (and have taken a couple of Machine Shop courses at my Community College) maybe that will change.

Froggie

PS Just stopped by your Blog for the first time, WW. Very nice indeed and I plan to go back and visit there often. Very enjoyable as well as informative.

[Char-Gar]

Wonderwolf, your post calls up the distinction between a serious enthusiast and a dabbler. The fact that you can go to the shop and turn raw materials into useful parts to repair, modify, restore, or upgrade your (and your friends') guns puts you into the serious category for sure! OTOH, as Dirty Harry once said, a man ought to know his limitations, and although there is a lathe and a small bench mill in my basement right now, I've shown repeatedly a propensity to turn perfectly fine raw materials into scrap in very short order! I know what I should do with my equipment, but lack the devotion to develop the skill I need to do it. Now that I am retired (and have taken a couple of Machine Shop courses at my Community College) maybe that will change.

Froggie

PS Just stopped by your Blog for the first time, WW. Very nice indeed and I plan to go back and visit there often. Very enjoyable as well as informative.

Right as always Froggie! A lathe is the ultimate tool in a serious reloading shop. Mine is a 1947 9 X 18 Logan.