Manson reamer vs. Lee bullet sizer die

[Petander]

So I got this simple and brilliant idea of reaming a Lee .430" die to .432" using the same reamer I used for a S&W cylinder.

Manually it just didn't cut at all and slipped from the handle,no matter how tight. So I chucked the reamer into an electric drill and even then no go,just heat. I used good oil. I even used the drill as a handle,no go. The reamer has a .427" pilot so it should be good to go.

Is the Lee die just so hard chrome or what? Did I destroy my reamer? The Milwaukee battery drill started smelling burning plastic,too. Did I kill it as well?

Sometimes saving a few bucks gets expensive.

[GhostHawk]

A piece of dowel that will fit in the sizing die, a saw cut to hold it, a piece of wet/dry sandpaper, and rolling it back and forth on your leg works well.

The reamer is probably fine.

Go to harbor freight and get one of their 20v Lithium battery drills for the drill replacement. I like the slightly more expensive hammer drill option (around 75$) and get a spare battery. Although they seem to last forever.

Check your size often, easy to go too big.

[DougGuy]

Lee dies are case hardened and as such, they are harder than woodpecker lips! WAY harder than the HSS reamer, and unfortunately that reamer is toast.

I use an ACRO brass lap and fine valve grinding compound, it keeps things nice and round which a split dowel cannot do. I also chuck the die in a lathe chuck and the lap in a tailstock chuck.

Also, the Lee dies are purposely finished about .0005" under to allow for springback. If you take one to .432" and a .432" pin fits through it, it will only size very soft alloy to .432" and more common cast boolit alloy will be considerably larger.

[sparky45]

Double tap!

[sparky45]

Good info Doug; I didn't realize the spring back would be a significant factor. Are you talking a half thousandth or more? I have a little PM 1022 that I do stuff like that with, including small batch neck turning.

[Larry Gibson]

"chuck the die in a lathe chuck and the lap in a tailstock chuck."

As DougGuy mentions he does this is the best method to getting concentric enlargement. It can be done by hand but concentric results are many times not achieved as you end up with slightly oval sized bullets.

[mattw]

Doug, google did not give good results for "ACME brass lap", can you send a link?

[M-Tecs]

If you overheated your drill doing this your reamer will be toast.

https://www.travers.com/brass-barrel-blind-hole-laps/p/112470/

[DougGuy]

Doug, google did not give good results for "ACME brass lap", can you send a link?

My bad, it is an ACRO brass lap. Forum rules do not allow me to post an ebay link but if you go to ebay and search "ACRO brass lap" without the quotes, you will find lots of them. This is where I buy them, and I buy the used ones, and I hunt out the NOS brass barrels and get them for a few bucks each. Before I invested in the Sunnen hone, this is how I finished cylinders after reaming. They work great.

[dverna]

A piece of dowel that will fit in the sizing die, a saw cut to hold it, a piece of wet/dry sandpaper, and rolling it back and forth on your leg works well.

The reamer is probably fine.

Go to harbor freight and get one of their 20v Lithium battery drills for the drill replacement. I like the slightly more expensive hammer drill option (around 75$) and get a spare battery. Although they seem to last forever.

Check your size often, easy to go too big.

Long trip to HF form where the OP lives...LOL

[Nobade]

If you send the reamer back to Dave to see if it can be repaired, make sure you write him a nice apology note.

[Petander]

Dang. Stupid me.

This started because I got some (new to me) telescopic hole gauges and realised my 44 die is oval. I ovaled it from .429" to .4305" about.

I have "sandpapered" many Lee dies through the years.

Reamer came through Brownells Finland,I might actually ask about it...

[GregLaROCHE]

If the Lee sizers are case hardened after machining, how deep is that surface hardening? Will you be getting into softer metal? Maybe it won’t make a difference sizing lead. Is this a good time to think about getting into the Noe sizing setup? It’s a lot cheaper in the long run and you have lots of options.

[jules]

Steel didn't seem that hard to me. I just opened one up from .283 to .285 in about 5 mins with a wooden dowel and 340 grit paper with some oil on it and roll it like a rolling pin but don't let it bounce. Just make sure you check often. I believe there is only a small ring inside the die that sizes.

[cabezaverde]

I have opened Lee dies by coating some cast bullets with valve grinding compound and pushing them through.

Measure often with a fresh bullet after cleaning the die.

[Petander]

Is this a good time to think about getting into the Noe sizing setup?

Absolutely.

I have two lubesizers with ok die assortments but mostly use Lees now that I coat, most of the dies are opened up. Let's see, 500 S&W, 45-70,45ACP,357 Mag, 38 Spec, .308 subsonic,now back to 44 which I didn't have for years.

This whole 44 sort of jumped on me again and I wasn't prepared. My m 29-3 has even larger (.433-434") throats so a NOE set will be next. I drop .432" and they shoot a .432" throated 629 unsized just fine. M 29-3 shoots them better than I thought it would... but I will see larger ones,too.

[Petander]

Is this a good time to think about getting into the Noe sizing setup? It’s a lot cheaper in the long run and you have lots of options.

Pretty much out of stock there.

I don't favor cheap tools so luckily NOE gets more pricey because of USPS overseas prices plus customs/taxes at this end. :)