Need breaker bar for sizing

[brassrat]

Well not really but everytime I measure a boollet it is giant. Almost all my molds are Lyman and drop .003-. 008 above expected. My alloy is just pure sheet lead and tin, sometimes a good deal. Just yesterday I checked some H+G WCs in .38. These sat for years with red PC. They were up to .365, using a good micrometer. Do I need some antimony? I am not quite sure, on these, but they were probably sized, already. I did size these few again and had one that I just slammed a bunch of times to get moving. I tossed it as it was like half, shiny lead and no PC.

[JimB..]

I’d cast some new ones and compare sizes.

Might try casting really hot, they’ll shrink a touch as they cool. I don’t think the frosting is bad for the PC either.

[JSnover]

Something's wrong if they all drop .003-.008" over nominal. Make sure your mold blocks are clean, undamaged, and closing properly, you're gripping the handles firmly and consistently.
Lyman manuals have lead alloy charts so you can mix an alloy that you actually want instead of guessing what it is. Varying tin and antimony will cause variations in size and hardness. If you don't mind spending a few bucks, buy a known alloy and cast with it: Don't shoot the bullets, melt them over and over again, measuring, sizing, etc until you get the technique dialed in.

[waksupi]

Just wondering, are you measuring with calipers, or a micrometer?

[pworley1]

I don't have any molds of any brand that are more than -001 to +.003 and I have nearly 100 molds. I don't know what is going on with yours.

[brassrat]

Hmm I think I need better notes. I found a couple more batches that seem normal. One mayonnaise jar, full and PC at .357 sized which I think is why many of my boolets shoot poorly. I found another bunch at .359 and loaded some up. I have been loading with a new Lee .358 sizer and hope for improvement. I measure with a nice Starret micrometer

[megasupermagnum]

Are you using lube when sizing? One coat of alox, or powder coat, and I could size down .003" with my pinky in a Lee die.

[BC17A]

I once had some that were about .003" larger than the sizer and were extremely tight going through. Those sat for several months before sizing so it made me change up my process. On PC day, boolits come out of the oven and get dumped on a towel, then after the next batch gets coated and popped into the oven I size the ones on the towel before they've completely cooled.

[megasupermagnum]

I once had some that were about .003" larger than the sizer and were extremely tight going through. Those sat for several months before sizing so it made me change up my process. On PC day, boolits come out of the oven and get dumped on a towel, then after the next batch gets coated and popped into the oven I size the ones on the towel before they've completely cooled.

You've got something else going on. I just sized a bunch of bullets sized .317" down to .314", water dropped. About 26 BHN after sitting a few months. Zero effort from a Star sizer. The Lee sizer is just as easy.

[GL49]

Are you using lube when sizing? One coat of alox, or powder coat, and I could size down .003" with my pinky in a Lee die.

I'm going to trade up from my Star to a Lee.

[brassrat]

Utt oh thems fighten words. Hopefully I will not remelt everything and start fresh with better recordkeeping. I need to try out many new loadings,soon. No more .357 sized boolets in .357. I wanted a .359 but only found .358 at Titan.It took awhile but I figured out my molds do drop large and very large. I was not lubing before sizing and will now coat and size either with PC or my TL, which I recently got to dry in a half hour. Measuring for .359 boolets might even happen although the WCs I loaded yesterday were a pain to get started with an M die and my Lee die seemed to not work which never happened with the .357 sizing that just ended

[megasupermagnum]

You will find a dramatic difference now that you lubed them.

[Drew P]

I like to spray mine with one shot, helps them glide thru and dries to a non sticky finish that does t need cleaned off

[brassrat]

The sizing was just hard on occasional bullets that ran like .008 over. Most seem about. .360 on all the Lyman .38 molds. I did lube a batch and sized because I finally read instructions but don't like that. I wiped with a clinton rag and brake cleaner but had bad coverage on the PC. Not sure if that was leftover lube and it was new powder, to keep me guessing.

[megasupermagnum]

Ok, so if you are getting bullets from a single mold dropping at anywhere from .359" to .367", you have to get that sorted out. It has nothing to do with alloy, or temp, or anything. Your mold is not fully closing every time. You need to figure out if it is your handles, or your mold, or just some lead getting on the blocks from time to time.

[243winxb]

.003" over I have seen with saeco molds. Lyman in 45acp has a hard time making .452" Using an antimony rich alloy makes bullets larger as they drop from the molds.

Your .008" over needs looked at more closely. Could be the wrong mold?

[Char-Gar]

Just wondering, are you measuring with calipers, or a micrometer?

Most excellent question. If everything is oversized, time to take a look at the measuring instrument.

[brassrat]

I thought I read here that Lymans cast oversize. The micrometer seems fine as do all the molds, now. I have seen tiny bits of leading to finning but I really try to to constantly look for light shining through and, if seen, keep cleaning or heat and crush molds in the vice or other fixes which has really fixed a couple. I don't give up until they show no light which is usually and not a problem. Too much antimony was mentioned but really shouldn't be a cause due to not really using any besides WW and those were a recent and first time

[megasupermagnum]

The question still remains. Are you, from a single mold, getting bullets varying in size up to .008"?

If so, there is only one cause.

[243winxb]

Preheat molds by casting, then they wont get warped.

[brassrat]

I always use a hotplate to preheat and only one was actually warped and that was a Lee 6x. I got that one sealing perfectly and total darkness between the blocks. It has been retired for a Lyman version. There was only one mould that was up by .007 actually, at least on one I checked, and that was a new/old mould that needs another chance. It has been really cleaned up, now. After using a larger sizer, I have pretty good feelings about future results.

[243winxb]

From Lee, also applies to iron molds. IMO.

[brassrat]

Wow thats interesting 243. Mold temp has not been on my radar, as long as things are moving along. I do keep waiting moulds on the hotplate for a couple minutes or for hours. My pot temps are what I looked at. This Lyman pot can hit 1000* with no trouble. I have kept it at a pretty constant 725* on recent sessions. Some of my stash boollets may have been cast hotter but not these latest casts.

[brassrat]

Well my new .358 sizer is giving me something to shoot for, finally. Not amazing but way better than most everything I have been doing with a .357 size, for years Maybe a consistent load and lube/PC will really get my guns shooting. Fit is King and I knew that.