Sizing via Lee FCD?

[Jumping Frog]

OK, so far I have used this process:

Cast boolits
Tumble lube with Lee Liquid Alox
Stand all the boolits up and let them dry overnight
Size boolits using the Lee sizer into the red plastic container
Re-tumble lube with LLA
Stand all the boolits up and let them dry overnight


I am figuring I can cut out steps 4, 5, and 6 if I simply size the boolits using the Lee FCD (which I already use in station 5 anyway).

As near as I figure, the only downside to simplifying and skipping a separate sizing step is if the boolits are significantly oversized. That may cause the crimping to be tight enough to increase the pressures to unsafe levels.

Is my thinking on straight here? Can I skip the extra size and extra lube step? Am I being paranoid?

I just cast about 900 of the Lee TL452-200-SWC today and would sure like to simplifiy unless it creates problems. Last weekend I did 1200 of the Lee 401-175-SWC, using all the extra steps and they shot very nicely. But they sure took a long time.

[hedgehorn]

I dont know why not. I dont think your going to increase pressures. The case tends to spring back more than the boolit when crimped. I would think that if anything your crimp might be a tad looser.

[Gohon]

Won't hurt a thing if they are droping from the mould the size you want. A lee mould I have for the 45 colt is dropping at .4545 and all I'm doing is lubing with LLA and shooting them. They shoot better than the one's I was sizing to .452. I also use the Lee FCD and I think it does iron the case flare out and crimp but I don't believe it really does much if any sizing.

[Bret4207]

Try this-

1- Cast boolits
2- Lightly spray with a lube like One Shot or even PAM
3- Size and seat GC if applicable
4- Tumble lube
5- Dump lubed boolits on a cookie sheet, sheet of newspaper, wax paper, whatever and let dry over night.

6- Load and shoot boolits.

You're complicating the whole thing. You may not even need to lube prior to sizing, try it. No need to stand all the boolits up or anything like that. Just lube 'em and let them dry a bit. Any excess lube will come off in sizing and any excess on the base can be rubbed off on a cloth just prior to seating.

[Sprue]

Try this-

1- Cast boolits
2- Lightly spray with a lube like One Shot or even PAM
3- Size and seat GC if applicable
4- Tumble lube
5- Dump lubed boolits on a cookie sheet, sheet of newspaper, wax paper, whatever and let dry over night.

6- Load and shoot boolits.

You're complicating the whole thing. You may not even need to lube prior to sizing, try it. No need to stand all the boolits up or anything like that. Just lube 'em and let them dry a bit. Any excess lube will come off in sizing and any excess on the base can be rubbed off on a cloth just prior to seating.

+1 I concur with Bret. I prefer the KISS methodology.

[rvpilot76]

I too have been using the FCD for my handgun and rifle crimping. However, I need to do some research, as Dan at Mountainmolds.com has an interesting observation; one I had not considered previously. I cannot post the link to the article, so I'll post the jist of it here:

I bought a Lee Factory Crimp die for 44 Magnum. This is not a collet-type die, but it is unique in that it has a sizing ring at the entrance of the die. The sizing ring is supposed to ensure reliable chambering. My 4" M29 has been known to walk cast bullets out of the case, so I wanted to see if the Lee die would hold the bullet more securely than the Redding die that I have been using for the past 22 years.

Two dummy rounds were loaded using an air-cooled wheelweight bullet. The bullets were as-cast, 0.432" - 0.433". One cartridge was given a moderate crimp in the Redding die, while the other was given a firm crimp in the Lee Factory Crimp die. The Lee die shrunk the cartridge OD from 0.4575" to 0.454". The question is, what was shrinking? Was the cast bullet being squashed by the Lee die?

To find out, I used an inertia puller to yank the bullets. It took 67 whacks to free the bullet that had been crimped in the Redding die. That bullet measured 0.432", maybe 0.0005" smaller than it was originally. Only 3 whacks were required to free the bullet that had been crimped in the Lee die. That bullet had shrunk down to 0.430". That is totally unacceptable because my gun has 0.4334" throats. To heck with the Lee Factory Crimp die.

Intersting, to say the least; I have some boolits to pull and some measuring to do. I'll post my results here in a couple of days.

Regards,

Kevin

[hedgehorn]

rvpillot. I have pulled them after using the Lee FCD and had the same results.

[Jumping Frog]

[COLOR="Magenta"]I bought a Lee Factory Crimp die for 44 Magnum.
Interesting, as I also load .44 Rem Mag.

[jcwit]

Had the same experience with 45 ACP and the FCD. Also had bad accuracy, returned to the old way and everything improved.

[Catshooter]

I checked my Lee FCD in .45 Colt just today for this very issue.

Boolit prior to loading: .454

Boolit after Lee FCD: .454

Interesting.


Cat

[Maximilian225]

I am of the opinion that the Lee FCD for pistol rounds are an impressive thing with jacketed bullets, which are normally .000 to .001 smaller than caliber.

That being said my experience has been that they almost always size cast boolits down inside the case to small for good accuracy. It also destroys "neck tension" in the case due to brass spring back. The brass springs back about a .001, the lead doesn't, causing a loose fit.

The carbide ring is cut to the minimum SAAMI spec for that cartridges chamber to assure reliable feeding in any gun. Because of this the ring almost always sizes the cast loads because the rounds are usually a couple thousandths over the minimum spec.

Just my 2¢

-Max

:lovebooli

[Heavy lead]

I have found mixed results depending on caliber. On my 45 colt and 454, in which I use the lee fcd on I can size boolits to 454 and the case never touches the fcd carbide ring at all, and I like the crimp it uses so I use them, now the 44 magnum is a different story, the carbide ring sizes the case down quite a bit even with 429 bullets, so I have stopped using it.
45 acp also hits the case pretty good, but I have not experienced any problems with accuracy however.
Anybody ever try to pop the carbide sizer ring out?

[TC66]

I always do the following and have great results.

1 Cast Bullet / Water Quench
2 Size
3 Tumble Lube LLA
4 Dry Overnight
5 Throw in plastic container to be loaded whenever I need.

Got a couple thousand lubed and dried in containers now ready to load. I too like to keep it as simple as possible.

[randyrat]

Heavy Lead... Someone did do that, i just can't find the thread. They somehow knocked the ring out so it wouldn't size the bullet down too much.

[Down South]

Heavy Lead... Someone did do that, i just can't find the thread. They somehow knocked the ring out so it wouldn't size the bullet down too much.

You may be talking about me. I was using the FCD for my .38’s and 357’s. The FCD was swaging the Cast Boolits in the case. I liked the crimp option of the FCD so I took a punch and knocked the carbide sizing ring out of the die. I made comment about doing this here a couple times. I had originally gotten the idea from another forum a year or so ago because of the same problem that someone else was having.
The ring punches out easily and eliminates post sizing. In my world of reloading post sizing is nothing more than a Band-Aid for a reloading problem farther up the line. I know some will argue that post sizing is imperative to their specific caliber/gun. I’ve never had a caliber or gun that wouldn’t accept my ammo without post sizing.

I still to this day use the FCD without the carbide sizing ring to crimp my .38’s and 357’s.