Sizing Boolits?

[vjay]

Hello folks, just started into bullet casting. Been reading a lot about casting and decided to give a try, I have a few questions though. Hope I can get some help.

All boolits need to be resized?
I'am casting for both 38spl and 380acp with lee molds but I don't have a lubrisizer right now.
Made a couple of test loads on 380acp, they seem to shoot ok most are .356" and some .357"

One more thing, if I buy a Lee sizing die, I need to lube before & after sizing boolit? Don't like the idea of pan lubing twice same boolit :(


Thanks:drinks:

[Bob Krack]

Hello folks, just started into bullet casting. Been reading a lot about casting and decided to give a try, I have a few questions though. Hope I can get some help.

All boolits need to be resized?
I'am casting for both 38spl and 380acp with lee molds but I don't have a lubrisizer right now.
Made a couple of test loads on 380acp, they seem to shoot ok most are .356" and some .357"

Seems to me ya might be too small a diameter right now...

Sizing is primarily used to reduce the diameter of the boolit and most .38s I've used needed .358-.359 and even .360

[cajun shooter]

Your bullets of 356-357 are in the right range for the 380 but maybe not for the 38 spl. As long as you shoot paper loads you won't see a problem; by that I mean low velocity. Most 380 and 9mm take a 356-357 bullet. The 38 might do better with 358 bullets. If you are pan lubing you can run your bullets through the Lee sizer with a coat of WD or Hornady One Shot first then pan lube.

[Bret4207]

Not all boolits need sizing. What you have now is too skinny for best shooting in a 38/357. Is that a 9mm mould? That might explain why it's a bit small. Anyway, you can tumble lube just once IF your gun will work with just one lubing. Some will. some won't. Try and see. Pan lubing is fine too, but a lot of work for what you get IMO.

[Whitespider]

No, all boolits do not need to be sized. I've fired countless thousands of "as cast" unsized boolits. The biggest issue is, if the boolit is too large, it may prevent the cartridge from cambering, or worse if it does chamber, the brass can't expand to release the boolit, spiking pressure. There are lots of reasons why you may want to size, way to many to explain them all; like gun fit, accuracy, roundness, etc.

No you won't have to pan lube before and after using a Lee Sizing kit, there would be no point as the lube grooves should be full of the traditional lube. But if you mean tumble lube with Lee Liquid Alox you may want to do it both before and after because sizing will wipe the LLA lube off the boolit bearing surfaces.

[44man]

Very few boolits need to be sized anyway. I lap my Lee dies to remove excess lube only for most boolits, sort of a Kake Cutter instead of a sizer.
Starting with a boolit too small makes other problems with your shooting so I sure would not be looking to size them. I would lap the mold or buy another.
With most small molds it would pay to send them back and complain about an under size mold. Lee should replace it.

[mroliver77]

vj, welcome and pleas give us a little more info on your mold, alloy, type of lube gun, load what size shoes etc. ;)
Jay

[Cloudpeak]

I really like the Lee push through sizer's. I spray a very light coat of Hornady "One Shot" case lube on the unsized bullets (one can lubed around 25,000 bullets and cases. You don't need to use much), tumble them in a Cool Whip container (to mix sprayed and unsprayed bullets), run them through the push through sizer and then tumble lube with LLA. (I ordered XLOX from a member of this forum and it seems very similar if not identical to LLA and has a much better price. I can tell no difference in performance. http://www.lsstuff.com/lube/liquid-x.html

I do put everything through a sizer. With my Lyman 200gr SWC four cavity mold it's probably not necessary but every once-in-awhile, I'll find a "fat bullet". With my Lee six cavity molds, I find more fat bullets. So, I just decided to run everything through for uniformity's sake.

I size my 9mm and 38 bullets .3575".

[vjay]

Not all boolits need sizing. What you have now is too skinny for best shooting in a 38/357. Is that a 9mm mould? That might explain why it's a bit small. Anyway, you can tumble lube just once IF your gun will work with just one lubing. Some will. some won't. Try and see. Pan lubing is fine too, but a lot of work for what you get IMO.


vj, welcome and pleas give us a little more info on your mold, alloy, type of lube gun, load what size shoes etc. ;)
Jay

Thanks, I forgot to say those .356/.357 boolits came from a lee 356-102-1R mold, I haven't cast for 38spl since that mold still on backorder. Well I'am shooting a CZ83 and walther ppk, but mostly CZ83.
I pan lun all my boolits using Barry Darr's lube formula, the one that has stp oil treatment. As alloy only WW that has clip-on, boolits are coming out of the mold around 106gr each.

thanks

[Bret4207]

IMO that mould will never be suitable for best shooting in a 38/357. Just not going to cast big enough. There are rare guns that like boolits on the thin side, but IME and from what I gather reading here most people have much more success with boolits +.001 or large than bore or throat size. .356 is just asking for leading and mediocre accuracy. I'd consider obtaining a real 38/357 mould.

[mtgrs737]

I load that same Lee boolit cast of wheel weights and lubed with NRA 50/50 formula lube. You don't need to size them at all as long as the loaded boolit/cartridge will drop in the chamber easliy, just lube them with Lee Liquid Alox let dry and load. I size mine to .357" and the loaded cartridge drops right in to my LCP's chamber. I have found that 2.7grs of Bullseye and a Remington #1 1/2 Small pistol primer is a pleasant shooting load that cycles the action positively. Some size that boolit to .356" but I like mine as large as will chamber freely. When you get the 38 mould, cast a few and load a dummy round to check for chambering, you may be good to go without sizing on that one too. Just follow the instructions on the Lee Liquid Alox it is good stuff.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

To get back to one of the original questions; no...all bullets don't need to be sized. As a matter of fact some old and original thinking on the subject went like this. The best shooting is done/accomplished with good bullets that come from a good mold to start with. Sizing damages the bullet so the least amount of sizing done is better/best. Older lube-sizers had dies with shoulders that shaved the bullets...as opposed to the present day tapered sizing dies used so that factor has been reduced. But lubing and shooting as-cast bullets is the best way to go...if you can do it. References to this practice include the writings of Mann, Sharpe, Harrison and others. The test and proof of it all is still what winds up on the target---your target. General thinking is that .001 over is definitely better than .001 under, but you will have to experiment and make the call in terms of accuracy and what is satisfactory for you. In/if using the Lee system, one (pan)(or tumbles) lubes them first and then sizes the bullets (if you are sizing them). LLS

[TAWILDCATT]

I pan lube some and Lyman size others.I disagre on the lube needed on outside of bullet.if you size in Lyman the lube is in the groves not on outside.so if you pan lube and size the lube is in the grooves and on the bullet nose.sooooo?????
:coffee: [smilie=1:

[dakotashooter2]

I size primarily to achieve consistency in the bullet diamenter and lube. In most cases my dies barely touch the bullet.

[masscaster]

Lube and size. If your gonna cast, it's about consistancy with ease. Keeping a constant diameter bullet with the ease of lubing all in one step. Lovely!!
And let's not forget, a new gun could equal a new mould, a new mould with a sizing die and punch, well worth it.

[vjay]

Thanks guys, lots of nice info :)
I'll look forward to get a Lee or even a Lyman lubrisizer asap.

One more question, might be odd, but it would be safe if I cast with 38spl lee mold 358-105-SWC and then size boolits to .356", so I can use them on my 380acp guns?

It seems lee doesn't have a proper six cavity mold suitable for 380acp :(


Thanks
jay

[dk17hmr]

One more question, might be odd, but it would be safe if I cast with 38spl lee mold 358-105-SWC and then size boolits to .356", so I can use them on my 380acp guns?


Shouldnt have a problem at all. I have shot 160gr bullets, ment for the 38/357, out of my 9mm when I had it and never had a problem. Your 380's might not like a SWC but than again they might just eat them right up without a problem.

Only reason I say that is my dads Colt 1911 doesnt like my 200gr SWC's, but my Kahr and Springfield 1911 eat and spit them out as fast as you can pull the trigger without a single problem.