Lyman lube sizer die

[Ken O]

I have the .452 sizer die, but it drops at .451. Did I get a bad one or should I go to .453?

Is it possible to pick up a .001 by honing with some valve grinding compound?

[454PB]

Opening it .001" is easy, and can be done with some crocus cloth wrapped around a wood dowel. Cut the dowel about 6" long, wrap the crocus cloth around it in the middle, place this through the die, then roll the die on top of your thigh while holding the protruding ends of the dowel.

[Buckshot]

I have the .452 sizer die, but it drops at .451. Did I get a bad one or should I go to .453?

Is it possible to pick up a .001 by honing with some valve grinding compound?

.............What alloy were you using when you got the .451" measurement? Was the boolit sized all the way around?

..............Buckshot

[Bret4207]

Same question as Bucksnort and how old is the die? The older Lymans had a "ledge" or non-tapered leade that would cut the boolit rather than swage it to size.

[Ken O]

Same question as Bucksnort and how old is the die? The older Lymans had a "ledge" or non-tapered leade that would cut the boolit rather than swage it to size.

Hmmm, I replied to this right away but must have got lost in the "zone".

I am using WW and 1/4 lino/lead.

I don't know why that would mater, if I drop larger than 452 than whatever alloy I'm using should be swaged.

I tried the dowel trick. I wrapped 800 grit paper over and over and used up a whole sheet. It didn't open a bit. Its nice and shiney inside now.

I bought the Milhec H&G 68 mold and it drops at 454, I run it though the sizer and it really swags it down.

The die is about 5 years old.

So, my next question is....did I just get a bad one, or are they all a thou over. Should I buy a Lyman 453, or shoud I try a RCBS 452?

[mtgrs737]

Die manufacturers sometimes undersize their dies to allow for "spring back" which occurs with some alloys. That is why the fellas were asking what your alloy was. What are you measuring the sized boolit with? Some calipers are not as accurate as a good mic. Wait a day or two and see what the sized boolit measures if you are sure your measurement device is accurate, and you are not putting too much pressure on the boolit to get an undersize measurement.

[looseprojectile]

nobody ever needed a sizing die that measured .451. Any die that is not at least .452 gets the treatment. I prefer .453 for the .45 auto.
Try some 180 grit wet or dry or at least 280 and wear it out. Some oil helps also.
I have not ever made a die too large with this method. Check it often when polishing it. I use the lathe or drill press to turn things.
800 grit is just for making it shiny.
I prefer 3M wet or dry, not Chinese as it has stiffer backing and lasts longer.
There is one member that uses a few boolits with grinding compound on em to run through a sizer die to enlarge it. Never tried that.
Keep trying you will get it.

Life is good

[geargnasher]

Hmmm, I replied to this right away but must have got lost in the "zone".

I am using WW and 1/4 lino/lead.

I don't know why that would mater, if I drop larger than 452 than whatever alloy I'm using should be swaged.

I tried the dowel trick. I wrapped 800 grit paper over and over and used up a whole sheet. It didn't open a bit. Its nice and shiney inside now.

I bought the Milhec H&G 68 mold and it drops at 454, I run it though the sizer and it really swags it down.

The die is about 5 years old.

So, my next question is....did I just get a bad one, or are they all a thou over. Should I buy a Lyman 453, or shoud I try a RCBS 452?

Alloy matters because springier alloys tend to spring back like rubber after being pushed through and thus are larger. Softer alloys don't spring back much at all, it swages like you expect.

You might try 400 emory followed by Grey crocus cloth or 600, then 800 emory. Sizing dies are made from pretty hard steel and take some working, just remember you can't make 'em smaller!

If you find a Lyman .453", let me know and I'll buy TWO.

Gear

[454PB]

I always slug the die to measure progress. Lyman sizing dies are relatively soft, Star sizing dies are the hardest I've seen.

[Shiloh]

Are you sizing right away after casting?? Seems there is a bit more spring back on harder alloys, especially if they are water quenched, and not sized right away. That alloy water quenched, would give a fairly hard boolit.

Shiloh

[Bret4207]

Check your measuring instrument against a standard before you do anything else.

[243winxb]

Send it back to Lyman, i have had a few that have not sized to what the die is marked. Info can be found on lymans website under FAQ on the front page.
Q: I have run my bullets through the sizing die, however they do not come out at the expected diameter. These were cast in wheelweights, would that make a difference?
A: Yes, bullets cast in pure lead or wheelweights will come out smaller, bullets cast in linotype will come out larger. This is due to the spring-back of the bullets being sized. The sizing dies are made to produce the diameters using #2 alloy.

[JIMinPHX]

Check your measuring instrument against a standard before you do anything else.

That was my first thought. If you don't have a genuine standard, at least check it by measuring a commercially made bullet of the same caliber. Checking it on a standard that is more than a few thousandths different from the size you want to measure is not as accurate.

[Ken O]

To answer the questions.... I have three calipers, one dial, two electronic, and they all say the same thing. I have some old comercial cast D&J bullets and they measure 452, I have Zero jacketed bullets and they meaure .451., all as they should.

My other caliber dies come out at the right measurment. I have been making .45s for years with this die and have had no leading problems with any of my .45s until I got the S&W 625. It leads and so I am trying to solve its problem. Its no big thing, I can just keep running jacketed stuff though it.

I picked up some more aggressive emery papers, I didnt see the 3M brand as suggested, but bought the Norton brand. I took it easy and kept checking, then polished it up with the 800 and 1000 grit stuff. The bullets are coming out .4525. I havent shot any yet to see if it makes a difference, but thanks for the help!

[JIMinPHX]

A little oil on the fine grit paper helps get you that mirror finish on the final pass. Polisher's rouge on the paper works even better.

[rusty marlin]

I take it you havn't slugged the cylinder throats and the barrel yet, base on your prior posts.

I would do that now, and then see where you need to go. If the barrel is smaller than the throats, thats good, if its the other way, you're going to need to open the throats up and then use a bullet that's .000-.0005 differant than the cylinder's throats.