.452 sizer sizing to .453

[stumpjumper]

is it common for lyman to have + or - .001 on there sizer dies. i ordered a .452 sizer and i cast up some boolits i waited a couple of days to size them. then i checked them with a cheap pair of calipers and thought i was good to go. so i loaded a bunch up and went to the range 99% fired threw my xd and i had a few that failed to go fully into battery. then my brother tried some in his 45, i think it has a kart barrel which i figured would be tighter than mine and none would go into battery. that was a few weeks ago, i finally dug out my micrometer and started checking some that i had cast and sized. they were coming out .453 and a couple at .4535 so i sized them again still .453.

[runfiverun]

it's quite possible your sizer is 453.
on the other hand i can use my 452 to make 453 with some boolits if i size the right away after casting,with a fairly soft alloy. they will grow back up to 453.
they start out over 454 though.
measure some before and afters.

[markinalpine]

I test fit my reloads with cast boolits for my semi-auto pistols in the barrel, then double check the COAL.

Mark :coffeecom

[Shiloh]

it's quite possible your sizer is 453.
on the other hand i can use my 452 to make 453 with some boolits if i size the right away after casting,with a fairly soft alloy. they will grow back up to 453.
they start out over 454 though.
measure some before and afters.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to have boolits grow!! Happens to me as well with a .312 sizer die. After a while they are about .3126

SHiloh

[monadnock#5]

Yes!!! It's very common for a Lyman size die to be up to +.001 oversize. In fact, for me, it's quite rare for Lyman to hit the spec'ed number. I console myself with the fact that too big is far better than too small, but when I need to hit the number (.358 for 9mm), the nod goes to the LEE sizer.

[beagle]

Lyman...and RCBS sizers will be out of spec and in fact, too frequently are. Always measure one soon as you get it and record the results.

I took my whole collection of dies (about 90) one winter and all the oddball bullets I had and sized and measured each die to four places. These were then stored in 35mm film containers (begged from Walmart's photo shop) with the actual sized diameter on the lid. Now, when I want a .358" die, I can grab one and be asured it will start out at .358".

My shooting partner who's a machinist and caster says with a Sunnen grinder that sizing dies can be held to +/-.0003" if the operator does things right so there's not much reason for one being out .001.

Too many casters and in fact casters who are old enough to know better have never measured and recorded the as cast diameters of bullets from their moulds or bullets from their sizers. They take for granted that if a sizer is stamped .358", it sizes a bullet .358".

We need to get new guys in the habit of checking their moulds and sizers and save themselves grief./beagle

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

+1. First thing I do after casting from a new mold. A good micrometer is a must.

[mooman76]

Lyman...and RCBS sizers will be out of spec and in fact, too frequently are. Always measure one soon as you get it and record the results.

Too many casters and in fact casters who are old enough to know better have never measured and recorded the as cast diameters of bullets from their moulds or bullets from their sizers. They take for granted that if a sizer is stamped .358", it sizes a bullet .358".

We need to get new guys in the habit of checking their moulds and sizers and save themselves grief./beagle

Yes I've have been guilty of that. So far I have been lucky in the fact that I needed a little larger and the ones I have checked so far run about .001 over. I'll have to go through them and check.

[frank_1947]

had that problem bought 451

[longhorn47]

Now you see why I use a Star sizer

[9.3X62AL]

I view it as part of the game.

Differing alloys have differing "springback" after sizing, the most extreme examples being unalloyed lead (almost none, a 'dead metal'--practically speaking) to Linotype--which can gain .001" or more over lead when poured and after sizing. I don't regard .001" of diameter as being significant--as long as it's .001" larger.

[GMT210]

Keep in mind that the best calipers are only good to +/- 0.001 tolerance. Just because the digital ones have 6 decimal places doesn't mean that they are accurate to that. If you want to accurately measure to a thousandth (0.001) or ten-thousandths (0.0001) then you need a micrometer, preferably with a friction thimble.

Makr