honing sizing dies

[Paul in Oregon]

I need to hone out a.266 die to .268, what is the best way to do it? I do have a metal lathe so if necessary I can make a lap to do the job. Thanks in advance for help, Paul in Oregon

[Three44s]

For the heck of it .... check with this guy:

http://hollowpointmold.com/

http://hollowpointmold.com/band-modifications/?category=Band+modifications&picture=487#487

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Also,

I have heard of honing small increments with using a bullet cast from that mold and an abrassive added to it after you center up a metal screw in it's base and the head cut off and then chuck a drill to it ...... turn slowly.

Three 44s

[Buckshot]

...........I make custom Lee and Lyman type size dies, however I no longer open up other folks' dies. Since you have a lathe you can do it yourself. Since the dies are hardened the best way to go about it is with diamond paste on a brass lap. You could use silicone carbide paper but the abrasive breaks down and you'll be swapping quite a bit of paper to get the .002" enlargement you're wanting. Diamond doesn't break down.

Alternatively you can pull the temper of the die and then more easily hone it out. I wouldn't worry too much about re-hardening it. You may also want to make another ejector pin as clearences normally run about .0005" and re-using the existing pin will give .001+ and it may leak more then you'd like, especially if you use heat.

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