Enlarging Lee sizing die

[cigg52]

I have a Lee .401 sizing die that I would to open up to .408. I have a drill press, but , to take off .007 seem like a lot with the dowel rod and sandpaper method. Any other ideas? Thanks.

[Edubya]

I've enlarged one of mine with the dowel, gonna do another one before this weekend.
EW

[Wally]

I have a Lee .401 sizing die that I would to open up to .408. I have a drill press, but , to take off .007 seem like a lot with the dowel rod and sandpaper method. Any other ideas? Thanks.


This can be done quite easily but you may well get some bullet base deformation from the undersized rod that mounts on the ram of your press..might be something to think about first.

[cigg52]

I forgot all about the rod that pushes the bullet thru the sizer. Well maybe I will just have Lee make one, I think they are about $30.00

[Wally]

I forgot all about the rod that pushes the bullet thru the sizer. Well maybe I will just have Lee make one, I think they are about $30.00

Can you get away with using the .410" size that is a std size?

[LeadThrower]

I bet Lee will make you a custom rod at .408 for less than $30. Give them a call, and open your die in the meantime. I've opened their dies farther than that using sandpaper (400, 600, then 1200 grit) in short order. I've never noticed a problem with my bases when using the standard push-through rod, but my tolerance for imperfection might be greater than yours.

[cigg52]

I have a .410 Lee sizer, but I want to try a .408-.409 bullet in my Shiloh Sharps. This rifle has a very tight chamber and the Lyman bullet out of my mould throws a .411 bullet as casted.

[pdawg_shooter]

I lapped a .285 out to .304 in about 30 minutes. No big deal!

[cigg52]

What are you guys using, a wood dowel or aluminum one?

[Wally]

I prefer aluminum or steel...I chuck into a drill and it holds up better than one made up of wood.

[markinalpine]

We do have members on this board who do this kind of work. Can't think of any of their names, sorry. I hope one or more of them might get around to reading this thread, or another member who knows who they are might chime in.

Mark :coffeecom

[yondering]

A 13/32 reamer will get you to .406+", you can polish it from there. JTS Machine has them pretty cheap.

The problem is these dies are case hardened. Polishing it out that much will most likely cut through the case hardening. It will still work, just be aware that your die is softer inside.

[cigg52]

Thanks for all the responds, I am laid off for the winter so I have a lot of time to kill, so I think I am going to tinker around with and see what I can do.

[Firebricker]

Buckshot does lee sizing dies. FB

[dragonrider]

It will go faster than you think, check size often or you may go right by your target diameter.

[bigboredad]

Like dragonrider said it goes way faster than you think it should check often. I use a wooden dowel and just roll it on my leg