question about lyman 4500 die

[bosunmate]

I have a lyman 4500, heated, with lyman moly lube (it's new) - I'm trying to lube/size .243 gas-check bullets (lyman 245496). When the handle is fully raised, the post in the die doesn't return fully flush to the top of the die. Is this normal? I have to push it up by hand to clean excess lube from the die.

also, I lowered the threaded stop until the ram pushes the bullet as low as possible; but the top groove still isn't getting lubricated, and I'm getting lube below the bullet in the die every time. Is this bullet too long to lube the top groove? Thanks for any info

[runfiverun]

this should be a simple adjustment.
but i don't have a lyman or rcbs sizer so can't tell you how it's done.
welcome to the forum though.
someone that does have one should be along to splain it.

[bosunmate]

thanks for your comment, riverrun. I kept sizing, and it must be that when the lube reached a certain temp (it cooled a little) it stopped coming in below the bullet. So I sized up 50, pretty well. I'm also thinking the top groove doesn't get lubricated because it is right adjoining the ogive, and would probably leak lube in the die. Thanks again

[462]

bosunmate,
My experience is that the moly lube that comes with the sizer is messy and a pain to work with, and doesn't require any heat, if I remember correctly.

What you call the "post" does not return flush with the top of the die.

I'm not familiar with that mould, but it could be that the top groove is a crimp groove.

Edit: Just found a picture of the mould. It's a Loverin design. If you can't adjust to lube the top groove, you should be okay. Odd, though, that the boolit isn't going far enough into the die. Do some more investigating. I have a 266469, which is a Loverin design and probably longer than your 245496, and I don't have any problem lubing the top groove.

[Tom Trevor]

Bosunmate, Is it possible that your top punch is larger than the opening in the die for the bullet? Just wondered if it stops at the top of the die instead of pushing the bullet further into the die?

[StarMetal]

The post as you call it is the die plunger and they do not come all the way to the top even. The reason is so that you can set the base of your bullet in the sizer cavity so it starts inline.

Somes a long loverin type bullet has to have the nose punch actually enter the sizer dies some in order to push the bullet deep enough so the lube ports in the die can get lube into the upper grooves.

[Tom Trevor]

So did you find the problem?????

[JIMinPHX]

First of all, welcome aboard.

If you are using Lyman Super Moly Lube, then you don't want to use heat. That stuff is plenty soft at room temperature. Heating it will just make it more easy for it to squirt into places where it doesn't belong.

The ram (post) on some of those die sets don't come all the way up. You can epoxy a spacer to the bottom of the ram if you want it to come up higher. You can also take it out, drill & tap the end, & put a set screw in there if you want it to be adjustable. Most guys just run them as-is.

the first lube hole is .44" from the top of the die. You need to set your bottom stop so that your top lube groove lines up with that hole. If your top punch is bigger in diameter than your die hole, then you may not be able to push the boolit down deep enough to get it where it needs to be.

You may need to hold firm downward pressure on the sizing handle when you pull the lube injector injector handle forward, to keep the lube from squirting under the boolit.

Hope that some of this helps,
Jim

[bosunmate]

Thanks to everybody for their comments. I realize now that the die plunger doesn't come all the way back up. Also the top groove is a crimping groove - so that's fine. And if I don't heat this lube, it won't come out in undesireable places.

Thanks again -

[DLCTEX]

I bought a 245 sizer die off ebay and it wouldn't lube all the lube grooves on the boolit. The die only had two lube holes. I wound up drilling holes higher in the die, after heating the die to remove the temper, then hardening the die again after drilling. It was a pain, but it works fine now.