Size diameter for mak bullets?

[fatelk]

I'm trying to figure out what to do for sizing and lubing 9mm Makarov boolits.

I just slugged both my EG Makarov and my CZ 82, and they both measure about .3667" (with a micrometer, yes I know how to use it); seems a bit large but that's what they are. The bullets as cast from my Lee mold measure about .366 x .367. I originally tried tumble lubing but they leaded bad. I then pan lubed and they shoot great with no leading at all.

Pan lubing is a hassle so I thought about getting Buckshot to make me a die for my Lyman 45, but now I'm not so sure what size would be best. I suppose it could be .367 and just lube and not size, or maybe I should just figure out a more efficient way to pan lube.

Anyone have experience sizing these Mak boolits? Any thoughts?

[leadman]

That does seem large, but possible. I size for my Bulgarian Mak to .365" and it works great.

If that size is working for you I would have a sizer made by Buckshot.

[justingrosche]

I have the Lee Mak mold,
My Boolits drop at .365 and I pan lube with NRA 50/50. These Boolits are so short and round, even if they did make a 365 sizer I doubt I'd use one. I made a Kake Kutter out of a -06 case and it works well.
Justin

[acl864]

I've got the Lee mold too. I've tried tumble lubing with straight WW air-cooled, WW water-dropped and commercial 18bhn hardball alloy. I got leading everytime. Pan lubed with some Lyman Orange Magic (it was on sell when I was placing an order for other stuff) and I have no problem with leading shooting unsized bullets (.365" IIRC) using air cooled WW. I melted a couple of sticks of lube in an old frying pan then let it harden back up. I set the bullets on top of the lube then heat it up until the lube liquifies. As the lube starts hardening I use a cutter I made by cutting down an old bottle necked cartridge- I think it was a .243. I drilled out the primer hole and put a small threaded rod through it to use as a plunger. Sort of a PITA but it works.

[runfiverun]

a little lee-menting is in order here
get those boolits round and up to the size you need.
pan lubing is doable but if you have the machine just have the right sizer made for it you'll be happier.

[RU shooter]

I wish my Mak's barrel was that small,its .368!!!! but with light loads it still shoot decent with .365 dia cast with only minor leading in a shooting session lubed with LLA What kinda loads are you shooting ? LLA should be able to handle the chore with ease maybe theres something else going on ? How bad is the leading ? just a gray wash or strings of lead?

[fatelk]

I've used a fairly light charge of Accurate #2, but in the next couple of days I'm going to work up a load with Unique. The leading was in the CZ82 with the smooth bore "rifling" so that could have been part of the issue. IIRC, the leading was pretty bad. I switched to pan lube with the same batch of bullets and the leading vanished completely.

I read up more on pan lubing and figured out how to do it a little quicker perhaps. I think I'll try that again because they seem to shoot great that way. If it's still too much hassle I'll lap my molds a bit and see if I can get Buckshot to make me a .3665 or .367 die. I bought a custom die from him before and it works great.

[JIMinPHX]

Mak barrels vary quite a bit. The size you have is not uncommon. I'd get the die made to somewhere around .367-.368. Having the die .001" over the boolit size doesn't really cause any real problems. You don't get any sizing done, but the lube gets put where it needs to go. You may even get a thin film of lube on the bearing surface of the boolit. That can sometimes be a good thing.

A lot of guys don't size their Mak boolits. A lot of guys just shoot them lubed at raw size.

[fatelk]

I made a little tool and pan lubed about 600 bullets last night. It actually went pretty quick and easy. If I shot a lot I would get the die, but I think this is the solution that will work for me. A thousand bullets will last me a very long time.

Thank you for all the input, everyone.:)

[helg]

One of my Makarov barrels slugs as large as .3665". I still size my bullets to .365" (thanks to Buckshot for the die). Even in that barrel there is no leading with bullets of that size.

I believe this is because rifling lands (the hills) in the Makarov bore are wider than in average one. The wide lands squeeze the bullet more than regular narrow lands. The bullet, which had been strongly squeezed in the lands, expands in the grooves (the valleys), and still seals the barrel even if its original diameter is smaller than bore diameter "by grooves".