How Far can one size a boolit in one step

[AP30N]

I have always been told that the max I could size in one go is .003 or so but lately I have been running 314 to 309 with good results. It got me thinking, just how much can you really size without the boolits deforming too much?

I am looking to load up some 38/200 for my Woobly Webley Mk IV and couldn't find anything in the .362/3 range. Local dealers didn't have 365 Makarov mold so it will be weeks for I get one of those. But I found a Lee 375 130gr RN for black powder. I ran a few thru my 362 die (I was too lazy to hand hone an intermediate sizer die by hand, 358 to 362 was enough work for the week) and they came out okay. I actually tried to run a few 375 boolits to 356 in one step just for fun in my 9X19 but they looked very uneven.

How far have you guys sized down a cast boolit in one go with success before? Do hardness and boolit profile matter much? How about coating/lube type? I am also thinking of giving the sizing die a bit more internal taper (don't know how to do it yet)

Here's what I have tried. The pair on the left is powder coated as cast from Lee 375-130-1R to 356, looks terrible. Pair on the right is same mold first sized to 362 and then 356, using Lee tumble lube (I wiped it off to see the groves).

[warf73]

Your results look like mine I've gone .008" smaller and didn't care for no lube grooves. But now that I started PC boolits it wouldn't be that big a deal IF you can get the powder to stick to the slicked up surface.

[Tatume]

Jacketed bullets can be resized to be used in cartridges for which commercial bullets are not available. For example, bullets intended for the 375 H&H can be sized to 0.366 for use in the 9.3x74R, and bullets intended for the 35 Whelen can be resized for use in the 348 Winchester. Jacketed bullets should be carefully lubricated with high quality lube, and then sized in steps of 0.003" or less. This is probably what you heard. The often quoted caveat about resized jacketed bullets having cores that are loose in the jackets is complete nonsense, repeated by people who never tried it and don't know.

On the other hand, I have often sized cast bullets intended for the 45-70 to 0.452" for use in the 454 Casull. Bullets should first be sized in a 0.459" die and lubricated. The lube helps preserve the lube grooves in the next operation. Although it takes a bit of effort (bullets I use in the 454 are hard), the reduction from 0.459" to 0.452" is accomplished in one step. They come out looking good without excessive distortion, and shoot very well. The 0.003" limit does not apply to cast bullets.

[Garyshome]

How Far can one size a boolit in one step

If you can't push it through the sizer with a large hammer. It looks like your lube grooves are disappearing.

[AP30N]

Thanks guys, so basically as long as I can lower the handle then! I think I need to dig out my Rock Chucker from storage soon, been using Lee turrets so I am too lazy to screw the dies in and out of press.

Hahaha , actually I did have to use a hammer once in my life, I tried to size down some 8mm (measured 315) brass sinkers to 308, I got sizing dies in 314/11/09/08 but needed a 304 (brass bounces back a bit) so I hand honed a 285 to size. Seeing that it was okay from 314 to 311, I took my chance from 308 to 304, nope, any harder I would have broken the handle. Maybe the extra 0.001 was just too much or maybe the brass work hardened, I ended up hammering it out and damaged the die (end up honing that to 306 so at least it is still useful). The sizing rod thingie ended up froming a negative imagine of the base of the boolit too. Think I will stick with cast boolits for a while, less painful.

[Wayne Smith]

You should have annealed your brass between steps. Works much better when soft!

[mdi]

I have sized bullets down .005" with not too many problems (as an experiment I sized down some jacketed .323" bullets to .318", but that's not something I'd wanna do very often). But remember, the displaced metal has to go somewhere. Usually it goes into the lube grooves and off the base of the bullet.

[SgtDog0311]

Not by choice or recommended but I sized a couple hundred from .417 to .410, using a Lee Pushthrough on a rockchucker. They were gas checked. Check showed the pressure needed to force it through (single pass) but being lubed it prevented displacement. They performed surprisingly well all the way out to 940yds (over smokeless). I've since designed some changes for a similar bullet, dropped the gas check, reduced diameter, increased Lube capacity and had Accurrate do the mold. Have cast but not yet shot. Hope it shoots as well as the "swished" Bullets did!

[AP30N]

Thanks all. After seeing your comments I went ahead and did a batch with a harder alloy than before and asked my mate to add an extra layer of PC so that I know it is not the usual soft 38/200 stuff (we call it the Zombie Easter Egg finish, doesn't show well on computer screen but you get the idea). When sized from 375 to 362, not that much more effort to size and looks reasonable.



However, I think the softer boolits (the green ones) looked more uniform





and small batch of 375 -> 356. They sized ok but too much PC came off so I ended up adding a very small amount of tumble lube to cover the exposed surface up.



Will load up the 362 for the Wobbly Webley and the 356 for reduced load 9X19. Will report back next week after going to the range again.

[NavyVet1959]

I tried resizing from .44 mag to 10mm in one step. It didn't work out very well. Was able to do it by resizing to 0.430", then to 0.410", then to 0.401". Ended up losing enough lead in the process that it was not worth it, so I just bought the SWC 210 gr .41 mag mold and resized it to 10mm. The SWC changed to a WFN with the resizing though.

[ukrifleman]

I size .323 Lee 175gn 8mm Mauser bullets down to .314 in one pass with no problems through a Lee push through sizer.

I tumble lube with LLA so no worries about loss of lube grooves.

ukrifleman.

[AP30N]

Finally got to shoot some groups with it, PPC style target at 25 yards. Most in the 10 ring and one flyer into the 9. I was actually expecting more, the bore of my 1940s Wobbly Webley is very bright and rifling sharp. The lock up was not wobbly at all. 130gr Lee 375 RN sized to 362 in one single step. 1.8gr Trial boss, crimpped into top grove lightly. The trigger was super stiff and I had to aim at the 8 to get it to hit the center, the tiny sights didn't help neither. I will try the lee makarov mold with 2.3 gr Trail boss next, maybe I did size it too much in one go.... Will also try to up the powder by 0.2 for 130 gr load to improve burn consistency. Will report back again soon.

[Shiloh]

Distortion is not your friend.

Shiloh