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Thread: " $ $ Lube - Size on a Budget $ $"

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master
    Ben's Avatar
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    " $ $ Lube - Size on a Budget $ $"

    I have 3 different lubri-sizers. I have a friend that is beginning to take a real interest in cast bullets for his 03' Springfield.

    Unfortunately he wasn't in the position to order a $114 Lyman lubri-sizer from Midway. So I introduced him to the " old way " of doing things.

    I use a lot of .30 cal. cast bullets that are sized .310 dia. Unfortunately Lee doesn't offer a .310 " Push Thru " sizing die for .30 cal. cast rifle bullets. So I ordered a .309 and opened it up to .310.

    Bought a hot plate for $10, my wife was about to throw away a metal pan , so I grabbed that and said.." Hey, I need that ."

    The Sizing die was $12.29 from Midway :

    http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=501819

    For someone on a limited budget , this is still a very effective way to size and lube .30 cal. cast rifle bullets ( and by using a " parent " case like a 35 Rem, for .35 cal. cast bullets, or a 444 Marlin Case for a .44 pistol bullet the system can easily be adapted to many other calibers other than .30 cal ) . Assuming you already have a .30 cal. mold, some bullet lube, and some gas checks, this equipment cost the sum total of $23.00.

    Mis-alignment of the nose punch and the sizing die has ruined many hundreds of groups for me until I really began to understand what a concentric bullet was. In my opinion , the nose 1st system of bullet sizing is " THE WAY " to size bullets concentrically .

    Photos below.....

    You'll need a FIRED 30 / 30 empty cartridge case that is a snug fit over your .310 bullet. Take a 16 penny nail and turn the head of the nail to about .295 dia. I then cut a piece of wood dowel and make me a " push rod " to eject the lubed bullet from the solidified lube. Drill out the flash hole in the 30 / 30 cartridge case so that the 16 penny nail will slide freely through the hole.



    The business end of the home made Kake cutter :



    The $10 Elect. Hot Plate




    The lube is melted in the metal pan and the bullets that have already been sized to .310 are placed in the pan of liquid lube :







    Here is the finished product ready to load and shoot :




    Here is what the bullets look like when they are removed from the cooled , solidified bullet lube with the " Kake Cutter " :



    Next question is , will they shoot ? ?

    I have a Custom Hvy. Barrel , A & B, F-54 contour , stainless fluted , VZ 24 Mauser bench rifle chambered in .308 Win. that really likes the Lee 155 gr. , CE Harris bullet sized .310 , with 17.5 grs. of 2400 and a Fed 210 primer. The bullet is seated into the lands so that light engraving occurs upon chambering . This group was fired at 50 yards with the bullets that you see , 5 shots with a .22 rim fire case for size comparison purposes :

    Last edited by Ben; 10-16-2012 at 01:02 PM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Nice work...you seem to understand the process....maybe someday I'll get there.
    Take a kid to the range, you'll both be glad you did.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master DaveInFloweryBranchGA's Avatar
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    Ben,

    A great pictorial on pan lubing and Lee sizing dies!

    Regards,

    Dave

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I'm a simple minded person. I can read volumes on a subject, but you show me a photo of how it works and something immediately " clicks " in my head.

    Ben

  5. #5
    Banned

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    good job ben, and nice photos..
    man, do you got any rifles that don't shoot well........lol

  6. #6
    Boolit Master copdills's Avatar
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    good work , looks great

  7. #7
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    Good work there man. I do a little pan luben to, I have cut the head off of that 30-30 case, now I not only push thru size but push thru lube too.
    Calamity Jake

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  8. #8
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    ...............Great post and a fine presentation. As usual, neat pictures!

    ................Buckshot
    Father Grand Caster watches over you my brother. Go now and pour yourself a hot one. May the Sacred Silver Stream be with you always

    Proud former Shooters.Com Cast Bullet alumnus and plank owner.

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  9. #9
    Boolit Master copdills's Avatar
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    Great JOB there man

  10. #10
    Cast Boolits Owner



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    Great job at utilizing items that anyone who cast / loads should have laying around the house!

    R.
    "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
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  11. #11
    Boolit Master crabo's Avatar
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    Ben, are you the one that is going to do the Pat Marlin's gas check maker? Any progress on that?
    Crabo

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  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Crabo:

    Yes . . that's me , I received the tool yesterday and have already made some gas checks and have installed them on some Lyman 311413's for a side X side comparison test in my .308 Win with the home made copper checks made from .009 thickness copper vs. the Hornady checks.

    The targets will " tell the tale........."

    So far things look good, the checks look good and they stay on well on my 413's.

    Will provide all testing results to Pat Marlin when I've completed the testing.

    I'll try to be as quick as possible on this as I don't won't to hold up any progress on this project.

    Ben

  13. #13
    Boolit Master




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    Ben,

    This is one great post for pan lubing!!!!

    Maybe it could be made a sticky? The pictures and description, together, make an excellent "How-to" for a newbie. Great for a semi-newbie like me too.

    Edd
    Charter member Michigan liars club!

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  14. #14
    In Remembrance

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    Don't you just love it when a plan comes together, thanks for the pics and reading. I have an old electric skillet in the garage that I thought of using, combination pan and hot plate.

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Melt the lube REAL SLOW, you don't want it to get too hot.

    Ben

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master



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    Ben;
    Nice description and pictures.

    I only have a couple of minor suggestions.

    1 - Use a double boiler to melt the bullet lube (overheating it can ruin it). My
    "double boiler" is merely a large Pyrex cup of lube sitting in a saucepan of
    boiling water. This will garantee that you will NOT overheat the lube.

    2 - I don't use a Kake Kutter - I just push the bullets out of the lube cake for
    perfect results and no need for another tool. It does require that you do it
    when the lube is still warm (just cooler than "burn me").

    Here is a copy of an article I wrote for The Single Shot Rifle Journal several years ago:











    NOTE: I am not trying to "outdo" Ben, here, but merely trying to add to the knowledge base. Some will, no doubt, prefer the Kake Kutter method. I have found that pushing out with the hands does a near perfect job without additional tools (except, for sharp pointed bullets, a "thumb stall").

    Since I wrote the above, I have learned (through a UTube video) that the new Silicone Baking pans release better than other pans (they are flexible and can be peeled off the lube cake, if necessary). I believe that they "MAY" present a better solution as all bullets lubes do NOT release the same (some are easy and some are near impossible). The only problem is silicone cake pans are EXPENSIVE. However, I recently discovered that "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" has a nice silicone cake pan for $10.00 (that's about half the going rate). They are forever sending me discount flyers of 20% off. I took a flyer into the store and the pan cost $8.00. Now, that is inexpensive enough to use for pan lubing. Just a thought...

    Dale53
    Last edited by Dale53; 08-06-2009 at 02:53 PM.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Dale53 :

    Well Done ! !

    I enjoyed reading your article.

    Best to you,

    Ben

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy
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    This is great initial post and a great follow on of a article by one of our own. Great info guys.

    Ben, question for you what method did you use to open up the sizing die from Lee

    Shawn

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master



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    Thanks for the kind words, folks. Ben, thank YOU for sharing with us, also.

    Dale

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    Dale, I enjoyed reading it too...but page 12 was included twice and page 13 was not scanned. Can you add it?
    Lotta people die in bed: Dangerous place to be!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check