Help with modification

[44magLeo]

If you want something from NOE, why not just go to NOE?
Leo

[country gent]

carbide will cut hardened steel but taking small amounts like your talking they also tend to pinch grab and bind. Spade drills do good in die steels and hard steels but do best with a full cut to keep centered and cutting to size. your talking .0075 on a side going from .243 - .265. A carbide reamer may be more appropriate, it will give a better finish and size and is meant for these smaller cuts. The reamer will also give a rounder hole.

The lees dies are relieved to a narrow band that is to size. there is the leade in to the sizing band and then they are relieved down from the top. You can easily re-cut the leade with a wood dowel and tapered end and lapping compound or sand paper on a tapered mandrel. I use a 5* on a side angle cut on a wood dowel and lapping compound to cut / polish it in. The upper relief may be enough for the new bullet on a .243 die. If so then use your leade in dowel to reach in and break the sharp edge on the band.

The leade into the die is important so it squeezes down not shaves lead off.

[tankgunner59]

Well the good news for me is Buckshot has a couple lee type sizing dies in .265 still in his inventory. So I'm going to buy one of his and the problem will be solved. Mailed everything off to Buckshot today, and now I wait till it arrives.

[Scrounge]

I contacted Lathesmith, he said he's not making Lee type dies right now. I also contacted ammohead as Buckshot suggested, and haven't heard back from him yet. It's looking like buying a 6mm (.243) die and doing some drilling and honing is going to be my method.

A letter G drill is .2610", a letter H drill is .2660", and you can order them from Amazon, Ebay, or Grainger. That will be between .007 and .002 to get to .268 by lapping or honing. That assumes the drill is properly sharpened and doesn't drill oversize. A lot of drills will drill oversize by a couple of thousandths of an inch.

[Alferd Packer]

I have mostly Lee products in my reloading room, and want to stay with it as much as I can, mainly because I don't want to buy a lubrisizer for one caliber. I bought a Lyman 266469 mould for my 6.5 Creedmoor and cast some bullets today. I am now in need of a bullet sizing die that Lee does not make, and as said before I don't have the funds to buy a lubrisizer, especially for one caliber only.
So to my request; to all of you here who have the knowledge, with only a drill press for machinery, how would I go about honing a .243 bullet sizing die to .265? Can it be done simply on a drill press? What special tools will I need? Mind you this would be a one and done so I'm looking for the most inexpensive method possible. Before anyone asks I have good mechanical aptitude, and am good at understanding an explained procedure. I am just not well versed in machining techniques.

Looking at my conversion table, would it be prudent to get a die for .243 and use a 17/64" drill bit to increase diameter to just over .265? Just looking for the informed opinions I know we have here on the forums.
Thanks in advance for any and all replies.

Not for nothing, but have you slugged your bore?
Also, what size are the bullets' diameter as they come from the mould.
Maybe worth a look see and a little work with a mic.
It is just to give you a little more info to work with unless you already know these dimensions?
I have a couple .30 cals that I can hand lube the cast bullets and shoot them the size they drop from the cast.
They are from LEE moulds by the way.

[rbuck351]

I would check the size as cast and if is .265 or larger, I would lube it and shoot it. Your barrel works like a sizer die and it will size down anything within 3 or 4 thou oversize to a perfect fit.