Lee sizing bushings .

[kayala]

I've just started casting recently and had been purchasing my equipment whenever available. I've decided to go with PC and sizing my bullits with APP and Lee bushings; made a small batch sized them with 0.357 bushing and they all measure 0.356". Today came my pin gauge set and all of my 8 bushings (356-358, 401, 402, 310, 452, 454) are undersized by at least 0.001" Have couple NOE bushings and those are spot on. So what would you do ? Contact Lee and try to exchange, use as is, knowing they are undersized ?

[Mk42gunner]

Most things except maybe dead soft pure lead will springback a bit when pushed through a sizing die. I have no idea what mixture Lee has in mind when they do the figuring for sizing dies, but I'll bet it isn't any type of coating.

You could lap out the sizers to the size you need. I haven't read of anyone doing it to Lee's bushings, but there are a bunch of threads about lapping the regular Lee sizing dies. This might be your best option.

Robert

[kayala]

Thanks, Robert, never lapped any dies yet. About spring back - I've micced my bullits sized 357 (there were some resistance they didn't just fall through ) after couple weeks and all of them were .3554-.3555 (difference might be due to my measurement technique). Don't think they will "spring back". Measuered some random pins and they were spot on.

[243winxb]

Lee molds are requlated with 10 lead/1 tin. What are the bullets as cast diameters? My 356-120-TC as cast are at almost .358". My WW's get linotype added for hard bullets. After going thru the Lee push thru 356 die , I get .3568" Not coated.

Its hard to believe all the dies are undersize by .001" ?? Strange. Harder alloy bullets will spring back more after being sized.

The antimony in the linotype makes bullets larger in diameter, as they drop from the mold.

NOE Moulds are regulated with WW.

[kayala]

I was using MP mold (357-125FB) . I didn't measure as dropped but PC-ed and sized them with .357 bushing. Alloy is "hardball" from rotometals (92-6-2), as I've said none of those sized bullets sprang back to .357. Why would alloy matter for sizing, I've thought if I size to .357 it should be .357 whether it was pure lead or BNH22. Am I wrong ?

[W.R.Buchanan]

Am I wrong ?

NO,,, but. Sometimes depending on how much you are actually sizing he boolit it will come out bigger than indicated on the die. Spring back is not the correct term for this. The Boolit is just not getting squished down as much as you thought it would, and the die might be opening up.

First, you can't compress lead. You can move it, but you can't compress it, so whenever you size a boolit down you are actually displacing the lead and making the boolit longer. the more you smash it down the longer the boolit becomes and also the more force you must use to accomplish the task.

I recently had some 175 gr Lee .40 cal. boolits I made a bunch of. I started running them thru a .401 die and some went thru easy, and some just plain got stuck. The ones that went thru easy were .402 and the ones that got really hard were .406. They got melted back down but I lost about 25% of the run because the Lee 6 cavity mould opened up as it got really hot, and started dropping bigger boolits, and I didn't figure it out until too late.

Next all those boolits I sized to .401 have to be Powder Coated and then sized again. Luckily PC is pretty slick stuff.

Sometimes you have to adjust your process to produce what you want. If it always went the right way there would be no need for this forum.

Randy

[kayala]

Well my original question was what to do about those sizing bushings. None of them accept pin gauge that it's marked for but only one or two thousands smaller

[tankgunner59]

I use mostly Lee molds and PC, but I don't size my WW pills before PC'ing. Mine all come out .001 over the caliber after PC and sizing using WW lead. I have 10 different Lee molds and they all cast like this.

[243winxb]

Well my original question was what to do about those sizing bushings. None of them accept pin gauge that it's marked for but only one or two thousands smaller

Contact Lee. https://support.leeprecision.net/en?...oduct-support=

[kayala]

Thanks, 243winxb, opened a ticket will see what Lee has to say about it.

[Kenstone]

Well my original question was what to do about those sizing bushings. None of them accept pin gauge that it's marked for but only one or two thousands smaller

It seems you have decided you have accurately measured the Bushings and they are not what you want.
You can challenge Lee about that size not being what you perceived they should be, or what Lee sold them as, but that won't change the size.

Or, you can buy the appropriate size barrel lap and lap out the bushing to what YOU want.
For example buy a 3/8" barrel lap, file it down to fit thru the bushing, expand it, and lap the hole.
Stop short of what you think you need, size a few bullets to measure, continue to lap based on the results.

3/8 barrel lap ($12):
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/05060249

**and know that other companies make sizing bushings that may be in sizes more to your liking
Like NOE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ4NO42OPt4
NOE die to fit Lee APP for NOE bushings:
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop...-noe-bushings/

[kayala]

It seems you have decided you have accurately measured the Bushings and they are not what you want.
You can challenge Lee about that size not being what you perceived they should be, or what Lee sold them as, but that won't change the size.

.

Right, well my measurements were pretty simple: get pin marked as .357 (-0.0002") try to insert into .357 bushing, fail, try smaller one. Same process for all of them. Thanks for the link, I've never done lapping before, need to research that topic and yes, as I've mentioned bushings from other company (NOE) accept the pin they are marked for !

[Kenstone]

Right, well my measurements were pretty simple: get pin marked as .357 (-0.0002") try to insert into .357 bushing, fail, try smaller one. Same process for all of them. Thanks for the link, I've never done lapping before, need to research that topic and yes, as I've mentioned bushings from other company (NOE) accept the pin they are marked for !

Added some links to NOE here:
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...=1#post5193733
I'd switch to NOE if they sell what you want instead of a lot of back and forth with Lee about what their dies are or should be.
jmo.
.

[kayala]

That’s what I’ll probably do. Just put sharpie markings of actual size on lee and purchase ones I’m missing from NOE.


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[kayala]

Just an update: I've got an email from Lee cusromer service and representative told me it is "as designed" Lee bushings not supposed to accept pin they marked for but next one in size, so for 358 bushing won''t accept 358 pin but will 357, I guess that 0.001 is left for "spring back".

[Cosmic_Charlie]

The important thing is the boolit's diameter after sizing. If you shoot a revolver those pin gauges will be nice for checking the cylinder throats. Slug the barrels on the rest of your firearms. I can get away with sizing to groove diameter on many guns, particularly if the boolits are softer.

[Hdskip]

A .357 " pin gauge will not easily go in a .357" diameter hole.

[Kenstone]

@Hdskip:

Pin gauges are normally .0002" under nominal size (0.357") to allow a slip fit thru a 0.3570" hole.
Just sayin'

[Hdskip]

I'll agree about the pin if it is a (-) pin. I guess it all depends how the pin is ground in the first place....................Just sayin'

[kayala]

The important thing is the boolit's diameter after sizing. If you shoot a revolver those pin gauges will be nice for checking the cylinder throats. Slug the barrels on the rest of your firearms. I can get away with sizing to groove diameter on many guns, particularly if the boolits are softer.

I did a batch of Lee 312-160, PC-ed and sized with .311 bushing couple days ago, measured today at 0.3103