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Thread: Sizing powder coated bullets

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy DCB's Avatar
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    Sizing powder coated bullets

    Using a lee sizing die do you use any Lube.
    Thanks Dave

  2. #2
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    99.9% of the time you will need NO lube.

    IF the boolit is way oversized or really hard you can use practically anything to lube them with (most use case lube because they have it on their bench)

    I've found the polishing the entrance to the die and lightly polishing the inside to remove machining marks helps makes sizing easier.
    Last edited by Conditor22; 07-13-2021 at 11:40 AM.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    Ive tried both ways and unless they’re really on the large side, you wont need any lube.
    "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government..... When the people fear their government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson

  4. #4
    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    It depends. I usually powder coat and then Lee size. If I have what I consider to be too much resistance, I use a slight amount of light gun oil on every 2nd or 3rd one. Then I wipe 'em down and mic to double check. Never had a problem.
    IF...your Lee sizer needs a bit of polishing to smooth it up, be careful. They are relatively soft and you can enlarge one by .001 fairly easy if you get too aggressive.
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  5. #5
    Boolit Master 358429's Avatar
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    I use the gun barrel cleaning brass brush, to clean the Lee push through sizing die, when it gets dirty.

    I notice it is dirty when the resistance of sizing goes way up, I am using a lee hand press, does not have the mechanical leverage of a bench mounted press.

    Three to five brush passes about every 500 bullets sized is my maintenance regimen.

    I am powder coating My Bullets your results May Vary.

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  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    I normally spritz the unsized bullets with a little One-Shot before sizing- makes it easier to size.
    Loren

  7. #7
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    A little lube never hurts at any time for sizing.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    I dump about 100 coated boolits into a pewter bowl that has the inside rubbed with a little bit of lube stick. I have quite a few sticks from the days I lubed with my Lyman lubrisizers and Star sizers. I swirl the boolits around a few times and dump into my Mr. Bullet feeder which feeds my Lee APP sizer. The touch of lube definitely saves on the "arm tax" and allows me to crank out a thousand in just about 15-20 minutes.

  9. #9
    Boolit Bub
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    Don't use any lube as well on my pc'd and non-pc'd bullets. My cast bullets are on the soft side though.

    Harder bullets, water quenched, or bullet shape can affect how easily they push through the sizer in my limited experience.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    Just a smidge of Hornady unique case lube on every 20-30th bullet makes them go easy.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master 358429's Avatar
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    I'm sizing bullets right now. They came out of the oven 10 minutes ago, they are now cool enough to handle with bare hands. If I wait until tomorrow to size them it will be much harder.

    Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy DCB's Avatar
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    Thanks, a little lube goes a long way.
    I use one shot for brass. Ill give the sizing die a shot and see how it goes.
    Dave

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I also use One Shot when the bullets are tough to push through the die. The advantage to it is it 'washes' off easily with some acetone before I PC the bullets.

    When do I use the One Shot? Only for some bullets. For example, my .308 bullets do not need any lube to size, even when crimping on a gas check. Neither do my .452 bullets. My .357 bullets do need some lube for some reason.

    If you are powder coating you can try sizing after PC. Only do a few the first time. I stuck a PC bullet in a die trying to size it too much. Had to pound it out with a hammer.


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  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    I size after PC, spritz the 1-shot on the bullets when they are laying in a tray after PC and before sizing.
    Loren

  15. #15
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    I use a case lube pad, mine is RCBS and for lube RCBS Case Lube II. It is water soluble. I size bullets before PC and after. The lube washes off with Dawn dish liquid, let dry and the PC does fine. After PC and sizing, there is so little lube that many times I just leave it be. But other wise, just tumble them in a folded towel and they are clean. I agree with Dondeago, a little lube always.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by rockshooter View Post
    I normally spritz the unsized bullets with a little One-Shot before sizing- makes it easier to size.
    Loren
    +1
    I can size them without lube, but a little bit of One-Shot makes it much easier.
    It also works for Hi-Tek coated boolits.
    There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism—by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide. Ayn Rand

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master


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    It all depends on how much you are resizing and how hard the alloy is. Most of the time I don’t use lube, but if I am sizing down quite a bit, usually because I had an extra thick coat of PC, I lube and it makes life a lot easier.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    I have a slug that i lightly lube and run through the star every now and then when sizing PC bullets.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
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    When I need it I've used the Dawn liquid soap as lube. Just a thin coat on by putting a drop on the fingers and then rubbed on the bullet.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master


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    http://hi-performancebulletcoatings.com/sizing-lube/

    A little lube saves the shoulder.
    NRA Benefactor.

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