How long to you allow freshly cast bullets to cool before sizing

[dankathytc]

I normally allow 48 to 72 hours for hardening before sizing and lubing. I will normally size and lube sound 200, and put the remainder in a jar properly labeled, until I need them. Curious about the general consensus.

[tazman]

I only cast handgun boolits currently. I water quench from the mold blocks. I try to get the sizing and lube done inside 24 hours since the boolits will get very hard to size if I wait.
If for some reason I have to wait longer, I run them through a Lee push through sizer before running them through my lubrisizer.
The boolits still harden quite well even if sized before they reach full hardness.
I can't speak for how well this system might work for rifle boolits.

[huntinlever]

I water quench, then dry them in the oven, and push the .461" as-cast through the .460" Lee push-through sizer, which also seats the gas checks. Less particular about when I lube them as I use the Lubrisizer to lube only. I let them rest at least a few days before I use them.

[Bazoo]

I don’t have any set times. I most often wait a few weeks or more.

[dankathytc]

TAZMAN, I cast only handgun bullets so far, from .357 up to .475. I water quench virtually all of my casts. I think I am correct in saying the hardening from quenching has more to do with antimony content? Most of my stuff is close to Lyman #2, or a little softer. Right now I am awaiting my first PID which should arrive tomorrow. Member Hatch, was kind enough to make for me. I can’t wait to learn it and test my alloys.

[243winxb]

Air cooled. Size any time.
Water cooled, wait 2 weeks to fully harden. Size anytime.

[JimB..]

Why wait to harden and make more work? Do exterior dimensions change as the alloy crystalizes?

[huntinlever]

I find if I wait any time at all they've hardened so much that sizing can be pretty tough.

[35 Rem]

I have no set waiting time. It might be the same day or years after casting.

[Winger Ed.]

I have no set waiting time. It might be the same day or years after casting.

Me too.
But I usually get to 'em in 2-4 weeks.

[fredj338]

Sooner is better with harder alloys. I water drop out of the PC oven, so try to get them sized in 2-3 days.

[rintinglen]

I try to size them as soon as possible after casting. They can age up and make sizing difficult, and If I want them hard, I'll heat treat them in the oven after sizing and installing gas checks.

[megasupermagnum]

The only reason to wait is if you happen to have an alloy that grows a lot with age, mainly antimony heavy alloys. I don't use such alloys. I've cast a bullet, sized, loaded, and shot it within 20 minutes before. It's pretty regular I cast and shoot my muzzleloader bullets the same day.

[deltaenterprizes]

I size and lube as soon as they get cool enough to handle!

[dtknowles]

I normally allow 48 to 72 hours for hardening before sizing and lubing. I will normally size and lube sound 200, and put the remainder in a jar properly labeled, until I need them. Curious about the general consensus.

Why wait, sizing will not stop the hardening and hardening will only make the sizing harder. Hardening is far from complete after 72 hours. Years later the hardening reverses and they start getting softer.

[GregLaROCHE]

I water quench most of the time. I don’t size right away only because I’m not loading them right after. I size what I will be loading just before. I bought a Rockchucker that I use only for sizing. Never any problems sizing, even after PCing.

[pworley1]

If I air cool, about 2 days. If I water quench, The next day.

[kevin c]

The fact that I bake my bullets twice during the HiTek coating process means I probably lose some of the hardness I might gain by aging my air cooled casts, I use an effective lube, only size down 0.001” and have an undemanding application for what I produce, so I don’t worry about the timing.

[Sig]

With WQ, I try to size the same day. It really depends on how much I need to size down. If only .001" it doesn't matter. If .003 I need to size the same day with my Star or I risk putting to much force on it.

[charlie b]

Qualifier, I rarely cast more than 200 or 300 at a time.

Normally I do the first size same day. Then PC is done the next day and finish sizing is done that same day.

If I quenched then I'd size them same day just so they do not get too hard.

When I store bullets they are ready to reload. I don't keep batches of unfinished bullets lying around.