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Thread: Sizing tool for 8-bore boolits?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Sizing tool for 8-bore boolits?

    I'm looking for some sort of tool/die to size 0.850" boolits. Anyone know of a company that could make something like this?

    Thank you!
    -Matt

  2. #2
    Boolit Mold Waleone's Avatar
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    I would think any machinist could make you one to work with an arbor press rated for 1-2 tons.
    Wayne

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master
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    One of our own, here on "castboolits" does that sort of thing. PM ammohead and see if he can accommodate or direct you the right direction.

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    You do know that anything that is over .50 caliber which is not a shotgun is a destructive device and needs a tax stamp like a silencer?

    The reason I ask is most people do not size shotgun slugs. Not trying to start anything, just wanted to make sure you have your I's dotted and your Tee's crossed.
    I truly believe we need to get back to basics.

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  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    Thanks for the replies!

    @GhostHawk The gun was made before 1899 and is not legally considered a firearm.

  6. #6
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    stubshaft's Avatar
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    I guess that I am lucky. because I can shoot my 8 bore with roundballs out of my Jeff Tanner mold without needing to be sized.
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by GhostHawk View Post
    You do know that anything that is over .50 caliber which is not a shotgun is a destructive device and needs a tax stamp like a silencer?

    The reason I ask is most people do not size shotgun slugs. Not trying to start anything, just wanted to make sure you have your I's dotted and your Tee's crossed.
    I thought that sporting rifles such as .505 Gibbs and the big Nitro Express cartridges were not considered destructive devices by BATFE.

  8. #8
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    Wayne Smith's Avatar
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    Check with Dave at CH4D. He just may have one on the shelf.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by stubshaft View Post
    I guess that I am lucky. because I can shoot my 8 bore with roundballs out of my Jeff Tanner mold without needing to be sized.
    Balls are not ideal for dangerous game. I use a 1200gr conical. These work without being sized as well but it would make them more consistent.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    It wouldn't be any problem to make a sizer for those but you'd have to have a press with the removable bushing like an RCBS since the bullet is as big as the normal die threads. Just make it like a giant version of the Lee push through sizers.

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master

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    A push thru in the 1 1/2 12 bushing size would be doable. The arbor press would be easier to do as it could be done in the mill in one basic set up with just the bore being held to size. The push thru would require threads to be cut and the bore. Much more precision work.

    A piece of tool steel pre hard 4140 2" x 4" X 1" thick could be machined then the hole put in on center and bored to size. Most arbor presses now have a 1/2" hole on the ram so the pusher could be made to fit this and be locked into the ram. The die could be floating or bolted down.

    PM me I may tackle this for you.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master


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    Back a few years ago when I had my lathe, I made a couple sizer dies to be used in my Rockchucker press.
    I used these to size down a 12 gauge Lyman pellet slug, and a .735 12 gauge round ball. They both work great. I used grade 8 bolts! For the first one, I used a 7/8" x 14 tpi bolt. I bored and polished it out to .6725. The larger one I used a 1-1/4" x 12 tpi bolt. I bored and polished this one to .732. To use this one, the screw in bushing in the top of the press must be removed. Then the sizer can be screwd in.
    Last edited by littlejack; 03-12-2024 at 02:29 PM.
    If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The minor dia of a 7/8" 14 thread is .805 his .850 bullet will break thru into the threads on a 7/ 14 press. A press with the bushing removed will work as the 1 1/2" thread will have plenty around the bore.

    The other route is a flat plate with a hole bored in it for use in an arbor press. This will be more work as I will have to change chucks to the 4 jaw. Thewn bore the hole on location in the mill and set up in lathe and cut the lead in and out.Also the piece of stock is going to be bigger and more expensive. for the plate it would be 1" X 2" x 3" For the threaded press die I would want 1 3/4" to make a nice die with knurl and a solid shoulder to lock into the press. With this I can chuck in the 3 jaw a clean up pass over the stock turn the thread dia cut thread relief thread drill and bore hole cut lead in and relief out all in one set up then face in a separate set up. Be about 2 hours to do. The flat plate with multiple set ups in multiple machines changing chucks will be the better part of a day.

    Ideally a spring loaded die set should be made a simple 2 pin die to hold the pin and sizer in alignment in the arbor press. To do this would be a couple days work.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master


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    country gent:
    If you are commenting on my post, as I stated, the 7/8 x 14 is to small for the .850 diameter. That's why is stated about the 1-1/4 x 12 diameter. That IS the diameter of the bushed hole in my RockChucker press, not 1-1/2" x 12 you mentioned. Just clearing up things so there's no confusion.
    If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.

  15. #15
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    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    Yes, you could make one out of a piece of 1 1/4-12 All Thread. It doesn't need to be hard as you will never run enough boolits thru it to notice. All that is needed is a cone at the entrance that insures that the boolit is square to the centerline as it starts into the hole, and some kind of pusher that will keep it that way as it goes thru. Polish the inside down to about 400 grit and you are good to go. Use some kind of lube!

    Who made your gun?

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

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