water dropped sizing

[kpep]

I want to try water dropping my bollets. I head that they need to be sized within about 20 min. after they are cast, before they are totally hardened. do I have to size within this time? Thanks

[grumpy one]

Not quite as soon as that, but within a few hours is best. There are two problems if you delay: it gets difficult to push them through the sizing die, and you work-soften the parts of them that are deformed by the sizing operation, so the surface finishes up softer than you'd intended.

[Gunslinger]

I asked the same question a few weeks ago. The answer I got was that it's best to size within 48 hours, that's when the reach they full hardness... or close to it.

[44man]

I was told within 1/2 hour if you need to size much, this from Bill Ferguson, the metal man.
I size almost nothing with most of my boolits and found it doesn't matter if I wait a year.
If sized soon the boolit will harden and grow in size when aged.
If you NEED to size???? waiting too long will soften the surface and also be hard to get in the die. Neither has cause me any trouble.
It is rare to find a mold so large that a boolit has to be sized anyway. I lap out dies just to remove excess lube or lube without sizing in my lube sizer.
I don't think the very thin surface softening has any effect as long as the metal underneath still grips the rifling.
If the boolit fits the gun none of this stuff means a thing.

[fecmech]

This may sound silly but it works, put the bullets in the freezer. If I can't size the day I cast and water drop I put the bullets in the freezer, the cold slows the aging process considerably. I pull them out and let them warm to room temp and then size. I've found you can wait 4 or 5 days and sizing effort will be very similar to sizing the same day.

[Trey45]

I water drop literally every boolit I cast, some get lubrisized the same day, some get lubrisized the next week or so, I have had NO ill effects doing it eoither way. I have been very lucky with my moulds though, all drop within a couple thousandths of finished size.

[runfiverun]

if you nose size you can bump the nose if sizing when still soft.
you are gonna have to do what you need on a case by case basis.
wait too long and size too much you soften the material and hey are hard to size.
do it too soon and you bump up the nose if not careful.

[kpep]

Thanks for the info.

[BOOM BOOM]

Hi,
I cast when there is snow on the ground in my yard, use a snow cold water slush quench. Size & lube when I am out of casting Pb or snow whichever happens first.
I have finished the 38's, still working on the 44's & 7MM's . I might be done after the fall hunts & the snow flies.
Of course I use to shoot every day in the summer.

[WILCO]

I want to try water dropping my bollets.

What in the sam hill is a bollet????
(Sorry, just couldn't resist...)

[kpep]

Thanks for pointing that out, I was hoping no one would notice