.456 to .452? How far can you go?

[H110]

When running cast boolits through a lube sizer how far can you actually reasonably size them down? I've heard .004 is as far as you can go, is this correct?

H110

[Caster Blaster]

I've sized from 457 to 452, depending on the boolit design it really doesn't leave much of a lube groove, I was pretty much stuck tumble lubing, sizing and re-tumble lubing. It works, but I think accuracy suffers a little too much. IMO your better off getting something a little closer to what your sizing, others may have had better luck

[bryonbush]

looks to me like someone purchased a lee mold. im guessing your bullets are comming out to be .456? join the club

[rnelson11]

I have a Lee and my bullets come out at .454. I like it because when I resize I get nice shinny rings where the boolits seal.

[btroj]

I have gone 457 to 452 with no troubles. Much depends on the lube grooves, shallow grooves may all but disappear on you.
I would suggest the Lee push thru sizer for this. That much sizing is pretty hard on a lubrisizer but you press won't care. I also like to use a small amount of case lube ever 5th bullet or so to make it all go smoothly.
In the end it depends upon the bullets, how you do the sizing, and if the gun seems happy. Sometimes these things work outngreat, others they just don't. Only one way to know for sure, isn't there?

[PacMan]

If you are using a sizer get a .454 die and size and lube and then as btroj sugest run the bullet thru a Lee .452 die and you are on go.

This does two things. 1st it sizes the bullet down .002 and lubes the bullet which will help in keeping your lube grove. 2nd it lubes the bullet for final sizing in the Lee die.
dwight

[nanuk]

what mould is that?

.456 is right where i need to be for PP in my H&R Handi

[geargnasher]

I think they key is what alloy you're using, what kind of sizer (push through or base-first), and how much you size at each step. I can take a .458" 30:1 boolit, roll it in case lube, and swage it to .452" in one shot through a Lee push-through sizer with no worries. I also size a .457" WW boolit to .453", but have to use a .458" base-first to lube it, then go through a Lee .457" push-through, then througha .454" base first, then a .453" push through to preserve the lube grooves and keep the boolits concentric.

Gear

[David2011]

I know a commercial caster who had a .44 boolit go through his air powered Star with a .401 die in it. The lubrisizer had no problem changing the OD of the boolit. Oh, did you mean how far can you go and still use it?

David

[onondaga]

I size a .513 Lee R.E.A.L. to .501" for .500 S&W:


unsized/sized photo

Gary

[Sanchez]

For 8mm Japanese Nambu, have sized cast 100gr .355 dia (ala: 9x19mm) down to .323 in one pass on a cheap Lee Lube & Size rig. That's almost a millimeter in diameter - Boom, done. For lube, used warm STP right outta the can - & it took very little physical effort.

Condom 115 grainers did take a bit more oomph, & we'll address all them work-hardening issues in another post.

All fired just fine ......

[Lloyd Smale]

back in the old days before we had the selection of heavy 45 colt molds available ive have taken 461 bullets down to 454 and theyve shot just fine.