Resizing broke my press!

[kellyj00]

Thanks for all the advice.
I figure I'll try to hone out the sizer about 2 thousandths or so, and drop the sizer in a chunk of forged high-carbon steel I got off an old computer server rack and hammer the bullets through. Who knows, maybe I can take a chunk of high carbon steel about 4"x4"x4", have it machined with 10 .453 diameter holes and ram them home with the log splitter.

It's a sizer of galactic proportions. Maybe when I run out of bullets I'll resize a rockchucker.

[redbear705]

Are the boolits all uniform?

Maybe the mold has some small pieces of lead holding the halves apart causing larger than nessacary sizes.

[jleneave]

[QUOTE=Chargar;281204]A few thoughts on the issue at hand

1) Everytime I read a post about somebody breaking a press, it turns out to be a Lee press


I am new here so I am defineately not try to stir up any poo poo and everyone has a right to thier opinion!! That said, here is my opinion, I have been using Lee presses and dies for 18 years and have never had any problem with them what so ever. I started out with a challenger when I first started and moved up to a Lee Turret press a few years ago. Are the RCBS, Lyman, ect made stronger than a Lee? Probably so, but I have been using Lee equipment without fail and at a 1/4 the price of the more expensive units. Since I don't have a limitless supply of cash these savings have allowed me to be able to buy other equipment and loading components that I might not have been able to afford otherwise. Don't get me wrong here, I have several pieces of equipment that are both RCBS and Lyman and they are of the highest quality. If I were to break my Lee Press today I would probably buy another, but more than likely I wouldn't have to because I bet Lee would replace if for me.

Again, I am not crapping on anyone else's opinion here, just voicing mine. Thanks for reading.

[DLCTEX]

Try breaking a Lee classic cast press! Compare price with any of the other companies! I broke my Lyman turret press resizing 243 brass. I bet my Lee classic cast turret press never breaks resizing anything. Dale

[35remington]

Sound like the press that was broken was a lightweight C frame of the type that leftoverdj mentions. I use mine for sizing bullets and it has no problem sizing oversized bullets as long as they're lubed.

Sizing a hard, unlubricated bullet is asking for problem, and it was likely that after several bullets the die was leaded and the bullets were galling. Friction is huge in that circumstance. How do I know? I used to have the old style Lee bullet sizing dies that required a punch and mallet to pound the bullet through the die. Starting out, I used unlubricated, oversized bullets (reducing from .458 to .452") and a rubber mallet would just bounce off the punch. I broke a plastic headed mallet trying to punch the bullets through. Not smart, but I was more ignorant way back them. I finally got smart and started lubing the bullets after pounding the daylights out of my die and deforming the punch a bit. I could break that press that way too, but it doesn't mean the press is at fault.

I have three of them, so that should give an idea that I find them handy. I use them for everything except full length sizing of rifle cases of .30-30 dimension or larger. Trying to size large cases full length results in enough press spring that full length sizing cannot occur. They're better for lighter duty.

This press type is very useful if not abused. What your friend did fits in that category.

[IcerUSA]

Dale , don't bet on it , I pulled a turret apart on my Classic Cast Turret , of corse Lee replaced it for what it cost me to ship it to them , might have been some oxidization in that turret head tho or a bad casting , was FL sizing some 22-250 cases and I have my handle shorten up about 4 inches so not to over power things .

Keith

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Breaking one of the aluminum turrets doing something it isn't designed for is a whole lot different than breaking the cast iron of a well designed O-frame press. The Lee Classic Cast can be broken, as can the Rock Chucker or any other press, but folks ought to have enough sense to realize if they are pushing their equipment hard enough to break it, there's probably a better way to do things (such as in stages) than the way they're doing it.

To the original poster's question:

1. Repair your press and use it for applications it's designed for, which is lighter weight tasks. Get yourself a Lee Classic Cast single stage or other similar press for sizing with Lee Sizers.

2. Don't try to take so much metal off at one time. A couple thousandths is one thing, but the amount your talking is a bit much. Opening up your sizing die is a good idea, especially since the size you have is small for most .45 ACP barrels.

Regards,

Dave

[Char-Gar]

Aww jeeze guys... You would thinking I was bashing motherhood and apple pie, when I said evereything I read about somebody breaking a press, the press turn out to be a Lee. That is just a statement of simple fact. I have not read a post about somebody breaking a Rockchucker. Maybe somebody has, but I had not read the post.

I am not saying ALL Lee presses will break.

That said, my main press is an old RCBS A2, the last cast steel press made. I suppose it could be broken, but it would take greater force than a human being could apply with his arms or body.

[kellyj00]

If I wanted to pay $200 for a press, I wouldn't be casting.
That's the whole point of casting, to me, to stop GIVING money to the commercial guys. Lead's gone up quite a bit, but 45acp bullets have TRIPLED in the past 6 months. I give up a few hours of my weekend and I've got enough to shoot for a few hours the next weekend. Fair deal as I actually sort of enjoy casting.

Sorry, I figure it had to be said. I'm speaking for myself here, but I would rather have more money to spend on raw material and range fees than on presses. Has anyone ever considered saving up enough money to quit your day job and take up a position at your local range? Visa can eat their heart out, because that's everywhere I want to be.

We're honing out the die now and we may end up having to anneal the bullets. Thanks for the tips, never would have thought of it without this forum.

[Sam Carp]

It says in the Lee instructions not to use their sizer to size unlubed boolits. I was thinking they ment you might break the sizer die not the press. I have a Lee six cavity mold, the centering pins keep backing out and it doesn't close all the way. Check your mold it may not be closing all the way. My Star sizer instruction says to run a boolit through twice every now and then to lub the die.

Sam

[Blammer]

make sure you size em the next day if water quenching, if you wait longer they will get harder and harder to size....

[EMC45]

The Lee Classic is designed to size 50 cal.

[MT Gianni]

The Lee Classic is designed to size 50 cal.

Brass, not hard lead over sized by .005.

[dakotashooter2]

Here is another option. You may be able to reduce your bullet size from the mould by giving them a coat or two or three of mold prep products made to help the bullets drop out easier.

[mooman76]

The Lee Challenger press has a common problem of breaking in the linkage and it is an easy fix that I learned from someone else. I don't know why Lee has never tried to fix the problem, If allot of people were using a product of mine I would try to improve the product by finding out why and fixing it instaed of comming up with a super press (classic cast)that won't break! I'm not trying to knock on Lee because most of my reload stuff is Lee.
Anyway the common problem is the linkage. I broke mine no big deal, it cost like $5 for the part. It usually only breaks when the bolt that tightens on the handle to the linkage loosens and the the handle comes out to far and the leverage puts too much stress in the wrong place inside the linkage and it breaks the linkage. A simple fix is ge a bolt 1/4 " longer and a locking nut so it won't loosen and then the press will be fine. I broke the corner off my workbench resizing brass in my challenger press so you can't say it isn't strong! I do have a classic cast now and if I break it I think I will give up reloading!

[jim4065]

.........I like water dropping as it is very fast for me and less hassle than trying to keep them all on a towel.............

Amen. Since I usually cast several sizes at a sitting, I let everything fall in the bucket, then separate sprues and sort out the good boolits at the end of the day. The sorting works particularly well with a cold one.