Sizing B-4 and after PC'ing- lessons learned! Smoke's powder.

[Jon.Moore]

I made up a bunch of 240 grain, 44 mag bullets, sized to .429 then powder coated them and loaded, (8 grains of Unique). Some, because of the variation in coating thickness caught the edges of the case'es and loaded hard, one ripped the case side,, yes I am "belling the mouth". These shot about 3 to 4 inch group at 30 yds.
I also made up some loads by sizing .429 before powder coating, then sized them to .431 after PC'ing. These shot amazing well, 1-1/2" to 2" at the same 30yds... as good as I could hold them. I'm very pleased with the lesson I learned today. I will never go back to greasy, sticky lubed bullets..... I am wrecked!!! Special thanks to "Smoke" for his excellent powder!! Jon

[shoot-n-lead]

Why not just size to .431 after coating as the .429 sizing serves no purpose?

I only size mine one time for all calibers...after coating, I size to the optimal size for my gun...and they all shoot great.

[Lloyd Smale]

I size twice too. If I don't sizing is a real bear after coating.

[BILLYBOB44]

Why not just size to .431 after coating as the .429 sizing serves no purpose?

I only size mine one time for all calibers...after coating, I size to the optimal size for my gun...and they all shoot great.

Me too for the most part..See Below.

I size twice too. If I don't sizing is a real bear after coating.

For me this is true ONLY on my .40 cal. projectiles..I have not checked, but I bet?? that my Lee Six Gang mold is dropping some .403"+ boolts??Bill

[Spector]

My primary 45 cal. mold casts over-size. I usually run hard lead alloys and like Lloyd I get much better results sizing twice. And I have found that if I size first then aluminum PB gas checks go on much better also.

Mike

[Jon.Moore]

You got it!! Sizing is a REAL BEAR - if I only size after powder coating! This was why I was looking for ideas on "lubing" the bullet to make the powder coat bullet pass through the sizing die easier. By the way,, when it get's hard going, I use "Hornady's" Unique paste lube on a Q-tip, couple swipes on the inside of the die, problem solved! --- Jon

[edler7]

My 45 mold casts .454". I found some I had cast a year or 2 ago and never sized. I was going to powder coat them and ran them through my Lee push through before coating as I usually do. I almost couldn't get them through the sizer, I was all but hanging off the handle of my RC to get them sized. They apparently grew a little as they aged. Normally I size, coat and size again within a few days of casting with no problems.

If my routine hadn't included sizing before coating, they never would have sized after coating.

[Dragonheart]

The reason to size first is to allow for a build out of a thicker coating. Multiple sized coatings work harden the polymer.