sizing cast bullets

[Tioga County]

I've got some casting equipment, and a Forster press. I'm new to casting, and have a couple of questions. What do I need to size and lube the bullets I cast? Can I use a Lee sizing die in my press, or do I need a dedicated lubing/sizing setup?

 

[contender]

You will find a wealth of info & all your answers (and more) by going to www.castboolits.com

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

...Can I use a Lee sizing die in my press, or do I need a dedicated lubing/sizing setup?

Yes. There are pros and cons to the Lee push-through:
1. Least expensive
2. Slower. Lubing and sizing are separate operations
3. More mess (during lubing, during sizing, lube gets on the bullet nose)
4. Less chance to deform the bullet nose
5. May not adequately seat gas checks (GC)
6. Easier to change from one lube to another

I use the Lees when sizing for 500 S&W. I seat the GCs by hand on a piece of granite and use a 4 oz nylon faced hammer and then "finger lube". If I did lots of them, I'd set up for pan lubing. Every other caliber I do (380, 9mm, 38/357, 40, 41, 44, 45) goes through a lubrisizer.

 

[Tioga County]

Thanks for all the responses, you guys are a great help. I've spent far more time here than Cast Boolits and feel more comfortable asking here.

 

[Cherokee]

If you shoot much, I would suggest geting a lube/sizing machine. Lyman (I have 3) or RCBS (lots of people like them) or the more expensive Star (I have one) which sizes nose first and is a push thru machine. All of these use lube (many different brands) which is applied only into the lube grooves of the bullet. We are nice folks at http://www.castboolits.com/ so come visit us.

 

[Clovishound]

Just to let you know my experience.

My buddy and I started casting our own earlier this year. The bullets from the mold were quite a bit oversized. My buddy got a Lee sizer. It sizes them at .356. We used Alox to lube. We really didn't like the Alox lube. It was very messy. Never got past the sticky phase. Had lots of leading problems. Also had accuracy problems due to tumbling. We had a lot of oval holes in the targets. Most of the leading was likely due to the alloy we were using. The other problem is my barrel slugs at .356. You need at least .001 larger than your barrel dia for cast to avoid leading problems.

We switched to ordering hard cast bullets that are prelubed. Like them much better. They run about $70 a thousand shipped from the supplier we use. Nice looking, good lube, very little leading when I use .357 sized. Accuracy pretty much on par with factory FMJs.

Perhaps we gave up on casting too soon. It certainly saves a lot of money, especially if you have access to lead cheaply. I would definitely look at the sizers that use a hard lube. Pan lubing seems like it would be a real hassle. You also need to make sure you get the right size die for the weapon/s you will be casting for.

 

[Merlin1274]

Lee Aloxed boolits work great but you need to let them sit overnight to dry properly. Never had issues with Alox personaly. Wear latex gloves when done and stand them up right on wax paper. Also if you put a fan on them it helps speed it up.. I size alot of my bullets to what my bore slugs out. Not much leading. Proper lube and alloy mix is the key. I use wheel weights when I can get them. They seem to be the right hardness. But when they are scarce I order hard cast online that are pre lubed.

 

[meshugunner]

I use the Lee sizers for .356 & .357. They are cheap, easy to use and work well. Resizing goes very fast once you get into the rhythm - about as fast as you can pick them up. The bottom punch is designed to fit into the shellholder mount of a single stage press - I dont think they would work with a progressive.

Yes it means lubing seperately and that can be a lot of work or a little depending on your preferences. The easiest and quickest is to buy the Lee Liquid Alox for $5 and use their tumble lube method which requires a ziploc bag. The Alox has to dry overnight or in an oven and does remain slightly tacky but I find it no problem. It's a very good and easy way to get started. If later you decide you want a lube/sizer you can always sell the Lee stuff on Castboolits.