Sizing cast bullets....

A

alhefner

New member
I'm thinking of casting my own bullets and it seems one way to ensure consistent diameter is to use a sizing die.

One of the things that I was wondering is how much oversize of a bullet can I push through the die without messing up the bullet itself or the die?

I want to have bullets with a finished diameter of .357 but the molds I like are all .358 and one is actually .365... The .358 should be just fine but not too sure how that .365 would work out.
 
It would help to know what firearm you are planning to use these cast bullets in? For low to medium velocity loads especially in a pistol or revolver Lee makes a push through sizer that is used with Alox that works OK and the least expensive way to get started.

You can often size bullets down .002 to .003 without hurting accuracy too bad. The .365 goes back in the pot something wrong here, maybe the mold wasn't all the way closed or a piece of lead hung up somewhere causing the mold to remain slightly open as you cast. PM me if you like there are some web sites that are devoted entirely to cast bullet shooting.

Good Luck
 
You should always size the bullets you cast. As mentioned above, the LEE bullet sizer die is good. Also consider putting gas checks on the bottom. then you don't have to worry about lube getting in contact with your powder and they cut down on leading. They are easy to install. I just put one under the bullet when sizing. I comes out the other end gaschecked. Some bullet molds come with a little shoulder at the base for the gascheck and others don't. I still put them on those that didn't have the little shoulder. They worked anyhow, but are easier with the shoulder.
 
The "Hardness" of the bullets you cast will also help in sizing. The more tin you add to the mix will make a bullet harder,and smaller. A softer mix,(less alloy) will cast bigger. The Lee ram sizers will do a good job,and you don't have to buy a sizer/luber to use them,just your press. As mentioned above gas checked bullets are easier to get along with,more so if you push them a little harder. On the mold blocks look for the letters GC as this indicates the bullet is made for gas checks. Ron
 
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The overall amount a bullet can be sized up or down is dependent on the design of the bullet you are trying to change the size on.

It has nothing to do with a gas check. And it has little if nothing to do with Tin in the bullet. Yes a harder(in Brinell hardnss)bullet will be tougher to size because of the nature of the alloy.

Gas checks are used when you are using "heavy" loads and you do not want the base of your bullet to be flame cut. They are totally unnecessary for bullets in lower velocitiy situations. GC's will also prevent leading in the higher velocities. IMO above 1600-1800 fps. I have pushed WW to 1800 fps without leading if the bullet is sized properly.

Sizing is more important to leading that GC's for most cast bullet shooting.

Tin is used to make your alloy "flow" better. It makes it easier for the alloy to flow into all the crevices. Tin is not used to make a bullet "harder". And you can't keep adding Tin to an alloy. About 5% Tin is optimum. Anything over 5% is just a waste of your Tin.

Antimony is what is used to make your alloy harder. That is why linotype is so popular to casters. It has a high % of antimony.

I never size more than .002. Possibly .003 for a bullet that has a special design. Antything more, then get the proper mold for the job. Tom.
 
I have sized down .003 but try to cast closer to the size I need.
I have molds from Veral Smith, NEI and Paul Jones that drop bullets I shoot as cast they drop bullets to the size I specd with my alloy, I usually go .001 over bore size.
They cost alittle more than RCBS, Lyman or Saeco but cast very round bullets of the correct size, although they still need lubed and unless you pan lube them you will still need a lube sizer and sizing die.
I use RCBS, Lyman and a old Magma/Star lubsizer that you just push the bullets straight through but it doesn't work that well for gas checks, but is much faster for large quantities of bullets.
 
Forgot to say, When I first started makeing my own bullets. I readup on it and mixed lead and tin/solder, (what a pain). I soon discovered that wheel weights make hard bullets without the added cost and hassel of mixing. Just melt it, clean the slag out and pour bullets. Caution, always work in a well ventilated area. You don't have to be shot by lead to be killed by it.
 
There is a possibility your gun may shoot the .358 just fine. The trick is making sure you aren't trying bullets undersized- that'll lead your barrel for sure.

Clean your barrel until you get every bit of jacketing material out of the barrel. Jacketing will lead your barrel since the lead sticks to it.

One thing you should do is push a pure lead slug thruogh the barrel which will tell you exactly the bore size. Use fishing sinkers for this. Make sure the sinker is bigger than your bore.

You may have to match the bullet to the size of your chamber. I have a 9mm sig that will not accept a case with more than 356 bullets. I have others that'll handle .358 bullets with no problem.

I have a Brit Enfield that has a freakishly large bore at .318. .308 to .311 will not shoot. The chamber lets me shoot 8mm cast bullets at .323 with ease to astounding results.

I've shot wheel wieghts through every centerfire gun I own. It's fun to experiment. You can get accuracy like you'd get with a jacketed bullet if you are willing to experiment. I can get full jacketed speed loads when I paper patch my cast bullets.

I use Lee sizers which cost around $12 to $14 on the web so the cost isn't too outrageous.

Here is the place for cast bullet info. There is more info here than you'll read in a lifetime.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php

If you are seriously thinking about it Midsouth shooters supply and Natchez has the latest Lyman cast bullet manual for $20.00. I'd seriously consider it since it is the most read gun book I own.

TED
 


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