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From: bercov@bevsun.bev.lbl.gov (John Bercovitz)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: PRODUCT WARNING FOLLOWUP
Message-ID: <35007@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 29 May 91 16:24:36 GMT
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In article <34979@mimsy.umd.edu> gmk@falstaff.mae.cwru.edu (Geoff Kotzar) writes:
#I regularly size cast bullets down .008-.009 inch without
#trouble, so I don't believe what Lyman has told you. To
#use Lee's 350 and 405 .458 slugs in my Casull I have to
#reduce their diameters from .460 to .451 and my Lyman 450
#does the job just fine in steps of .003 inches. The only
#times I have had the problem you describe is when I have 
#put a new sizing die in the press.
#
#An air pocket would sometimes develop which would prevent
#the lube from getting in the die and only the packing grease
#would be present to ease the passage of the first few bullets.
#Once I really cranked down on the lube reservoir and got the
#bullet lube into the die body things straightened right out.
#There have been two occasions in recent memory that I would
#have sworn that I had ruined a sizing die and strained the
#press for all it was worth.

I pushed the bullet ejector down and pre-lubed the die by
cranking on the lube handle, so I know I had plenty of lube.
(Messy but effective.)  Besides, the problem was still
occurring 150 bullets later when I gave up.  What could be
different between your set up and mine?  The alloy?  Are
you using Lyman #2 alloy (5 Sn, 5 Sb, 90 Pb)?  The fellow at
Lyman didn't say anything about the age of the press - mine's
about 20 years old - he just flat out said that .003 was too
much for the press with #2 alloy and a bullet that big.  I 
wonder if your press is newer/hardier somehow?  My brand
of lube is Javelina Alox/beeswax; I presume that's as good
as any other in regards to this problem?

Another fellow mailed me a reply in which he stated that when
he sizes down .003", he pre-lubes the bullets with liquid
Alox or similar product to avert this problem.  I'm definitely
going to give that a try with the next batch I cast up.

If that fails, I'll get one of those Lee dies which work in
one's reloading press, hone it out to .402/.403, and pre-
size them that way (also using liquid Alox).  The Lee dies
are so rough that you have to hone them anyway if you have
any pride in your tools.  Fortunately, Lee dies are tight
and leave plenty of room for clean up.

Thanks very much for the reply relating your experiences.

    JHBercovitz@lbl.gov    (John Bercovitz)