Sizing Question

deerhunter_ny · July 7, 2017, 07:30 AM

Hi all,
I'm casting LBT .44 cal. I ordered my mold at .432" (as per Veral's instructions) which is my cylinder throat diameter. The muzzle on my Ruger SBH measures about .4305-.431". I can't find a sizer at .432".Would it be an issue to size at .431" or would that cause a leading problem? Thanks

Chainsaw. · July 7, 2017, 09:50 AM

Would be to small in my mind.

What are your cast bullets coming out at? Good chance you dont even need to size.

My 44 shoots fantastic with out sizing.

deerhunter_ny · July 7, 2017, 10:55 AM

Haven't cast any yet. Veral Smith guarantees they will drop out between .001-.0015" over ordered dimensions.

Chainsaw. · July 7, 2017, 11:45 AM

Short of casting them ridiculously hard I'd shoot a few first. I bet they shoot great. Your forcing cone will take care of any over size or out of round issues.

If they dont shoot well you could always buy a 431 sizer and lap it out to 432 with some lapping compound.

gwpercle · July 11, 2017, 07:08 PM

I'm late to this post but I would like to add, just because a bullet sizing die is marked say .410 or .413 don't take it literally at face value.
My Lyman H die marked .410 sizes them to .41175...rounded off = .412
My Lyman H die marked .413 sizes them to .41245 ...rounded off =.412

I wanted a .412 size and both dies which should have had a difference of .003 in real life have a difference of .0007...that's not much of a difference at all.
All of this was to say measure them before doing anything...and slug the throats and bores because it's like a box of chocolates....you don't know what you're going to get.
Gary

deerhunter_ny · July 22, 2017, 04:16 PM

Ok so I cast 70 bullets. Weight was nearly perfect...260gr mold and they all weighed in at 260.2gr....BUT.... LBT made me a .432" mold (which I asked for) and all 70 bullets came out between .437"-.438". The only thing Veral told me was to grip it tighter. So I tried again and 60 more came out between .433"-.435".

Chainsaw. · July 22, 2017, 07:15 PM

Perfect. Load a few, so long as they chamber shoot em.

Mike / Tx · July 23, 2017, 05:25 AM

Do you have an idea what temp the alloy your pouring is running??

Casting can be a trial and effort thing. Molds are usually happy in a certain temp range. Heating up or cooling down the alloy does give different sizes of bullets. Try heating it up to around 725-750 and see what size they drop. Might also just try casting faster till you just start to see frosty bullets.

Hope that helps.

deerhunter_ny · July 25, 2017, 05:28 AM

The bullets that look the best (nice sharp edges,dead flat base,etc) were the largest at .435"-.4355" and I can't size them. I really don't know what's going but I guess I'll melt it all down and keep trying.

Sure Shot Mc Gee · July 26, 2017, 08:32 AM

this
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.p...uppnv42ekgh1d6

or contact this fellow (below) and have a Lee type push-thru resizer made which is about 1/2 the price of the one (above)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/memb...206-lathesmith

Chainsaw. · July 26, 2017, 10:26 AM

Have you loaded any?

You really dont need to chase perfect sizing for a revolver.

deerhunter_ny · July 26, 2017, 06:13 PM

No I haven't loaded any as they are .003" too big to go through the sizer. My throats measure .432" so .001"-.0015 " would be ok to size but not .003".

Chainsaw. · July 27, 2017, 07:26 AM

Thats what Im saying. Load a bullet into a case, put it in the cylinder, if it fits without issue they do not need to be sized.

reddog81 · July 27, 2017, 06:03 PM

Are you lubing these bullets? .003 should be easy to size - I'm not sure why you would think otherwise. Over .004 becomes a problem. .002 is about perfect.

If the loaded rounds fit into the cylinder, using them as is shouldn't cause any problems. Although it is generally thought that a consistent size does help with accuracy.

July 7, 2017, 07:30 AM	#1
deerhunter_ny Junior Member Join Date: July 6, 2017 Posts: 6	Sizing Question Hi all, I'm casting LBT .44 cal. I ordered my mold at .432" (as per Veral's instructions) which is my cylinder throat diameter. The muzzle on my Ruger SBH measures about .4305-.431". I can't find a sizer at .432".Would it be an issue to size at .431" or would that cause a leading problem? Thanks

July 7, 2017, 09:50 AM	#2
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Would be to small in my mind. What are your cast bullets coming out at? Good chance you dont even need to size. My 44 shoots fantastic with out sizing. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

July 7, 2017, 11:45 AM	#4
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Short of casting them ridiculously hard I'd shoot a few first. I bet they shoot great. Your forcing cone will take care of any over size or out of round issues. If they dont shoot well you could always buy a 431 sizer and lap it out to 432 with some lapping compound. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

July 22, 2017, 07:15 PM	#7
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Perfect. Load a few, so long as they chamber shoot em. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

July 23, 2017, 05:25 AM	#8
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Do you have an idea what temp the alloy your pouring is running?? Casting can be a trial and effort thing. Molds are usually happy in a certain temp range. Heating up or cooling down the alloy does give different sizes of bullets. Try heating it up to around 725-750 and see what size they drop. Might also just try casting faster till you just start to see frosty bullets. Hope that helps. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

July 7, 2017, 10:55 AM	#3
deerhunter_ny Junior Member Join Date: July 6, 2017 Posts: 6	Haven't cast any yet. Veral Smith guarantees they will drop out between .001-.0015" over ordered dimensions.

July 11, 2017, 07:08 PM	#5
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	I'm late to this post but I would like to add, just because a bullet sizing die is marked say .410 or .413 don't take it literally at face value. My Lyman H die marked .410 sizes them to .41175...rounded off = .412 My Lyman H die marked .413 sizes them to .41245 ...rounded off =.412 I wanted a .412 size and both dies which should have had a difference of .003 in real life have a difference of .0007...that's not much of a difference at all. All of this was to say measure them before doing anything...and slug the throats and bores because it's like a box of chocolates....you don't know what you're going to get. Gary

July 22, 2017, 04:16 PM	#6
deerhunter_ny Junior Member Join Date: July 6, 2017 Posts: 6	Ok so I cast 70 bullets. Weight was nearly perfect...260gr mold and they all weighed in at 260.2gr....BUT.... LBT made me a .432" mold (which I asked for) and all 70 bullets came out between .437"-.438". The only thing Veral told me was to grip it tighter. So I tried again and 60 more came out between .433"-.435".

July 25, 2017, 05:28 AM	#9
deerhunter_ny Junior Member Join Date: July 6, 2017 Posts: 6	The bullets that look the best (nice sharp edges,dead flat base,etc) were the largest at .435"-.4355" and I can't size them. I really don't know what's going but I guess I'll melt it all down and keep trying.

July 26, 2017, 08:32 AM	#10
Sure Shot Mc Gee Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,876	this http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.p...uppnv42ekgh1d6 or contact this fellow (below) and have a Lee type push-thru resizer made which is about 1/2 the price of the one (above) http://castboolits.gunloads.com/memb...206-lathesmith

July 26, 2017, 10:26 AM	#11
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Have you loaded any? You really dont need to chase perfect sizing for a revolver. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

July 26, 2017, 06:13 PM	#12
deerhunter_ny Junior Member Join Date: July 6, 2017 Posts: 6	No I haven't loaded any as they are .003" too big to go through the sizer. My throats measure .432" so .001"-.0015 " would be ok to size but not .003".

July 27, 2017, 07:26 AM	#13
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	Thats what Im saying. Load a bullet into a case, put it in the cylinder, if it fits without issue they do not need to be sized. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

July 27, 2017, 06:03 PM	#14
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	Are you lubing these bullets? .003 should be easy to size - I'm not sure why you would think otherwise. Over .004 becomes a problem. .002 is about perfect. If the loaded rounds fit into the cylinder, using them as is shouldn't cause any problems. Although it is generally thought that a consistent size does help with accuracy.