Sizing and lubricating Cast Bullets -what brands?

[riomedinamike]

I've been reloading 20+ years, but I have never cast my own bullets. I was just given several five gallon buckets of wheelweights I intend to use for pistol reloading. I understand pretty well the melting and casting part, but I need advice on the sizing and lubing of the cast bullets as well as what to buy.

From what I can tell, Lyman, RCBS, Redding/Saeco, and Lee make sizing products.

What brands do you recommend? If I buy a Lyman sizing die, can you use the Redding Saeco sizing press? Or are you limited to Lyman dies with a Lyman press?

I also don't quite understand how you get the lube into the sizing die.

Finally, I also don't understand how the "top punch" works - do you have to buy a Lyman top punch for a Lyman sizing die? Or again can you mix brands?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[rcmodel]

Lyman & RCBS dies & top punches are interchangeable & exactly the same.
Can't comment on Redding/Saeco.

The stick lube is applied under pressure through holes in the die.

The top-punch is matched to the bullet nose shape & or mold number, and is what pushes the bullet, base first, into the sizing die without marking it.

As the bullet nears the bottom of the die, the ejector rod inside the die uncovers the lube ports and the grease grooves are filled under pressure.

The lube stick reservoir has a threaded piston on top of the lube and you use a little ratchet wrench to turn it down every couple of bullets to maintain pressure on the lube as it is used up.

rcmodel

 

[snuffy]

RC, that's about the best description I've ever seen about sizing/lubing!

Mike, I have the older lyman 450 lube/sizer, didn't know Redding made a luber. You forgot one, the star. It's totally different from the rest, it sizes nose first and pushes straight through, so no nose punch is needed. But, they're expensive.

Lee is also a different idea, their sizer simply involves pushing a bullet straight through a die to squeeze it down to size. However there's no provision for filling the lube grooves. Their answer to that is LLA or lee liquid alox. It can be applied by tumbling the boolits in a bowl, then passing through the sizer. Or by dipping the boolit up to the crimp groove, then letting them dry before sizing. Lee also makes what they call tumble lube molds that are made to not normally require sizing. Simply tumble lube them and load,(after allowing the lube to dry).

 

[ReloaderFred]

I have every brand of sizer-lubricator, and rcmodel gave you good advice.

The Redding-Seaco is the better of the sizers you mentioned, but takes top punches and sizing dies made specifically for it. The side handle operation of the Seaco is easier when sizing large amounts of bullets, in my opinion.

The Lyman and RCBS dies differ only in the number of lube holes in the actual dies. The RCBS mostly only have one set of holes, while the Lyman have several sets. You adjust the number of lube grooves lubed by the depth of the stop. The further the bullet goes into the die, the more lube grooves that are exposed to lube. After sizing and lubing, then the handle is lifted and the bullet is removed, and replaced by the next one, etc.

My preference is the Star sizer-lubricator, of which I have four. They are the top of the line, and consequently, cost more. They make up for it by being much faster to use. The later Star machines, which are now made by Magma Engineering, in Queen Creek, Arizona, don't use a nose punch for each style of bullet. Since the Star pushes the bullet straight through the die, and out the bottom, as opposed to the up and down motion of the others, the bullets can be fed into the die nose first and a simple flat punch is used to push on the base of the bullet. The next bullet pushes the preceeding one out the bottom of the die. The lube reservoir takes a solid stick of lube, rather than the hollow stick of the Lyman and RCBS machines. The pressure piston is spring loaded and you only have to adjust the pressure about every 50 rounds or so, depending on the bullet and lube used.

If this all sounds like too much work or expense, just let me know where I can pick up those 5 gallon buckets of wheelweights and I'll simplify your life for you...........

Hope this helps.

Fred