Too much sizing?

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Ike Clanton

New member
I need my cast Bullets (10 BHN) at .459 for my 458 Socom. As cast they come out at .465. After powder coating they are almost .470. They resize fine and pass the smash test but I still feel uneasy resizing that much so should I resize before and after powder coat?
 
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Ike Clanton

New member
No idea I bought them as unsized from GT bullets. 400 grain hollow point. Wishing I had ordered them as sized but I was afraid there’d be residual lube left from the sizing process and didn’t want that.
 
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mehavey

New member
OK... what FrankenMauser said. Size/PC/Size

Since you're never going to get a 6-thou reduction in size without lube, use it.
Then boil the lube off.


This works for any lube -- hard or soft:
1. One drop dish soap/1 quart of water. Boil 5 min. Pour off.
2. One drop dish soap/1 quart of water. Boil 5 min. Pour off (again)
3. Rinse in clean hot water.
4. Dry. (Swish around in some rubbing alcohol if you must)

Shake & Bake PC as usual.
 
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reddog81

New member
Do the bullets have driving bands? Are the driving bands being smeared and wiped out when sizing?

Is there a piece of flashing hanging off the base of the bullet when done?

Are you sure you're measuring correctly? PC shouldn't add that much diameter.
 
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Ike Clanton

New member
Yea they have driving bands and I have successfully sized them back from .470 down to .459 without too much force in the sizer. The powder coat stayed on but was slightly dull where it contacted the die. I believe I measuring correctly I’m using digital calipers on the driving bands. I know the powder coat added way more thickness than I planned but I don’t know how to get the coat any thinner. And it’s passing the smash test so I’m reluctant to change anything.
 
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Ike Clanton

New member
And yea there is minor flashing at the base after sizing. I just went out and sized a few bare lead Bullets and there was some minor flashing I could knock off with my finger. Maybe because I’m sizing them dry
 
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mehavey

New member
Powder coat easily adds 2-thou in radius.
a 465 --> 470 dimension change is predictable.

But don't size them dry -- use some case lube every coupla bullets
 
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Ike Clanton

New member
Quick question regarding boiling my soft cast Bullets. I boiled for 5 minutes with dish soap twice then immediately rinsed they off. Did I essentially just “quench” them and possibly have raised their hardness? I’m hoping not because I want them to stay around 10bhn to expand at subsonic speeds.
 
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dahermit

New member
Ike Clanton said:
Quick question regarding boiling my soft cast Bullets. I boiled for 5 minutes with dish soap twice then immediately rinsed they off. Did I essentially just “quench” them and possibly have raised their hardness? I’m hoping not because I want them to stay around 10bhn to expand at subsonic speeds.
Click to expand...
Boiling water is not hot enough to enable heat treating of your lead alloy.
 
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