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Posted: 4/10/2012 10:08:00 AM EDT
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I getting reading to do my first try at resizing some bullets.......I have some .458 350gr jacketed soft points I want to try.
I have two Lee resizing dies a .454 for the first pass and a .451 for the second. I am using the Lee resizing lube.........Do I need to relube the bullets after the first pass before running them thru the second die? |
| The need for more lube will depend on what kind of lube you use. Trial and error is best. You may have considered this, but when you resize jacketed bullets you can get a situation where the lead core is no longer in full contact with the copper alloy jacket. If you size the bullet down the jacket will spring back a little more than the core causing a little separation. If you fire the bullet in a rifle, you may notice a big loss in accuracy. Bullet is no longer concentric. If fired at short range in a pistol, not so much. Again, trial and error will tell the tale. |
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+1 to the above, but watch for a thick brass or or copper ring like in a Partition or one of those monolithic type bullets. That may not swage very well with a Lee die.
You won't get into trouble with too much lube, but you will with too little. Those Lee dies may need a bit of polishing before using them, but for the price it is hard to complain. Your typical conventional jacket bullet will swage down easily. Sounds like a good plan. I swage .338 bullets down to .329 in one step. I would like to do this in two steps, but Lee does not have an intermediate size on the shelf. |
| I have a Czech VZ52 pistol in 7.62 Tokerev. For years I couldn't get 30 caliber pistol bullets, so I sized .32 cal jacketed revolver bullets using a Lee cast bullet sizing die. I easily sized them from .312 down to .308, and used Lee lube. The sized jacketed bullets proved just as accurate as dedicated .308 pistol bullets. Believe me, it works, at least in some cases. |
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Quoted: lee sizer is for all lead bullets, NOT jacketed bullets. That was the manufacturers intent for sure. But reloaders tend to experiment, and use them for jacketed bullets also. Have you ever heard of wet tumbling with SS media? One of the most popular tumblers used was designed as a rock polisher. Now it's become the vehicle to deliver the brass case bling. |
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I use a .308 bullet sizing die to resize 32 cal (.312) jacketed hollow points to use in my .30 carbine varmint loads. Cheap bullets, the right weight and shape for the carbine that I can buy off the shelf. Works like a charm, accuracy is just fine, and you can't find bullets with better terminal performance out of the carbine.
ETA: For those interested, Hornady 100 Grain .312 XTP's, swaged down to .308, loaded to a COL of ~1.58". Started with a standard starting load for a 110 grain FMJ and worked up from there, with a slight factory crimp from the Lee FCD. Feeds like ball ammo, much to my surprise. |
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