Casting without resizing?

greg11

greg11

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I currently cast .45ACP using a lee pot and a lee mold. Turns out all my bullets are coming in at .453 or .452. Either way, they all budge my brass when I attempt to load them. So, I'm forced to resize, which I don't mind doing, but I'm wondering if there is a mold maybe a couple sizes down where I won't have to resize. Skipping that step would be awesome.

But reloading 1000 rounds of .45ACP for $81 ain't bad, either... HAHA.
 
If you want consistent accuracy you're going to need to resize. Cast bullets will vary in diameter due to the fact that it is pretty near impossible to maintain exact temperatures in either the casting pot or the mould and temperature variations will give you inconsistent bullet diameters. Bullets that are too oversize will not chamber. I use Lee push through sizing dies and they are not just cheap but also very fast. It's just part and parcel of casting your own.

The only way to get consistent bullet diameters without resizing is to swage the bullets but then you're into a whole new (and expensive) ball game.
 
I do it for some rounds, but I mostly size and lube at the same time (Lyman 4500).

Shouldnt be a huge issue if they drop at the same diameter from each cavity and it's not massively oversized.
 
Most resized pistol brass will bulge a bit when the bullet is seated. Reducing the diameter of the bullet for cosmetic reasons will result in poor accuracy.
 
I don't shoot pistol but with my 45-70 a bulged case means a nice fat boolit and that leads to great accuracy for me. If it cycles and chambers and is accurate would not worrie.
 
One of my best bullets is lee's 124tclt in 9mm. It goes from the mold for a nice tumble in 45/45/10 and shoots great! I was told I would HAVE TO SIZE if I wanted accuracy. I believed this until I tried it for my self. I haven't looked back.
 
It's weird, I've never heard that sizing leads to accuracy before. Most of what I've read and heard from old time casters is unsized, over-sized bullets are the most accurate. For long range you want to weigh the bullets to make sure they are consistent in weight but whether they are .001" over-sized or .004" over-sized doesn't really matter.
 
LUTNIT said:
It's weird, I've never heard that sizing leads to accuracy before. Most of what I've read and heard from old time casters is unsized, over-sized bullets are the most accurate. For long range you want to weigh the bullets to make sure they are consistent in weight but whether they are .001" over-sized or .004" over-sized doesn't really matter.
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Does it make sense that accuracy is enhanced by greater deviation? Common sense dictates that oversized bullets will lead to greater chamber pressures (bullet has to be squeezed smaller to travel down the bore). Will varying chamber pressures increase accuracy? That doesn't seem logical. For all the people saying that they get good accuracy without sizing the bullets, those observations are only valid if they have compared sized to unsized with all other factors being equal (same powder charge, same primers, same cases, some OAL, etc.). Also, comparing shooting an unsized and sized bullet at short distances like 25-50 yards proves very little. To get a true picture of whether sizing really has a positive effect one would have to shoot at longer distances so variables like diameter & velocity have a chance to fully maximize their effect. I can probably run just about as fast as Usain Bolt for maybe 3 yards. That doesn't mean I'll be going to the next Olympics (unless they introduce the 3 yard dash) :dancingbanana:.

And while I don't want to be disrespectful of the old time casters, not everything they did was necessarily right, best or even safe. If it was then component companies have wasted an awful lot of years researching improved powders, bullets, primer chemistry and case metallurgy.

Lastly, I resize because it also allows me to pick out bullets that come out of the moulds undersize (usually when the moulds are not hot enough). These are bullets that go through the sizer with no resistance. I think everyone will agree that undersize bullets are a guarantee of poor accuracy. If you shoot bullets unsized you are certain to encounter some of these, and hopefully not when you need to shoot that final 10 to win the match.
 
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I always size mine through a Lee push through sizer as well. Cheap, effective, and it ensures that every boolit is the right size. Like Ted said above, it also ensures that any undersized boolits can get weeded out, as undersized lead projectiles will usually cause poor accuracy and bad leading. And I always take casting and reloading advice with a grain of salt. Just because something works for one old timer in his rifle or pistol, doesn't mean it'll work (or be safe!!!) in mine.
 
slicknova said:
One of my best bullets is lee's 124tclt in 9mm. It goes from the mold for a nice tumble in 45/45/10 and shoots great! I was told I would HAVE TO SIZE if I wanted accuracy. I believed this until I tried it for my self. I haven't looked back.
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Sounds like you got lucky! It happens some times. They probably drop from the mold 1-2 thou over grove diameter of your 9mm.

If this were not the case, or if your mold was slightly out of round you would have to size or suffer either leading (too small) or chambering problems (too large)
 
Diameter of bullet coming out of the mold, and how much it will shrink as it cools depends on the alloy. If one is using inconsistent alloy, some bullets will require sizing, some will barely touch the walls of you sizer. For best accuracy, consistency is key. It is better to come 0.001 or 0.002 bigger than your sizer and alway size...
 
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