LEE sizer die

I am pretty sure I had read of it being done by rolling that sizer back and forth on a flat surface - with a rod wrapped with emory paper inside - you are looking at gaining 0.008" to 0.010" diameter - not sure that I have heard of anyone going that far - but if you can get 0.001" - just time and stubborn to eventually get to 0.010", I would think? That is presuming that you will be doing all manually - that you do not have access to drill press, mill or lathe - in those cases, I would be tempted to try with some sort of round conical grinding stone first? Not real certain what Lee uses as the "sizer" - if that is a tungsten carbide insert or a hardened steel insert. I have one in 0.311" and then was able to buy one in 0.314" - else I was seriously considering to try to open up that 0.311" one - so I never actually tried to do it.

I do not know about these days, but at one time you could get Lee to make "custom" sizes for various of their tooling - I think was Rusty Wood (in B.C. ?) that was trying to help me to get a Lee Crimp die for 9.3x57 - which Lee did not list as a "standard" thing - was going to be a commotion and some time delay before I would see it.
 
I think you will find that those sizing punches are hardened and will be difficult to grind larger and keep round.
Rusty Wood has them in stock and he shipped it to me for $6.00 in a bubble mailer
LEE # 91592 - CUST BULSZR&PNCH .460 $ 20.25

Contact them and see. Hope that helps
 
I'll give him a ring most places just throw small stuff in $20 box now $25 thanx to postal rate increases.
 
Drill ,split dowel and emery cloth. The sizing area is in the middle of the die as a .458 bullet enters either side easily sticking mid-ship.
 
Yes - going on the two here - 0.311" and 0.314" - as if most of the sizing body has extra clearance inside.

Looking with eye-ball and flash light - might be simply a taper machined into the bottom end - then hardened (?) at desired diameter - as if start of that taper large enough to accept oversize diameter or not round cast bullet - squishes to size as bullet is pushed up - not really seeing a discrete "ring" insert for sizing - upper area beyond the sizing area is MUCH larger diameter, so is possible, I suppose that an insert could have been pressed down from the top?

If you were going to try to modify what you have - I think I would try to find a round smooth metal rod - say double the length of that die - roll back and forth with emory cloth wrapped around that rod - make rod long enough to act as "handles" sticking out each end - more likely to be able to keep straight, while rolling back and forth (?) I never did such a thing, but most definitely sounds like something that I would try to do.

I am not sure if the bottom of 0.452" sizing die has enough diameter to accept a 0.460"-0.462" diameter bullet? I think you have to start with something over size or not round - not sure I know how to make smaller diameter bullet into larger diameter. Maybe could be made to be "fatter" by making it shorter with a bench vise or similar, first?

Also, I am not sure how close the punch thing needs to be to bore size for the sizer - maybe you end up needing a new size punch after making sizer larger hole? I would likely turn one on my metal lathe - or try to - maybe you have access to such resource?
 
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Also - be aware - some years ago those Lee Bullet Sizing "kits" came with a container of Lee Lube - "Liquid Alox", I think it was called - no more lube in the "new" packages - and that might have been so for last several years, despite what some ad pictures might still show. So if you want / need that lube for sizing bullets, have to buy that separately, now.
 
Good info on the sizer die shape, tfs
looking to open one up, likely a Lee classic .376 out to .380
Lyman has a .380 but for their own or RCBS lube/sizer, I'm trying a cheaper route
 
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