Opening up sizing dies.

Shooter ----/

Shooter ----/

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Just wanting to know if anyone has opened up their Lee sizing die and would be interested in opening one up for a guy? I've got the Lee .356 and I'd like it opened to .359 - .3599 My barrel slugs at .357 and I'd like to be over by .002 to .0029.

Now I'm not just wanting it drilled out. lol. I'm looking for a niced polished finish just as you would do to your own sizers. I'd be willing to ship it to you and send you some beer money for your time.

Also, if anyone is interested in offering a service like this, this would be a great place to put your name out there and have the mods make this a sticky.

Thanks!
 
Shooter ----/ said:
Just wanting to know if anyone has opened up their Lee sizing die and would be interested in opening one up for a guy? I've got the Lee .356 and I'd like it opened to .359 - .3599 My barrel slugs at .357 and I'd like to be over by .002 to .0029.

Now I'm not just wanting it drilled out. lol. I'm looking for a niced polished finish just as you would do to your own sizers. I'd be willing to ship it to you and send you some beer money for your time.

Also, if anyone is interested in offering a service like this, this would be a great place to put your name out there and have the mods make this a sticky.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have opened up a few. I have a .358 i can open up o 359 and would do a swap for your .356 if your interested.

If you want to try it yourself.

[youtube]IEa2jeV-BKs[/youtube]
 
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They are mild steel, you can do it yourself without power tools. Try your google-fu and you should be able to turn up the posts on sites like castboolits with lots of good ways to do it. From wrapping sand paper/emery cloth around a dowel and rolling the die back and forth while holding the dowel to a rod with a slot in a drill to spin sandpaper/emery cloth. Do a little then size a bullet and measure it. Go till you're where you want to be. Use progressively finer grit ending up at 1000-2000 and you'll have a nice smooth shiny finish.
 
I did mine after watching the above video a while ago, works fine. I cheated and used a little fine valve grinding compound on my sandpaper, a bit quicker. Shooter, if you want some compound can send you some in the mail, it doesn't take much.
 
supernova said:
They are mild steel, you can do it yourself without power tools. Try your google-fu and you should be able to turn up the posts on sites like castboolits with lots of good ways to do it. From wrapping sand paper/emery cloth around a dowel and rolling the die back and forth while holding the dowel to a rod with a slot in a drill to spin sandpaper/emery cloth. Do a little then size a bullet and measure it. Go till you're where you want to be. Use progressively finer grit ending up at 1000-2000 and you'll have a nice smooth shiny finish.
Click to expand...

While I do appreciate you pointing out how to do it, I was looking for people with experience at doing such a job to get the results I was looking for without having to procure more items to clutter my work bench. f55's offer to do a swap with a sizer that is within my specs is a good deal for both of us, I hope.

Thanks f55, I will be in touch in a day or three to get something worked out with you.
 
I've made a couple of sizing dies for people, mostly prototypes but you can ask user Lutnit how his works. I tried opening up a lee die for him and the reamer told me in no uncertain terms that it was hard.

Now I make a hardened sleeve and press it in to a die body. Works great.
 
I make mine from scratch out of drill rod. Lee sizers can be taken out to a larger size, they are not mild steel!!! Case hardened mild steel maybe but they are hard. Going to start experimenting with hardened sleeves, will be much easier to make and maintain.
Be well
 
Yup, just bore out some 7/8 threaded rod to suit your bushing and press it in. Works like a charm. Once I(probably soon) get a turret lathe I may set up to make a bunch of bodies up for future dies.
 
That's a good idea, using a holder body. The die only would need to be about as long as the bullet so easy to bore in the lathe and then a bit of lapping to put a final finish on it. One could use a set screw to hold it into the body, the screw would need to go into a non critical area of the die so it did not change the shape/size. I may make one of these for myself!
 
If you want to have interchangeable inserts you could always add a threaded collar to the bottom to retain the bushing. It is a bit more machining but then you could have a universal body and interchangeable inserts. May be worth pursuing when I get set up.
 
I like NOE's set up it were i got the idea. I am thinking with the right endmill/counterbore it will be a breeze. I got a bunch of drill rod bits for the sizer bushings. I dont think i will need set screws, just a smeck of boolit lube will hold the bushing fast since all the force will be upward. I have worn a few of the lee sizers out, alignment of the pusher was out. I have tried treaded rod and bolts but they dont last and their are ususally issues with set up, so i began to make them from scratch. Takes a while to get them perfect, but the results on paper make worth while for me.
be well
 
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