Lyman 450 issues

Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
A nose punch that is perfectly flat may work with your bullet that you have illustrated in your OP.

I have several flat nose punches that I use with flat nose bullets.
They never are sized " Off Center ".
 
358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
Ricks giving it to you straight. Try a flat faced top punch with your existing sizer. Its just an alignment issue.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I spent a few K and bought a lathe. My dies now cost me just material. I now have 15 or so, I only had 5 when I bought them. I keep telling myself the cost of the lathe doesn't matter.........

I agree with Rick, it is an alignment issue. They just like to size off center due to alignment issues.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
waco said:
Could I run them through the Lee first and then the Lyman, or would I still get the same result?
And I only use flat top punches by the way.
Click to expand...

He only uses flat top punches. That rules that out.

Try seeing if you can find a way to improve alignment with what you have. Sometimes it is how you do things that matters.
 
waco

waco

Springfield, Oregon
I'
Brad said:
Try seeing if you can find a way to improve alignment with what you have. Sometimes it is how you do things that matters.
Click to expand...
I'll play around with it.
Thank you everyone for the fast input. You guys never disappoint.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Rick said:
On the Star I hold the bullet base up against the flat punch and ease it into the die. Straight.
Click to expand...

THIS. Even with the Lee dies, finger-guiding the bullet makes a lot of difference.

The only Lyman that's worth a hoot is the 45 IMO, the linkage of the others puts lateral force on the ram and always seem to force the bullet in crooked. That's why I got rid of the rest and accumulated four of the antiques. I also use Tom's flat top punches on almost everything and shim the die in the base as required with little strips of brass shim stock to ensure that they're perfectly in-line with the ram. Further, the less you size the bullet, the better.
 
waco

waco

Springfield, Oregon
image.jpeg So I decided to try to size and install gas checks using the Lee sizing dies. That was a nightmare. The first thing I did was use the nifty tool that Brad made me to flare of the gas checks. Trying to run gas check bullets nose first through that sizing die prove to be a bad idea. I tried about six or seven bullets and everyone of them the gas check got screwed up and put on crooked. What I ended up doing was barely running the base of the bullet into my Lyman 450 just enough to seat and crimp the gas check then I finish sizing the bullet in the Lee sizing die. This proved to be a good method to put the gas checks on squarely and the bullet sized properly. These are rolled in three coats of Ben's liquid lube and will be loaded over 29 grains of H4895.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Lee sizer may need a little more taper at the bottom to let the check go in easier. I make my sizers that way.

Those look to have the checks on square and that is what matters. Bet they shoot well.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
BLL dries in under half an hour indoors if there's any air movement at all. A small fan blowing across from a few feet away will dry them in five minutes.

I've always had trouble trying to check in a push-through die. The only way that has ever really worked out is the Lyman 45 with check seater installed, or an arbor press.

Powder coat and you won't need those gas checks. Just sayin'.
 
waco

waco

Springfield, Oregon
Ian. How fast have you pushed a plain base(non gas check) bullet that has PC on the base?
 
3

300BLK

Well-Known Member
I have no real alignment issues with my 450s, but I do leave the die lock ring backed off slightly, and stick the top punch into the ram with some bullet lube. This allows the die and top punch to flloat a little.
 
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