I have 3 different lubri-sizers. I have a friend that is beginning to take a real interest in cast bullets for his 03' Springfield.
Unfortunately he wasn't in the position to order a $114 Lyman lubri-sizer from Midway. So I introduced him to the " old way " of doing things.
I use a lot of .30 cal. cast bullets that are sized .310 dia. Unfortunately Lee doesn't offer a .310 " Push Thru " sizing die for .30 cal. cast rifle bullets. So I ordered a .309 and opened it up to .310.
I bought a hot plate for $10, my wife was about to throw away a metal pan , so I grabbed that and said.." Hey, I need that ."
The Sizing die was $12.29 from Midway .
For someone on a limited budget , this is still a very effective way to size and lube .30 cal. cast rifle bullets ( and by using a " parent " case like a 35 Rem, for .35 cal. cast bullets, or a 444 Marlin Case for a .44 pistol bullet the system can easily be adapted to many other calibers other than .30 cal ) . Assuming you already have a .30 cal. mold, some bullet lube, and some gas checks, this equipment cost the sum total of $23.00.
Mis-alignment of the nose punch and the sizing die has ruined many hundreds of groups for me using Lube sizers like the Lyman 4500 until I really began to understand what a concentric bullet was. In my opinion , the nose 1st system of bullet sizing is
" THE WAY " to size bullets concentrically .
Photos below.....
In order to lube .30 cal. cast bullets , you'll need a
FIRED 30 / 30 case. The case should be a snug fit over your cast bullet that you've already sized to .310 " diameter.
Now, take a 16 penny nail and turn the head of the nail to about .295 dia. with a flat file and an electric drill so that the nail head fits in the neck of the fired 30-30 case. It should move freely in the neck of the case. Drill out the flash hole in the 30 / 30 cartridge case so that the 16 penny nail will slide freely through the hole. I then cut a piece of wooden dowel and fit it to the nail with a snug fit and a few drops of super glue. When the bullets sit in the molten lube , you cut the heat off, the lube will solidify. You need a way to get the bullets out of the solidified lube. This tool will accomplish that. This fired 30-30 case with the nail down the center makes me a " push rod " to eject the lubed bullet from the solidified lube.
The business end of the home made Kake cutter :
The $10 Elect. Hot Plate
The lube is melted in the metal pan and the bullets
that have already been sized to .310 are placed in the pan of liquid lube . You don't want your bullet lube excessively hot. Get it molten only.
Lube NOT smoking. If the bullets can sit in the hot lube for about 10 minutes before you cut the heat off, it greatly aids the bullet lube flowing into the lube grooves of the bullet.
Here is the finished product ready to load and shoot :
Here is what the bullets look like when they are removed from the cooled , solidified bullet lube with the " Kake Cutter " :
Next question is ,
will they shoot ? ?
I have a Custom Heavy Barrel , A & B, F-54 contour , stainless fluted , VZ 24 Mauser bench rifle chambered in .308 Win. that really likes the Lee 155 gr. , CE Harris bullet sized .310 , with 17.5 grs. of 2400 and a Fed 210 primer. The bullet is seated into the lands so that light engraving occurs upon chambering . This group was fired at 50 yards with the bullets that you see , 5 shots with a .22 rim fire case for size comparison purposes :