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 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 .
Let's assume you're wanting to pan lube some .30 cal. .310 dia. cast bullets.
You'll need a
FIRED 30 / 30 empty cartridge case that is a snug fit over your .310 bullet. Take a 16 penny nail and turn the head of the nail to about .295 dia. I then cut a piece of wood dowel and make me a " push rod " to eject the lubed bullet from the solidified lube. Drill out the flash hole in the 30 / 30 cartridge case so that the 16 penny nail will slide freely through the hole.
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 :
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 Hvy. 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 :