lee lube and size kit

[gomerdog]

A question for those who cast: I have 1000 Oregon Trail 170 gr. RNFP cast bullets coming. They are cast to allow a gas check to be installed. I would like to use the Hornady gas checks and the Lee Lube and Size kits, but am unsure which one to order. They are available in .308, .309. and .311. Can I install the gas checks witlhout sizing the bullets? The bullets come from OT sized at .310 and I'd like to keep them that way. Can I use the .311 kit? Thanks for any advice.

Jeff

[fernie]

Jeff,

I don't have a specific answer to your question. 

However, I have phoned Lee with my own inquiries.  At those times they have gladly hooked me up with one of their engineers when I've had a technical question.  Nice folks to deal with.  Good luck! 

Doc

[coyotejoe]

You need to size the gas check to the same diameter as the bullet body, otherwise when you seat the bullet the oversize gas check will expand the case mouth and the bullet will be loose. I'm using the Lee sizer in .309" to seat gas checks on the Laser Cast 170s for my 30/30 and it works fine for that and they shoot well from my .308" bore.

[gomerdog]

I'm going to use them in my Handi, as well. I have shot some of the same bullet without the gas checks at low velocity, but I was wanting to use a gas check so I could up the velocity to around 1800. I'm hoping that sizing them to .309 won't effect accuracy at all, because without gas checks they are vey accurate at about 1100 fps.

Also the OT bullets are already lubed. Do I need to put on more of the Alox lube that comes with the size kit?

Thanks for the replies.

[coyotejoe]

No need for lube, just seat the gas checks. Take some care to get them started on straight, if they are a bit cocked out of square then forcing them through the sizer will shave lead off one side of the bullet base. You can experiment with running them through nose first or base first, which I prefer, but see what works best for you and most importantly, what shoots best in your rifle. Even with rather warm loads you will likely find they shoot well below your jacketed bullet loads, I don't know why but I've never gotten cast bullets to shoot to the same zero as jacketed bullets at the same velocity.