Author Topic: best cast bullet sizer?  (Read 2359 times)

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Offline marine

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best cast bullet sizer?
« on: November 23, 2011, 03:17:52 AM »
  Hi everyone.  I know almost nothing about bullet casting so i decided to come here and ask for some opinions.  My dad wants a cast bullet sizer and we really dont know which would be the best between Lyman 4500 or RCBS lube-a-matic?  I want to make this a christmas present for him and it will need to be around for a very long time.  I did see that the lyman has a tendancy to leak lube everywhere and just be messy.  Can the RCBS use the lyman heating element?  Thanks in advance  -Steve

Offline bulletstuffer

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2011, 03:28:19 AM »
Marine,
 
I've been using the rcbs lube sizer for years.  I have gone through about 20 sticks of lbt blue soft and no heater is needed with this lube.  I have been happy with this unit.
 
Good luck,
 
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Offline Flash

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2011, 05:06:30 AM »
The RCBS uses a rubber "O" ring as a seal in the lube plunger, which works fine but the Lyman uses a leather cup, sandwiched in steel washers, that is unless they changed so my choice would be the RCBS. The lyman also has a point at the bottom of the sizer that can leak lube terribly. I'd go with the RCBS but before you buy a sizer, cast and lube your bullets and shoot them as they drop from the mould. You might find that sizing isn't needed and they shoot fine. I casted for years, before buying a Lee sizing kit and adding gas checks. Lee alox or Johnson's Paste Wax works fine as a lube for a light cast bullet load. The Johnson's isn't as sticky after it dries but still works fine. An amount of wax, the size of a raisin can lube a couple dozzen 38 caliber handgun bullets. I keep and old aluminum pot, to warm the lube on the stove enough to melt it, swirl the bullets in the wax and pour them out on an old baking pan. In two days of drying, they can be loaded and the wax is hard and in place.  A little goes a long way. If you can see it, it's too much. This method is for loads around 1,000 fps and under, but velocity can be increased slowly until accuracy drops.
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Offline anachronism

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2011, 02:07:08 PM »
RCBS has the higher quality, and more durable design. Lymans linkage design is quite bluntly, weak. If your dad sizes a lot of large caliber bullets that are really hard, he's going to break something on a Lyman eventually. That said, I started out with Lymans, and used them until I moved up to my current sizer, a Star.

Offline .22-5-40

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2011, 02:49:32 PM »
Hello, marine.  As anachronism said..the Star is top notch.  There is the Redding..this is a very heavy duty quality sizer.

Offline Tom W.

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2011, 02:57:39 PM »
The RCBS can use the Lyman heater, I use one under mine. Also, RCBS service is second to none...
Tom
Alabama Hunter and firearms safety instructor

I really like my handguns!

Offline Frank2

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2011, 03:02:04 PM »
Marine, the RCBS pushes LBT Blue in there without heat, even with tumble lube bullets.  If it misses a spot, just give it a 2nd pass.  It's a base first sizer, so you have alignment issues that are corrected when you use it, like loosening the nut with the bullet in there and making a top punch custom with epoxy.  It's all covered in LBT's book, Jacketed Performance With Cast Bullets.  The book is no nonsense and covers everything from A-Z in a concise format. 


Offline woodchukhntr

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2011, 04:33:12 PM »
I've had a RCBS that has given trouble-free service for years,  I recently bought a Lee push-thru sizer die that works well with their liquid Alox.   It is very easy to use and has good results for me.

Offline Frank2

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2011, 05:57:57 PM »
woodchukhntr:
Quote
I recently bought a Lee push-thru sizer die that works well with their liquid Alox.   It is very easy to use and has good results for me.


One method is you can use LBT Blue Soft with the push through die so most of the sizing is done straight, then use the lubesizer to do the minimal or no sizing and fill the grooves with LBT Blue, which is similar.  That allows you to have both the benefits of the push through and the harder Blue in the grooves because it shoots better (revolver).

Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #9 on: November 24, 2011, 11:23:20 PM »
unless money is a serious issue get a star. Youll never regret it!
blue lives matter

Offline calvon

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2011, 09:00:32 AM »
+1 on what Lloyd Smale wrote. The Star is the Rolls Royce of lubesizers. The only downside is cost. Get one here:


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Offline marine

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2011, 10:03:27 AM »
  Thanks for all the replies.  Money is going to be big a concern for this.  I think the lyman is out and i will purchase the RCBS for him for christmas.  They have excellent customer service and it sounds like it will last a lifetime if taken care of.  Plus all of his other equipment is RCBS and he has been very happy with it.

Offline noylj

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2011, 08:18:37 PM »
I only shoot as-cast and tumble-lubed.
If my life depended on me sizing my cast bullets, I would go with the Star.

Offline Kenneth L. Walters

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Re: best cast bullet sizer?
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2011, 03:14:13 AM »
The Star's are nice.  I've probably owned six of them.  But I'm not at all sure that they are worth the money.
 
The SAECO is probably the worst of the current bunch.  Leverage is limited and the main gasket can cause problems.  When it wears out, which doesn't take all that long, it inverts.  If the first time you actually notice it is after this happens you may well try to put a new one in inverted.  That doesn't work.  And getting a diagram of how it is suppose to fit together can be difficult.  Finally they have a spare parts kit which does not come with a diagram and does come with an extra part.  Skip the SAECO.  It is the only product that Redding makes that really should be avoided.
 
The RCBS is fine.  It will use all Lyman and RCBS sizing dies.  But after years of use the one o-ring starts to loose traction with the reservoir cylinder walls.  Then when you use the main handle nothing happens.  Changing the o-ring will not help.
 
The Lyman's have come in several flavors, the 45, 450 and 4500.  Somewhere in the manufacturer of the 450 Lyman significantly tightened up the specs.  So many 450's and all 4500's WILL NOT accept all Lyman and RCBS sizing diesNo way to spot this.
 
No Lyman unit I've ever seen used leather gaskets.  SAECO is said to have used them decades ago but I've never seen such a unit.  More recently made Lyman units use two o-rings.  That seems to eliminate RCBS's reservoir wall problems.
 
The 450 do have a leaking problem.  Not a big deal but it does happen.  The 4500 comes with an optional heating element.  Money well spent. 
 
Heaters are available for most units.  I think that the Lyman base heater (not to be confused with the 4500 heating element) will fit most other brands.  Heaters are worth the money.
 
The Lee works ok.  Nothing special but it works.
 
I've owned a SAECO.  I was glad to get rid of it.
 
I've owned maybe six Star's.  I've still got one but I haven't used it in years.  Just not worth the bother.
 
I've stopped using my two RCBS's.  The o-rings no longer grab the side walls.
 
I've got a Lyman 45, 450 and five 4500's.  I prefer the 4500 over all the others.