accurizing 45 Colt dies

[swampratt]

Thanks for the information that should work very well.

 

[Shadowrider]

I had to send a .38sp profile crimp die back to Redding. With my cast bullets running at .001 over jacketed it would shave occasionally because I just couldn't flare enough. If I did it was a bear to even taper crimp them and some wouldn't even go into the die. The profile crimp starts with a pretty heavy taper crimp and turns into a radical roll crimp if you keep going. I called them up, gave them the dimensions and they said it should work as they were exactly what they cut their reamers to. But he said I could send them 6 cases and 6 bullets and he told me he'd personally polish it out some. He also said they keep things on the tight side since their roots are in benchrest, it's basically just how they've always done things. Anyway I got it back a week later and it works flawlessly. I asked him to open it up .0015". He did. No charge...

 

[okietom]

Getting a wood dowel centered in your die would be difficult. If you don't the die would be out of round when you honed it. If you do try honing with diamonds get the coarest for removal and the finest for polishing the scratches out of the carbide. Spend double the time with the fine diamonds as you do with the coarse.

I don't know how the diamonds are sized at Hobby Lobby.

I have lapped the ID of carbide dies used on high speed punch presses used to punch diskette media. The slugs would hang up in the ID and polishing them helped. I used a drill press with a wooden dowel wrapped in thin foam rubber that was covered with diamond lapping paper. The foam helped keep even pressure around the ID to help with the centering problem. It was about a 1000 grit or finer, depending on what I found in the shop first.

I never measured the id to see what I removed but it would help with the slug sticking problem. Blitzfike is right about keeping it moving in and out.

I would try sending it in to Redding and asking them to increase the id to your spec. They are better setup for it.

 

[okietom]

If you get the diamond paste from Hobby Lobby you could also use it to lap a rifle bore with patches or by rolling bullets in it and fire lapping. It would smooth out a shotgun chamber or the chambers on your revolver. That is supposed to make bore cleaning easier too along with helping accuracy.

 

[okietom]

The diameter of the flare die expander rod would determine how well your bullet fit the case. I know you are trying to work your brass less and the carbide sizing ring is too small but any lead shaving would be stopped by a larger expanding rod.

 

[Blitzfike]

I should have clarified my lapping sequence, it always happens in my lathe, generally at a fairly high speed and I do use thin weight oil in the process.

 

[Shriner]

The Sa guy (mike v ) with hand reloader mag (and other gun rags) wrote his mixing and matching of dies for Colt Sa in the past ,so to the ponit he has differant dies for diferant sized bullets .