Cast bullets bending during sizing?

[EdinCT]

I have never had a problem sizing bullets but used pistol and 45/70 bullets the most. Lately I have been casting .321297 Lymans for the 32 Special and lubing them with RCBS rifle lube. I notice they are bending? This is a soft lube but the cellar is cool at best.
What do you think should I water quench the bullets or heat the sizer ?
I have a load with 30-31 that is close to 1900 fps that shoots well and I want to kill a deer or two with it. Its pretty close to wheel weight alloy. What do you think?

[Chuck 100 yd]

They are BENDING!! Explain.
If you pushed straight on the nose of the bullet they could expand (bump up) if very soft, and you are trying to size them down too far, but not bend.

[EdinCT]

I am using a swc nose punch on the flat points and while seating gas checks and sizing, they look like they are bending. If I roll them they wobble. They look bent forward on the nose.
Never saw anything like it and looking around the bench I found 4-5 hundred 30 cal rile bullets I forgot I had from a 308 cast project 25 years or so ago. They are straight, from the same RCBS sizer I've had for 40 years.

[Sixgun]

They are BENDING!! Explain.
If you pushed straight on the nose of the bullet they could expand (bump up) if very soft, and you are trying to size them down too far, but not bend.

Chuck, between this issue and Pete's, well, I'm perplexed to say the least.

If using the sizer-lubricator correctly, I find it almost impossible to believe they are bending. How much are you sizing down....from what to what?

Sizing bullets should always be a somewhat easy thing to do, requiring little strength. I don't think an RCBS sizer has the linkage to bend bullets.---6

[Griff]

What's the "as cast" dia. and what suze die? I'm perplexed as well.

[Sixgun]

What's the "as cast" dia. and what suze die? I'm perplexed as well.

Griff,
What's "Susy" got to do with this?

[EdinCT]

Cast Bullet Size .324-.325 and Sizing to .321 which has shot very well in the past in this rifle.

[pwl44m]

Did U change the sizing die from 30 to 32 ? I caint help much, got My own probs.
Perry

[Sixgun]

Cast Bullet Size .324-.325 and Sizing to .321 which has shot very well in the past in this rifle.

Size 32-40 and 32 Spl. to .323

[w30wcf]

The only way I can see that happening is that the die & top punch are not in true alignment. If you are using a top punch (SWC) that is larger than the bullet nose that is likely the problem.

Are you pre seating the gas checks?
Does he ejector pin come up high enough so that the bullet sits solidly against it prior to sizing?

w30wcf

[KirkD]

... If you are using a top punch (SWC) that is larger than the bullet nose that is likely the problem.

I believe w30wcf has stated the solution to your problem. I had problems with a particular bullet being slightly bent or distorted out of centre when sizing. If I recall correctly, it was a long, 275 grain 38-72 bullet cast from pure clip on wheel weights and air cooled. The problem was the top punch; it was made for a flat point bullet, but a larger flat point than the one on the cast bullet. Unless the bullet was perfectly aligned on the vertical axis, it would tend to slightly bend one way or another while being pressed into the sizing die, simply because the centre of the flat point was not in the exact centre of the top punch flat area. The solution was to go through my collection of top punches and find one that was narrow enough to 'funnel' the point of the bullet into perfect vertical alignment on the beginning of the down stroke.

[Griff]

What's the "as cast" dia. and what suze die? I'm perplexed as well.

Griff,
What's "Susy" got to do with this?

You ever watch "Suzy" tryin' to squeeze her size 12 body into size 8 britches? Entertainin' as all get-out, but something's gonna get bent!

[plowboy 45]

Edit

[Charles]

It is entirely possible to bend long slender rifle cast bullets in the sizing process. This has been a long known thing. The fix is to use a sizer that pushes on the base and not the nose. The Lee sizer is an example of a "nose first sizer". Various folks make gizmos that hold RCBS/Lyman sizing dies in the top of the reloading press to use like the Lee.

I only use nose first sizing set ups for cast rifle bullets. Short squat handgun bullets are not prone to bending.

[Lefty Dude]

Dropping a long bullet from a hot mold, not quite cooled enough for release will bend the shape. I had this happen casting some 500 gr 45-70's in a single cavity mold. I had to recast half the lot because of distortion.

[Marvin S]

Hair dryer works well to warm the lubri sizer up. Releive pressure before doing it. It will take about half the force/effort to size them. Ill second the 323 dia.