Time to make the donuts....

[D Coots]

Right Al. I may have made a mistake selling JJ those dies of Keith's.....

 

[AlNyhus]

Right Al. I may have made a mistake selling JJ those dies of Keith's.....

When J.J. was telling me about them, I thought they may have been Dale Fritz's originally?

 

[jackieschmidt]

Al, if you look closely at the picture of the point up press in my posy #37, you can see a thick spacer atop the ram that goes around the point up punch.
I set my press to give the correct point up, then measured the space between the bottom of the die and the top of the nut that secures the punch. The spacer is .001 thicker than this space. in operation, the spacer actually bottoms against the die, giving a a dead positive stop from bullet to bullet.

This way, I am not relying on the linkage of the press to arrive at a consistent point up, bullet to bullet. If I start pointing up, and the spacer is a tad loose, I adjust the die down ever so slightly so it is in full contact.

I also have a press for every die I own.

 

[D Coots]

When J.J. was telling me about them, I thought they may have been Dale Fritz's originally?

I belive so. I think Keith bought them and some other stuff from Terry Meyer after Dale passed away. Good guy Dale was.

 

[J.J. Coe]

Where I make bullets is 70-72 degrees years 'round so it's probably not a good example. I do warm up the dies for a minute or so with a small hair dryer before starting. It's 8 degrees here today and everything is covered with some icy sleet. Good time to make extra ejectors.

J.J., your bullet making efforts and skills have yielded some impressive results!!

Good shootin' -Al

Thanks Al. My shop was in the mid 70s this summer, it likes to be in the mid 60s in the winter. I'll have to bump up the heat and do a little preheating on bullet making days.
As far as my bullet making venture, it's been the best decision I've made since starting benchrest. It's really easy once you get your head wrap around the whole deal..

 

[J.J. Coe]

I belive so. I think Keith bought them and some other stuff from Terry Meyer after Dale passed away. Good guy Dale was.

I think Keith bought the dies I have from Jerry Lahr........I think. I definitely owe you, Dean, and Jerry a big Thank You. I wouldn't be making good bullets without good mentors.

 

[AlNyhus]

That's the fun of bullet making...sharing info. I wonder if there's a place on this forum for a 'Bullet Making' section?

 

[Mulligan]

That's the fun of bullet making...sharing info. I wonder if there's a place on this forum for a 'Bullet Making' section?

Now, That right there would be darn HANDY!

CW

 

[D Coots]

I think Keith bought the dies I have from Jerry Lahr........I think. I definitely owe you, Dean, and Jerry a big Thank You. I wouldn't be making good bullets without good mentors

You're right. I spoke with Jerry when I was sorting Keith's stuff. Keith bought other stuff of Dale's. Dean went up with Keith when that stuff was purchased from Terry.

Jim Carstensen bought a set of dies from Keith's estate also. He said they shoot.

Funny story about Keith. I asked him one time how much lube he used. He replied...just a little on the tip of a screwdriver. I should have asked if that was a Phillips or flat.....not much for keeping records.

Thanks for the compliment, JJ. Glad they worked. Keith had a lot of stuff I've sold, and I didn't know much about most of it.

He was a Good Guy....sure miss his several phone calls every week.

Later

Dave

 

[David Conder]

A hair dryer works wonders

 

[Fuj]

So who currently is the dedicated custom bullet die makers ??

 

[D Coots]

Jeff Pindthart is one.

 

[brcman]

RCBS Lube-A-Matic (LAM) Heater

Make bullet casting easier with the RCBS Lube-A-Matic (LAM) Heater. The LAM Heater helps keep bullet lube flowing, ensuring proper sizing and...

www.midwayusa.com

Here is my 2 cents. I have been using a press heater on my point-up press for about 20 years. I have the temp setting to where \\the press body is 95 degrees. It amazed me how the bullet can feel as warm as it does when it comes out of the point-up die when you consider how short of a time period it is in the die. I think my bullets look a bit more shinny and the ogive folds look better and I think it makes the stroke a little slicker. I have only made 30 cal bullets (since 1991). My heater plate looks a little different than the attached link but I did buy it at Midway but 20 years ago. The temp setting is not at the max setting in order to get to 95 degrees.
I think it would help to have a heater on the core seat press but have never did it. Rich Griffin put me on to this- he did it when he made bullets. Rich had a small heat blanket that wrapped around the die.

Wayne Corley

 

[jackieschmidt]

I started out warming the point up die, but then settled in to simply setting the air conditioner or heater on 75 degrees and let the die be at ambient room temperature.

The die makes the bullet I want, so that’s that.

 

[AlNyhus]

I think a lot bullet making comes down to our own 'things' that we do. For example, I like to wait 24 hrs. after seating cores before pointing the jackets. But I've tested seating cores, pointing right after and shooting them on the same day. No on-target change that I could see. But I still like to wait 24 hrs.

 

[Mulligan]

I think a lot bullet making comes down to our own 'things' that we do. For example, I like to wait 24 hrs. after seating cores before pointing the jackets. But I've tested seating cores, pointing right after and shooting them on the same day. No on-target change I could see. But I still like to wait 24 hrs.

Al,
I too like to wait at least 24 hours after core-seating before pointing-up.
I do this because a wise fella said it was a good idea to do it. Not sure what the magic is, but I’m not likely to quit anytime soon. I only make long range 6’s for myself, it works for me.
CW

 

[David Conder]

How many bullet makers tumble there bullets again after core seating ?

 

[17VLD]

A life time of knowledge is in this thread, thanks for sharing it Al!
I wish I payed more attention when my Dad was in the basement making obsolete tractor parts for the dealership we worked at in the '70s. I did pay a lot more attention when he helped my put a 351C into my '48 Willy's Jeep. Definitely a correlation here between learning what makes things tick and making things go fast or down range extremely accurately. Attention to detail is paramount in bullet making as you have so aptly pointed out here, it certainly proves to me that those who make great bullets definitely deserve my respect.
I've always thought it would be great to make my own bullets, perhaps picking up where Todd Kindler left off with his superb 17s, this thread has proven to me 17 caliber bullets would Not be the caliber to start with
Glad I bought a bunch of 'em. Great job Al I hope this batch sets a record!
Matt

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

How many bullet makers tumble there bullets again after core seating ?

I'd say, most by a lot because the ejection cycle with a pin that might be as small as .050 or so, is NOT exactly the strength of the system, per se. But..a BIG BUT..I do think lube consistency is critical and NOT always given enough attention to detail. Good bullets can be made on steel dies but carbide needs LESS lube. I can't see a down side to that, done properly with both.

 

[jackieschmidt]

How many bullet makers tumble there bullets again after core seating ?

I do to re-lube them.
there is a minuscule amount of Lube on the jackets during the core seating operation.
I clean and re-lube the jar with the measured amount of lube I want for pointing up. Then I tumble the core seated jackets for 30 minutes.

There is a fine line between what is just right in lube for point up and what is too little or too much. Actually weighing the lube and distributing it in the tumbling jar correctly is something you have to do by trial and error to arrive at the correct procedure.

edit….all of my dies are carbide.