Slughammer
Member
I recently did some upgrades to my Lee Classic Cast. It has a 2 piece ram and I thought i could make a new top piece without the slot for the priming arm. Also, I wanted a second ram top to hold bullet size dies in the ram. Lately I've been gas checking, sizing, and lubing all projectiles at .314 or .360 with a Lyman 450 or RCBS Lubamatic; then push through sizing them with a Lee APP to the specific diameter for the rifle. (.310, .311, .312, .313...)
When I looked down the ram of the Classic Cast, I saw it had a couple of steps that would catch bullets and cause a jam. If I wanted to proceed I would need to make a complete ram. In my material I had some 1.25 dia stock with a 1/2" hole through it. I turned 8" of this down to 1.120 and then thought about the thread size I wanted to use. I finally decided 7/8-14 would be the best choice, just incase I ever had a reason to install a die body into the ram.
Cutting the shell holder was interesting. I started on the lathe with a boring bar, but needed to cut the 7/16 slot with an end mill and then the 9/16 slot with a woodruff cutter.
I finished off the shellholder with some 1/4" blind holes to use for tightening and removing from the lower ram.
I borrowed the retention clip from the old ram and then made a second top ram for holding size bushings. (Spanner holes and set screws added after this photo).
Before installing the new ram I needed to figure out a collection system for primers and for bullets. I decided to counterbore the bottom of the ram to 7/8 dia x 5/8 deep. Then made some bushings and attached them to collection bottles.
I'm pleased to say that I'm now getting a 100% capture rate for spent primers. Bullet sizing is simple with the leverage of the press.
When I looked down the ram of the Classic Cast, I saw it had a couple of steps that would catch bullets and cause a jam. If I wanted to proceed I would need to make a complete ram. In my material I had some 1.25 dia stock with a 1/2" hole through it. I turned 8" of this down to 1.120 and then thought about the thread size I wanted to use. I finally decided 7/8-14 would be the best choice, just incase I ever had a reason to install a die body into the ram.
Cutting the shell holder was interesting. I started on the lathe with a boring bar, but needed to cut the 7/16 slot with an end mill and then the 9/16 slot with a woodruff cutter.
I finished off the shellholder with some 1/4" blind holes to use for tightening and removing from the lower ram.
I borrowed the retention clip from the old ram and then made a second top ram for holding size bushings. (Spanner holes and set screws added after this photo).
Before installing the new ram I needed to figure out a collection system for primers and for bullets. I decided to counterbore the bottom of the ram to 7/8 dia x 5/8 deep. Then made some bushings and attached them to collection bottles.
I'm pleased to say that I'm now getting a 100% capture rate for spent primers. Bullet sizing is simple with the leverage of the press.
