22 push thru sizer

[Brad]

Making a .224 push thru sizer today. Forgot just how much I hate them. That tiny little hole is a bitch to bore and no better to polish to size.
First one ended up .225. No big loss, I will just get rebored to something bigger in the future.

I may look at a design change to make it more practical to make.

Mitty, his thing is gonna be right or I won’t mail it to you.

 

[waco]

I speak from experience, Brad does fine work.

 

[462]

He graciously volunteered to make one for the Blackhawk .45 Colt/.45 ACP combination that I still don't have.

 

[Brad]

He graciously volunteered to make one for the Blackhawk .45 Colt/.45 ACP combination that I still don't have.

Oops.

I can get that made easily enough. .452?

The Bigger they are the easier they are. Those little guys are just a pain to work on.

 

[Ian]

Refining processes is the name of the game. If you don't have a chucking reamer set in 64ths increments it may be time to invest?

I went through the same thing with solid expanding spuds for Lee dies and finally worked out a process that minimizes filing and polishing. The trick was a back cut to separate the straight from the taper and give some margin of error at the transition, sort of like cutting relief for single-point threads. So I file and polish two separate surfaces instead of trying to blend them. I also eliminated two tool changes and now to it all with a left and right turning/facing tool.

Here's the evolution of my process:

 

[462]

Oops.

I can get that made easily enough. .452?

The Bigger they are the easier they are. Those little guys are just a pain to work on.

No problem, and please don't fret. I don't have the gun and may never have, though I've bought brass, moulds and dies.

 

[creosote]

I've bought brass, moulds and dies.

The launching device might be the easiest thing to find now days.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Are the lee sizers that scarce? No I have t looked i bought a few years ago. I have mostly switched to the NOE tools for push thru sizing.
Im sure I have a 224 LEE I would happily offer!
CW

 

[Gary]

Refining processes is the name of the game. If you don't have a chucking reamer set in 64ths increments it may be time to invest?

I went through the same thing with solid expanding spuds for Lee dies and finally worked out a process that minimizes filing and polishing. The trick was a back cut to separate the straight from the taper and give some margin of error at the transition, sort of like cutting relief for single-point threads. So I file and polish two separate surfaces instead of trying to blend them. I also eliminated two tool changes and now to it all with a left and right turning/facing tool.

Here's the evolution of my process:
View attachment 20329

Ian; what's your sequence of operations to make those? Appears you cut the taper first, then the sizing portion BTW, beautifully done.

 

[fiver]

don't go disparaging that 225 die, it might turn out to be the size that works for him.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

My thoughts exactly!! A .224 cast is too small from My experiences.

 

[Ian]

Ian; what's your sequence of operations to make those? Appears you cut the taper first, then the sizing portion BTW, beautifully done.

• Chuck up 5/8" stock and indicate true.
• Face end.
• Turn to .568" for entire length plus parting surface.
• Turn spud to .002" larger than final size.
• Change to right hand tool and swing compound to cut flare shoulder and inlet chamfer.
• Lightly file flare, chamfer, and spudto remove tool marks.
• Polish spud to size, polish flare shoulder and chamfer.
• Part off.
• Heat to medium cherry in a rich flame and oil-quench.
• Return to lathe to polish off surface scale but leave the upper part oil-blacked so it won't rust.

 

[fiver]

naked cast would be at 224 in a 5.56.
P/C? 224 could be the better of the two, or 225 might be the winner with the slick side.
if I had to guess???????? pshhht ,it's still a guess.

 

[JWFilips]

don't go disparaging that 225 die, it might turn out to be the size that works for him.

That the magic size for my Rem .223 78 Sportsman with cast!

 

[Brad]

Problem solved!

Make a .625 long sleeve bored to .224. Bore out the failed sizer .625 deep x .500 diameter. A little Loctite and time will hold it secure enough.

Advantage to the sleeve is the ability to easily remake one should it go over size.

 

[Ian]

Bonus #2 is you can harden and temper a small tool steel sleeve with a torch and then press it in. Brilliant.

 

[462]

Is it possible to have one body accommodate interchangeable sleeves of various inside diameters and held in place by recessed set screws to secure them in place?

 

[fiver]

it is, they could also be secured with a collar that had a small lip on it, or even be threaded up to a point.

 

[Brad]

I tried that and wasn’t real pleased by it? Granted I have learned a bunch since then. Unless tolerances on the sleeve are snug the screw can push things off center. Use a slightly smaller pusher and that is not longer relevant.
Could be made to work. Other than the hassle of machining the groove a simple spring wire like Hornady uses on their seaters could work too.

Will need to cogitate on this more.
Dammit, why do people ask me questions that lead me down a dark path

 

[462]

Okay, I see the downside of set screws, it was the first thing this non-machinist thought of. Reckoned threading would be too labor and time intensive, so didn't mention it. Would a Hornady-type clip hold the sleeve securely enough?