Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Lee bullet sizing kit ?

I just purchased a .356 Lee bullet sizing kit.Plan is to use this for sizing jacketed bullets for my 350 legend. The instructions tell how to lube lead bullets, my question is do I need to lube jacketed bullets the same way when sizing?

Absolutely lube them. The slicker, the better.

But be warned, one of the common problems with sizing jacketed bullets is separating the jacket from the core. When squeezed down, the softer core will not spring back, but the jacket might. And that will lead to separation. My advice is to try a few, then cross section them to see if the bond is still there.

What bullet and how much do you need to size them down?

Just get the correctly sized bullets or sell the 355 Legend and get a 360 Buckhammer.

I am hoping to try the Hornady .357 XTP 158 grain. In the Midway reviews one fellow said he got a .358 jacketed bullet stuck in a .356 die. If I remember correctly John Barsness wrote that he sized .358 bullets in a .356 die for the 350 legend article he wrote last year. I will have to check on that.

Lanolin is pretty slick with alcohol. Maybe STP oil treatment, or synthetic motor oil. Teflon based additive might be better. It’s only a thou so if it gets stuck you can pound it out. Lee says thier lube

The easy thing would be a spray on case sizing lube or make your own with lanolin and alcohol as mentioned above; just make sure to give them plenty of time to dry. Heck PAM cooking spray would likely work but then you'd have to wash them in Dawn. 😆

Another thought: instead of .358 down to .356, maybe try going down only .001" to .357"? Easier to size (and less chance for jacket springback), and a thousandth oversize won't hurt anything.

Are you sure you're groove diameter is .356" in the first place? Heck it may only be .355 for all we know too.

I'm going to follow this thread because I'm in the same sort of boat with a 444 Marlin. Been using .429 pistol bullets in that rifle, but JM Marlin 44 cal rifle bores run a touch larger than pistol bores do. My bore slugs at .430 and accuracy is just ok with .429, nothing really to brag about. I'm embarking on an experiment to eek out a little more accuracy, maybe. Some studying I've done is to try a larger diameter bullet. The only ones I can actually find right now are the .431 dia Zero brand 240gr flat nose bullets. With a cast bullet I wouldn't fret over the larger than bore size....but....jacketed.
I have a .430 H&I die dropping today in the mail and will try that. If nothing else I'll have a sizer to try for cast if I need it. I went with the H&I die instead of the Lee because the Lee is bullet tip first. In my mind going bullet base first will be swaging the lead into the compressing jacket instead of out. Maybe less chance for seperation.

Oh, and despite the "mess" it will be I'm going to lube with moly engine assembly grease. That shi t is slicker than cat snot and designed for "high pressure" use.

This ought be interesting



As long as the exposed nose stays away from the die I would say isn't effected and a bullet in that diameter and weight has a thicker jacket. Besides the shank is being sized. Sounds like your good.

Confirmation that understanding rudimentary physics, elementary metallurgy, and avoiding assumptions are just not your super powers.

You're trying though, so fuc king damn hard, I'll grant you that much Maser.

It's probably not your fault, just the bottom feeder genetic hand you've been delt.

It's not that deep, but considering how deep you dwell, it is understandable that you don't understand. Put away the text books and your thick glass and you should be fine.

That's a hoot coming from a short bus window licker like you Maser.

Yep, the intuitions might be headed in the right direction in my situation.

This .430 H&I die has a generous lead which will keep alignment trued up. Not thinking taking these bullets down a thousandth is gonna be a big deal. I'll try a few here in a bit after I get some stuff started on the smoker.

The bore diameter doesn't matter that much. Throat dimensions are far more critical. There are some real geniuses posting in this thread!

My throat measures .431 where the rifling starts, measured with a pound cast. Bore slugs at .430 with no tight/loose spots that I can feel tapping the slug through. Bullets are .431.

So, Dinny, are you giving a blessing for running an overbore size jacketed bullet? I don't claim to be a genius, but I do claim to be cautious.

don't flatter yourself... last time I checked the throat is, like you said, nominal bore, but as the throat erodes it's ummmmm LARGER, so whadda worried about even if it wasn’t worn ?! You're splitting hair genius.

If it fits inside your chamber throat at a normal COAL, shoot it. If it has to be shortened to chamber then you're asking for trouble. Rather than doing a pound cast, checking fired brass case mouth diameters with gauge pins is easier. If you don't have pins then check different diameter bullets in your case mouths. They should slip in with some resistence but not alot. Sometimes case mouths can have some taper at the very end. Slide something tapered like needle nosed pliers in and rotate the case.

Yep. 10-4.


No pins. Soft lead 50 cal roundball, half into the rifling, clearly showing throat, not a big deal.


Already ahead of you on that. No taper on the case mouth. 429's slip in and fall out with no resistance. The un-sized 431's will not even start, and would probably bulge the case slightly if forced in. The .430 sized ones slip in with some resistance, enough that you can't just pull them out if you push in too far. I tapped one out with a couple light hits of a kinetic puller. Those are the only bullet diameters I have at the moment.

How is he asking for trouble if the COAL has to be shortened? And how is throat dimensions far more critical in regards to seating the bullet deeper to chamber? If l’m on to something l’m gonna say pressure issue? I have a Rem 760 35 Rem with a very short throat. I chambered minimum COALand the bullet got shoved back too much to the point that powder dumped out. l had to seat it back a tad, just enough not to have that problem. Considering the Marlin being a lever gun, pressure, and the 444 being a low pressure cartridge, wouldn’t be a problem like my 760.