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Babydriver
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Resizing a bullet
Yesterday at 7:42pm
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Does resizing a .375 to a .373 really change anything except the diameter? 
  
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KaiserKong
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Re: Resizing a bullet
Reply #1 - Today at 12:19am
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The metal has to go somewhere, the bands will also be wider/ lube grooves will be narrower.
  
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boats
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Re: Resizing a bullet
Reply #2 - Today at 6:41am
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And creates the chance to get out of round. I size down some bullets when accuracy  is not needed. Example 58 caliber Minnie balls, their pure lead too, size easily. 

Boats
  
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Green_Frog
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Re: Resizing a bullet
Reply #3 - Today at 11:02am
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I like to size pistol bullets in lube presses with good dies I know to be round and accurate.  OTOH, if possible I like to shoot my bullets used for Schuetzen as cast on the assumption that they come from precise diameter moulds that drop round bullets.  This is my practice, YMMV.
Froggie
  
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oneatatime
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Re: Resizing a bullet
Reply #4 - Today at 11:22am
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On the other hand, if you have one of those moulds that does not cast a round bullet (admit it or measure it), the sizer (since it is drilled or reamed in one piece) may make it into a round bullet. Of course, the barrel makes a nice sizer, but if the bullet was out of round to begin with, maybe the bullet should always be aligned the same way in the chamber.
  
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gunlaker
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Re: Resizing a bullet
Reply #5 - Today at 12:54pm
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I almost never size bullets.  One experiment I did some time ago with sizing paper patched bullets by 0.002" showed me how easily they could be sized in a way that makes an unbalanced bullet.

I took perfect .446" smooth sided paper patched bullets and lubed them with rcbs case lube and ran them through a 0.455" Fred Cornell die, and then through a 0.444" Fred Cornell die.  Both are push through dies. I made sure to size them very slowly and gently.   The sizing operation leaves a polish on the sides of the bullet where its diameter was changed.  Maybe 1 in 10 bullets had the top part of the sizing "witness marks" uneven at the top of the bullet, meaning it was ever so slightly off center.

I doubt that you'd ever notice this with a grooved bullet, but with the smooth paper patched bullets I could easily spot it and cull the bullets.

The only time I ever size a grooved bullet is just so see if a rifle might show signs of liking a particular bullet from a mold that is too big.  If it looks promising then I order a quality mold that casts the proper size.

Chris.
  
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Schuetzendave
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Re: Resizing a bullet
Reply #6 - Today at 1:37pm
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I only size bullets to the same diameter they were poured to ensure they are perfectly round and flashings are removed.

I have never sized my bullets down to a smaller diameter and instead prefer to gain accuracy by better bullet seating by shooting bullets .001" to .002" wider than my groove-to-groove diameters are.
  
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Cbashooter
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Re: Resizing a bullet
Reply #7 - Today at 7:37pm
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.002 isn’t sizing excessive.Best to use push through type going nose first.If sizing more filling grooves with lube at as cast diameter will help band collapse and just lengthen bullet.
  
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