Lyman #413 g top punch

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  • Last Post 01 June 2021
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carver1tob posted this 31 May 2021

I just purchased a Lyman mold for bullet 311332, 30 cal. I also purchased a 413 top punch. The top punch is leaving a cone shaped mark on the end of the bullet when sizing/lube in an RCBS lube/sizer. Is this normal?

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David Reiss posted this 31 May 2021

Yes this can happen for several reasons. One is that your bullets are too hard or over sized causing excess pressure to size the bullet and make this mark. Also not all top punches are a good fit on the bullets they are designed for.

To prevent this you can do the following:

Take you bullet and lube the nose with lots of Vaseline or similar grease. Then put either epoxy or JB weld into the top punch and put it into the lubesizer. Bring the handle down until the top punch seats on the greased bullet, but don't push the bullet into the sizing die to keep from pushing the adhesive out. Leave the top punch in place until the glue dries. 

Now you have a perfect fitting top punch. The grease of course keep the adhesive from sticking to the bullet. Some people use hot glue, but epoxy or JB weld last longer,  

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
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carver1tob posted this 01 June 2021

Thanks David. This top punch is really messed up, not even a close fit. Ended up drilling, slight grinding and sanding just to get the bullet and top punch remotely the same shape. I did get it very close then used the JB Weld as you suggested. See in the morning how things turned out. It looked like Lyman forgot to finish the machining. The punch was way off.

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