I just received some 525 gr. plain based bullets and gave them a try today in my .500 Searcy.I ran into some problems first my Hornady dies do not bell the case mouth at all.Next issue is when I seat the bullets into my Jamieson cases they bulge badly to the point that they will not chamber.I did get a couple that would fit and shot them 27.5 grs. of Trail Boss 1245fps.So I think I need a Lyman M die would one for a 50-90 Sharps work with the .500 nitro? What to do about the bulging cases oh the bullets are sized at .512 dia.

Get another / different sized sizer for
the die so that it does bell the mouth.

Also, any reason for using .512 and not .510
and if you use .510 cast bullets will this
solve the problem of no bell mouth ?

I,ll give Hornady a call and see if they have a fix for getting the case mouth belled. As for the bullet diameter that was the only sizing die that the Guy who cast them for me had.

Are you crimping the bullets in place? If so, you might be applying to much crimp and causing the bulge.

I was going to say no I was not crimping them but I,m going to have to double check on that.I was crimping some jacketed bullets can,t remember if I backed the die off.

Yes the M die will solve the belling problem, but if you have a tight chamber the extra .002 bullet dia might cause hard chambering.

Measure the OD on your fired cases, that will tell you how much room you have to play with. Hornady made me chuckle when I was talking to them about expanders, didn't know exactly what an M die was.
Likely better off to have a look at Buffalo Arms site for that stuff. They can ship it up here with no issues.

The 50 cal M die should work well. If you are using .512" bullets(I would if it was me), then back off your size die so where it won't size the case down too much( but you can still chamber the brass) then use the M die ( a 50-90 belling die should work well too) to bell the cases so you can seat the bullets without shaving any lead off the bullet, then crimp (check you don't crimp too much). I have found some dies just size the fired case down too much. I had a set of Redding 38-55 dies that would size a case down about .008" too much and had a bad bulge when I would seat a bullet.

If you can take a fired case and seat the .512" bullet with the faintest of resistance, then your bullet dia is about right. I use .379" for my Ruger #1, so I can have about .002 bullet release clearance on the case mouth.

quote:

Originally posted by kestrel:
I just received some 525 gr. plain based bullets and gave them a try today in my .500 Searcy.I ran into some problems first my Hornady dies do not bell the case mouth at all.Next issue is when I seat the bullets into my Jamieson cases they bulge badly to the point that they will not chamber.I did get a couple that would fit and shot them 27.5 grs. of Trail Boss 1245fps.So I think I need a Lyman M die would one for a 50-90 Sharps work with the .500 nitro? What to do about the bulging cases oh the bullets are sized at .512 dia.

Give me a jingle and I'll help you out.

I will try the tip of backing the sizing die off as I can see it does size the neck down a lot. I have ordered a Lyman M die it will be a week before I can do some more shooting.

OK I'll post a few things seeing you turned down my offer to keep you from blowing your gun up and I'll feel guilty if you sustain serious injuries or death.
First off. You need to find your bore diameter. You do this by slugging your barrel with a pure lead bullet cast with your mould.
USE LOTS OF OIL!
Don't try to pound those hard cast bullets down the barrel or it will just get stuck.
You only need to go a few inches down the bore from the breach.
Tap the bullet back out with a dowel rod of the appropriated size. I have done this dozens of times.
Now you can measure the slug.
Now you need to size your factory cast bullets to 1 to 2 thousandth over which is pretty much the norm. I usually go for two.

M Die. These are OK for bottle necks but I prefer the BA custom expander die plug. http://www.buffaloarms.com/.47..._bigger_pr-4169.aspx Please note their are four pages in this link.
Remember if your case is to tight it will swage your cast bullet down to small. So your expander die should be set to just grip the bullet. The Sharps rifle guys tell me they can actually spin the bullet in the case but I don't advise this in your application.
I used these expanders for all my cast bullets i.e..458 Winchester Magnum, 45-70, 44 magnum, 44-40 45 Long Colt etc.
For the final step my personal preference is the LEE Factory Crimp Die which I use in all applications
If you were here, I would have you just come over and I show you how to do it in person.
If you follow the parameters I posted you should be fine. The alternative is what I faced as a youth. A Lewis Lead Remover on a shot gun cleaning rod trying to remove a bore full of lead. When you run out of brass screens for the lead remover most of the doper/stoner head shops are open 24/7 and you can go pick up more screens at 3:00 in the morning.
I'll do a pictorial of "how to slug a barrel" this weekend on my .458 Winchester Magnum that Barbie and I were shooting cast bullets out of last week.
I posted the pics but a couple arm chair big game hunters posted some derogatory remarks so I took them down.
Clean all the copper completely out of your bore! You can't clean it enough. Clean it in several day successions until the patch comes out without any blue hue to it.
I am very confident in this procedure. Confident enough that we will shoot cast bullets in several VC's the wife and I have been eye oogling. I hope Ken doesn't see this or my warranties will be voided.


How do I know? I have a forum with a compilation of knowledge/data the experts have graciously and meticulously schooled me and I have stored it on a public data base for all to see. I feel fortunate.
Ask me for links to field reports if you want I have dozens. Here's one for example. Now remember this isn't the grouping I would get in my youthful years seeing I have lost most of my vision prior to this review. http://50caliberforum.proboard...=display&thread=3427

As proof here is a pic of myself the wife took where she caught me in full recoil with the NIB .458 Win Mag and a 500 grain cast lead bullets sized to fit the bore. She also shot a few rounds pics are HERE





As you can see here in this pic I still am maintaining my facial features and my appendages look to be where their suppose to be after 3 boxes of ammo. Also please excuse at 55 I am suffering from a debilitating disability know as being "Chronologically Challenged" I have told my wife that any body of water in the country of Africa near prime hunting areas can reverse my condition.
Also note the prescribed bleaching process has been very successful on my legs and now closely mirrors that of an "in patient" at a convalescent home.

Here is some more reading for you on throat and bore slugging. Once you know the fired case od & id, and the throat and bore size, you can order the proper expander from the selection that Duke pointed out.

http://www.lbtmoulds.com/support/instslugs.pdf

I'm also told that a to large of a bullet becomes an obstruction and cause a pressure wave that can possibly ring the barrel.