Have any of you ever resized jacketed bullets? I have some 200 grain 0.358" bullets I'd like to take down to 0.356" to use in a .350 Legend. I'm hoping I can lube them up good with a sizing lube and run them through a Lee bullet sizing die. Any suggestions?

Hm, interesting idea. Down sizing them only two thou might sound easy, but it all comes down to the bullet build, and possibly brand. For arguments sake, I wouldn’t try to resize or swage solid or monolith bullets, and plastic ballistic tip bullets might become hollow points with a BIG HP.

There is a system available to swage fired .22 rimfire cases into bullets, so your idea is quite feasible, but as I say, it all comes down to the bullet construction. I suppose something else to consider is what resizing will do to the shape of the bullet. Dropping it two thou in size means that two thou has to go somewhere. Will the bullet become misshapen, will it get longer, or both.

I think the LEE ‘push through’ die is as good as any of the swaging dies, so it will most likely do the job. You would need to ensure the bullet went through the die straight to avoid it becoming off balanced though. For lube, I would consider using Imperial Sizing Wax…a great lube and you only need a small quantity/wipe over the bullet.
I have two different swaging setups…an RCBS Lube Sizer for cast bullets and the LEE Push Through die and both are good, and solid, and no doubt would be adequate for the job.

Maybe someone like Bushmaster, who has an engineering background, would be able to say definitively whether or not it’s a good idea.

Vince wrote:

There is a system available to swage fired .22 rimfire cases into bullets, so your idea is quite feasible, but as I say, it all comes down to the bullet construction.

Thats how Speer bullets got started! With the metals shortages of WWII they started making bullets out of discarded 22lr cases... and the rest is history.

Always been a fan of their bullets, especially GrandSlams.

-DallanC

You are only talking about 0.001 per side. lube and insuring that the bullet goes in straight should not be a problem. Try one or two and measure with a micrometer and see what happens.

Bushmaster wrote:

You are only talking about 0.001 per side. lube and insuring that the bullet goes in straight should not be a problem. Try one or two and measure with a micrometer and see what happens.

True mate. Thanks for your knowledge and input. I’ll be watching this one because the concept is very interesting.

Well, that was anticlimactic! (Note - the bullets were a little spotted to start with, they've been laying around here for years.) A little One Shot on the bullets and in the die, let it dry. They went through with minimal effort. Both Hornady bullets: 200 grain 0.358" spire point and 180 grain 0.357" XTP. You can see where they contacted the die. Both came out at 0.356", plus a smidge. The SAAMI spec for the .350 Legend bullet diameter is " .357 - .003 ".

Very nice. Glad it worked well for you.

-DallanC

That’s great Punkin…even better that it worked well. I wasn’t sure exactly what the outcome would be, but I’m glad that t turned out to not be a problem.

Very cool....I have some of the original Speer .228 size projectiles created for 22hp savage...they will function through my 222 as they are but troublesome in seating die and won't eject load d round...wonder if I can find a .224 sized die to push them through??? I have one made for .45/70 projectiles and it works great.

Elvis, I used a Lee bullet sizing kit in my regular single stage press. Their 0.224" kit is SKU 90049.

www.midwayusa.com/prod...pid=242862

Now to see how they shoot mate. Hopefully swaging hasn’t up set the balance of the bullet.

Thanks pumpkin... I shall ask around n see if anyone has one I can borrow,of get them to run them through for me.