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Bullet Lube

CaddmannQ

.50 BMG
I've been reading the various manuals that I bought regarding reloading and also the casting and sizing of bullets.

The casting instructions mention using a bullet Lube but I have not seen any instructions for reloading with pre-manufactured bullets that requires lubing of the bullets.

I have bought lots of cartridges that felt absolutely dry with no lube whatsoever and I have bought some (particularly cci's) that seemed fairly heavily lubed.

So what's the deal with bullet Lube?
 
My understanding, is that it's to keep the lead and carbon fouling soft in the barrel. Different hardness of bullet and the speed you wish to push it, determine how hard or soft of a lube that is used.
 
Hello.

The lead bullet lube can be applied all over by way of a dry film, or liquid Alox, or it can be a waxy/greasy substance found packed into a groove along the circumference which can't be seen when the bullet is seated in a case.

Soft swaged lead bullets typically have the dry graphite like treatment all over. Many reloaders find Lee Liquid Alox to be quite suitable for cast lead bullets of all types. A ratio of LLA, Johnson Paste Wax, and mineral spirits 45:45:10 works really great. It's applied using the tumble method in a bowl and then allowed to dry.

Bullets with a cast in lube groove or grooves require a lube sizer that resembles a single stage press. But those can be tumbled in Alox as an alternative.
 
So plated and jacketed bullets leave copper. I guess lube doesnt help there because I don't see any Lube on those bullets.

The cowboy bullets I bought have a Lube filled cannelure.

These nickel plated rounds are my first .357 Magnum loads: 158 gn semi- wadcutter. 4gn Hodgdon Clays. Fed 100 primers.

20170219_003937.jpg
 
This HSM bullets are all you need as far as lube goes. Nice pics, and I like the revolver.

Oh, and discussing lube, I did leave off powder coating which is IMO superior to any wax/grease/Alox/graphite type.

I gave up on ALL of those to go with powder coat.
 
From left to right
14875329981812120957172.jpg
.308 180gn Sierra
.30-30 160gn Sierra
.223 77gn Nosler Custom Comp
.223 75gn Hornaday Match
.223 69gn Nosler CC
.223.60gn Nosler balistic tip
.233 55gn Hornaday
.45 185gn Sierra Sportsmaster
.38 158gn HSM
9mm 115gn Berrys
 
. . .I gave up on ALL of those to go with powder coat.


I didn't see any pre-coated bullets for sale locally. Do I need more than a toaster oven to bake them? Is the powder specific to boolits?

My experience with powdercoating was very industrial. Vending machines and big prison windows.

I've never seen small stuff done.
 
20160221_195811-1.jpg
The Evil Roy .357 is one of my favorites. It has a couple warts, but I don't care.

This is the one I was going to buy but I thought some people might find it offensive.
Screenshot_2016-03-18-07-46-57-1.png
 
Hey, there is an Evil Roy by Cimmaron here in my safe. What a FUN revolver!!! Absolutely LOVE mine.

Here is a thread i started a long time ago about powder coat. It is tons faster and cheaper than other methods I have used. I bought a $12 bottle of red PC at Harbor Freight and a $10 toaster oven. That is basically all I needed.

http://www.mossbergowners.com/forum...y-coated-cast-bullets-with-powder-coat.14352/

Go to castboolits and there are literally thousands of posts about powder coating. All of it is positive.
 
I had read some of your powder coat posts, which was how I knew about the toaster oven LOL.

But what are you using to size the cast bullets?

I can't imagine myself being able to cast them well enough to not need sizing.
 
Several of my molds are Lee TL (tumble lube) versions which drop cast bullets at the diameter they should be instead of being oversized that require pushing thru a sizer.

I do use a Lee push-thru sizing die after powder coating just for consistency and concentricity. I can do ten in under a minute while I yawn.
 
And those molds that aren't TL diameter, well... the push thru die is not for just TL Lee bullets. Alox or Powder Coated it doesn't matter. Once lubed they slide thru a Lee push thru die and you don't look back.
 
My Evil Roy .45 Colt

45-COLT-revolver_zps96951a53.jpg
 
She's a beauty. They do a really nice job.

The main pin looks longer than the .38 version. I assume yours has the "safety" main pin?
 
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