starting to reload soon...cast/swaged leadheads...what lube?

[kmrcstintn]

our hunting group will be reloading very soon; my primary concern is about loading handgun cartridges (.38 spl, .357 mag, .44 spl, .44 mag, .45 long colt) with cast/swaged leadheads and I am trying to find out what lube we need (the ones I bought last year don't appear to have any lube in the grooves at the base); thanks;

[Farbmeister]

You can go traditional grease in the grease rings. Or if you bullet is made for it, the alox type lube Lee sells.

I've read of some people using moly lube.. but not sure how they get it on the bullet.

I cast .357 and .45ACP with the Lee molds made for alox lube. Cheap, easy to apply. But the bullets do stay tacky.. the lube never really dries.

Talk to whomever you got your swager from.. they probably have more detailed answers.

[stephpd]

Check out Cast Boolits. For a star type lubricator they have a few members that make lubes for sale.

For tumble lube it's either Alox or Johnson's Paste Wax. I've only been at it for a short time and have used Alox. Recently bought JPW but haven't used it yet.

[hornady]

I use White Label Lube (Special blend )in my Lymann lube sizer, from WWW.LsStuff.com/lube. you do not need heat with it and its a little harder than NRA formula. I cast 9MM , 357, and 45ACP, like most all cast lubes you will get a lot of smoke shooting, but its a lot cheaper than LEE or Lyman stick lube, I use Berry platted bullets indoors, and they cost about the same as any cast bullets you would buy. plus free shipping on orders over $50.00

[Farbmeister]

My .45 with greased bullets was like a civil war cannon.

The alox lube bullets barely smoke at all.

A tube for $3 does about 1-1.5k bullets.

You can buy bulk alox (by the gallons) and save quite a bit.

[hornady]

I sold my Lee molds and sizer, I did not like the tumble lube lee uses , putting bullets on wax paper to dry over night was a pain , and then they gum your dies up. I went to Lyman molds. and the Lyman lube sizer, It may have just been the filters at the club I shot at but the Lee Alox smoked just as bad as anything else I have used for Bullet lube.

[WVBob]

I use the Lyman lube sizer with a heater and Red Rooster lube. I like the hot lube because it's not sticky.

[stephpd]

My .45 with greased bullets was like a civil war cannon.

The alox lube bullets barely smoke at all.

A tube for $3 does about 1-1.5k bullets.

You can buy bulk alox (by the gallons) and save quite a bit.

Where can you get it in bulk?

[pstew]

I see it on evil bay sometimes, but here is a good source from the cast boolits forum.

I use Johnson's Paste wax with the Lee alox, it hardens up nicely, and does not stay tacky.


Maybe it's just me, but I find it odd that a person who makes and sells cast bullets would let them out without some kind of lube on them. Seems like a quick way to lose customers.


http://www.lsstuff.com/lube/liquid-x.html

[Farbmeister]

I still cannot see why the grease ring is even used any more. It doesn't put the lube where it needs to be (on the bullet/rifling interface) and is a huge PITA to put on.

Lee alox is a quick and dirty method.. but if there are other alox alternatives I'm gonna check them out.

Alox'ing 500 cast bullets takes 2 minutes.