My new favorite is Carnauba Red by white label lube. A bit of smoke, no leading. Requires a heater but it still a bit soft and tacky at room temp. I used a shallow weather proof box with a dimmer switch and outlet to be able to turn my heater down so it fills the grooves without being runny.
Cory Cordell - Thanks for the great question. Whatever system we choose to lube our bullets - all are messy and troublesome. The easiest is to be fortunate enough for our mold to drop bullets with correct size right out of the mold. No sizing needed - then simply tumble lube them, let them dry overnight on wax paper - and load the rascals. Then if the loads are accurate and clean-we are on the high road. If mold drops bullets NOT right size, then we have to size them. see2
Thanks for the feedback, When I start casting I'll do a small test mixture to see how Alox mixes, if it separates I'll use something else as a lube additive, maybe MotorKote it works great and doesn't take much
And thank you - the RU-vid viewers are what makes the Tube run. You are a very important part of our Tube community. Best wishes on your shooting, may all your experiences be safe and rewarding...
Cory Cordell reply2 - Sizing either 1) lubrisizer or 2) Lee die system with tumble lube; Both systems work. I like 1) because loaded ammo is clean, beautiful and accurate (not as economical or speedy) 2) because of economy and speed ( ammo is not as clean and beautiful and oftentimes a little less accurate) So the answer is that shooters need to find out for themselves. I recommend get the Lee and try it. If not good for you - get a Lyman or RCBS lubesizer. Best Regards
rcsolewis-I'm with you on the use of lubrisizers, but let's give the Lee guys and gals and the pan lubers a break. Sometimes it is necessary to go with the least expensive, and other ways can work. Later on they can move onto the Lyman, RCBS or SAECO or Star if they want to really get into it with more investment. The homemade lube in this vid can be used without a heater, although a little heat makes for higher production. Thanks for your comment - points well taken and appreciated.
I coat steel jacketed and copper jacketed rifle bullets with powdered moly. I use a bunch of steel .17 BB's add one tablespoon of moly powder and bullets to be coated into a vibratory tumbler brass cleaner. Use the smallest bowl. The moly gets everywhere and can be cleaned from the bowl and surfaces with dish soap. You will be pleased at the results of the coating.
If paraffin wax is too expensive at any given time, soy wax can also be used. It sells on Amazon for about 18 bucks for 10lbs. It melts at a bit lower a temperature I think.
+Savio Strawn -- Paraffin wax is cheap. We can get it for free in unused candles. It's the beeswax that is expensive. Unfortunately, beeswax is the best carrier for bullet lube...it really sticks well in the bullet grooves and handles perfectly - the bees build with it, we casters like the same properties. The homemade formula works OK, but the beeswax mixes are better. Your soy wax sounds like it would be better for black powder also... since it's organic... not petroleum based. Best to ya, FC
FortuneCookie45LC Thanks for the reply! :) Over the summer I think I'll experiment with lots of different kinds. I just hope I can talk in some local Amish to trade me for some beeswax too see what the buzz is about!
+Savio Strawn -- There are formulas for homemade bullet lubes all over the internet...just as there are many different commercial bullet lubes. You might even look into White Label lubes as their lubes are highly regarded and they have several types available. I use commercial lubes as well as my own - depends on what type of shooting I'm doing... Best Regards... FC
I bought a used Crock Pot from Salvation Army Store for less than $5.00. This became my dedicated pot for melting wax. The low setting is just the right temperature for the safe melting of all the ingredients to make your lube.
mike333h-Pan lubing with this lube is AOK. But pan lubing is best done with bullets that cast at the diameter you want. I know there are fans of pan lubing out there, but it is not my preferred way of lubing. 1) If bullets cast larger than I want, I use my RCBS Lube-a-Matic2. 2) If bullets cast at the diameter I want, I tumble lube with either JPW or 45/45/10 JPW/LLA/MS. 2) is the easiest and fastest way to process cast bullets. Best Regards...
BY WEIGHT you choose how hard to want the lube: - 6-7parts Beeswax to 3-4 parts Cheap SIMPLE brown lithium chassis grease melted together. All you need for everything 700-2700 fps Alox is just a calcium grease made from the leftovers of petroleum distillation, it smells good, but it is just a grease. Paraffin is a poor lube carrier/sealer when one is pushing the upper speeds with cast. Beeswax works much better.
infowarguy-Moly grease could be added into the bullet lubes we use. I'll have to give that a try at some point, but I've already made quite a bit of my homemade lube - works well though, perhaps better with some moly grease added...
kevin scurlock Thanks for the comment. The tried and true double boiler method!! And definitely safer also. I only do it the direct way because I can use low heat and let the wax tell me what's happening. I do the waxes after lead ingot making as the heat source is already set up, and make enough for 2-3 years. Best Regards to ya...
goatmoag-Even better x3! You as set for bullet lube for many years. You can also make wax slugs, but I gave up on those because of poor accuracy and inconsistent powder burning. Other posters seem to rave about them, but I'll stay with my regular slug loads. As for wax, it's bullet lube all the way...
Suppose to have been a 3 in there before the of, lol, so I'm set for even longer. Numbers on that side of the keyboard are kind don't always want to be to friendly and play nice. Surprised I didn't catch it though.
I am guessing that the home made formula could be used as pan lube as well? As for the Lyman and other Lube/Sizers they all have their draw backs, like price for each caliber die. At the end of the day, which one looks better on the paper at the end of your sights? All are time consuming but all are fun, that's why we do what we do.
bill84345-Reply2-some report that Alox will not mix evenly with paraffin- but it's OK as when we load our lubrisize by pouring our lube into the machine, the Alox will be evenly dispensed. Or if we pan lube, the remelt of the mix will get the Alox there. But why do any of that since the 45/45/10 system works so well. Even if you have to size bullets - you can tumble with 45/45/10, size bullets, and tumble again - load 'em and shoot 'em...Best Regards
infowarguy-The bullets discussed in this video were lead bullets for pistol shooting. Rifles are a different story, but thank you for sharing your moly coating. Moly coatings have served us well, the coatings used in commercial moly coated cast bullets were very tough and effective. Does your moly coatings rub off? Thanks for posting your information on these coatings...
great vid...i have used a similar recipe using toilet seals , wax , lees alox & have almost duped the lyman super moly lube by using 1 level teaspoon of lyman moly for a 2lb mix (avail in powder form)...but when added it will quickly seek the bottom of the pot. to overcome this i would stir the mixture until it starts to solidify (about the texture of pancake batter) then pour into the molds.works great in pistol or rifle..been using this for 30 years or more...thanks for sharing....
Uncle Bugzy Haven't heard of just that formula before - sounds great especially for fans of the moly lube - would you post your exact recipe in parts or percentages added to get the right mix so that viewers could use it? I might want to remelt some of my own stuff and add the moly also... Best Regards FC
FortuneCookie45LC well after looking up some of my old recipes the most common was two parts ( by weight)120 cf wax (120 melt point & used for container fill) , one part toilet seal & 1 oz. per lb. alox ...this is the easiest. the wax can be purchased in different melt points up to i believe 170 degrees.( 170 would be harder of course,) ,then add the moly .i used to add color to id the recipe but adding moly through that out the window ....however i have used other additives such as stearine or stearic for Hardening the mixture (all waxes are not created equal) they very in melt temp ..also i have used vybar 260 also used in the candle making industry as a binder. so why you ask? ...i used to have a candle co. & i know that binding is important to keep things from separating (and yes they will separate) i also used to make a special lub for muzzle loading bullets which was a little softer & i added a pine sent (an oil used for making pine scented candles) for the hunters who did not want the smell of alox dragging there sent .. remember every time you add something you also change the consistency.. the additives i mentioned are avail. from the candlewic co. located in doylestown pa.i have about 40 yrs experience playing around with bullet lubes & have used everything from whale sperm ,crisco,carnuba,vasiline stp , preparation h , bearing greese beacon grease, hog lard & deer fat..i know what your thinking,, it comes from whales i can be contacted at bugzy66@gmail.com for questions concerning bullet lubes & NO you can not bother the whales no more...thanks uncle bugzy
Uncle Bugzy Next time to HD or Lowe's, I'm going to stock up on toilet gasket seals while they still make 'em out of that waxy alox type stuff. I like your formula - I can leave out the Vaseline in my own mix and sub in the toilet gaskets, add the alox and moly and it might just be identical in performance to the Lyman Moly Lube. Thanks for your helpful input.
bill84345-Please don't put 1/2 bottle of Alox into your homemade lube-that's too much.The 50% Parafin 50% Vaseline 2 tablespoons of case lube is really all you need in your homemade lube. If you want a little additional Alox protection, 1 teaspoon is all you need. Or take your lubed bullets and coat them with the 45/45/10 system (see my recent video on this). If your bullets drop .001-0015 more than bore diameter, you can use the 45/45/10 strictly to lube instead of any pan lubing. Best Regards
I'm thinking about getting into casting bullets you are the first that recommended Alox in the mix. I was thinking about about that and pan lubing. Is the case lube really necessary and how did you come up with a 1/2 a bottle of Alox. I was thinking about 1-2 tablespoon. Please advise and give me feedback Also thanks for another great video
Ifell3 - Was answering another comment and saw this one again - here is an alternate reply - I could have told the clerk that I was going to have a party... say a New Year's Eve Party - FC
goatmoag - I remember reading from a noted gunwriter many years ago, he wrote "…for lube, I use just plain parafin softened a bit with Vaseline, and never leaded a barrel…" That's all I needed to know. But I have tried and used most of the commercail brands. Bullet casters are always looking at lubes…Just think-the old time black powder buffalo hunters used to cast their bullets in campfires and then smear animal fat into the grooves with their fingers...Good shootin' to ya...
Jim h. - Thanks for your comment. If you have the blue lube already in the bullets, they are ready to load as is. You should go ahead an load 'em and shoot 'em. I am not a fan of buying lubed bullets and then delubing them for PC. You will need to boil out as much of the lube as you can, then soak the bullets with degreaser or acetone. 1) waste of money 2) waste of time 3) waste of effort = the FortuneCookie Triple Whammy. If you need raw bullets to PC, you can cast 'em yourself, or buy them from commercial bullet makers with request for no lube. Good shootin' to ya, FC
I just picked up a new to me RCBS lube-a-matic 2, gonna try out a few recipes. Do you ever have problems with the bullet lube melting off in the hot weather, like if your ammo was stored in a car on the way to the range? I would think if it melted off it would ruin the powder charge and primer.
+poacheddeer -- Takes a lot of heat to have that happen, but it is possible. In California, the weather is always moderate enough that lubes melting is no problemo. However, in Texas or Florida in July and August in a hot care, I can see some problems - in that case, I would use the lubes like Orange Magic - hard lubes with higher melt points. Then I would use my homemade lubes in the cold seasons... Best to ya, FC
+James Tepfenhart -- Yes, you can add Alox, but problem with Alox is that it wants to settle - if it does and you want Alox in your lube, you just cut the alox portion out and load that into your lubrisizer - the layer that is not dark is the non-Alox layer - perfect for standard velocity or even +P. If you cut your lube into strips, you can pack them into your lubrisizer, or you could simply melt it and pour it in. Best to ya, FC
I purchased 1000 cast bullets recently and about a third of them have about half of the lube missing in the groove in each bullet. Do I need to fill the rest of the groove up with lube and if so what would be the best way of doing it? thanks
larry munninghoff - Thanks for your good question. Part of the reason the commercial cast bullet outfits use the hard lubes is so the lube stays in the grooves better on transport. Shooters don't like it when the lube has fallen out of the grooves. Elmer Keith used to like a lot of grease in the grooves - reason his bullet designs had generous grease grooves (throwback thinking to black powder where the grooves were even more generous). Have you heard it written that a good sign is to see lube around the gun muzzle after shooting cast so the lube was good. Turns out we've been overlubricating our bullets for years. Lee figured that out when he gave us tumble lubing with Alox. So if your grooves are 1/2 filled, that is still enough lube...however, for magnum shooting, I'd still prefer 100% filled grooves (unless tumble lubing with Alox). If it bothers you at all, call the bullet maker up and complain that some of the bullets don't have filled grooves. Good shootin' to ya, FC Steve
ocean374 If you are going to use the lube indoors, then leave out the alox. We do not want to use alox indoors. Since my homemade lubes have alox, I don't shoot them on indoor ranges. This homemade lube will be OK, but if temps go over 95 F, it will probably soften enough to sag out of the grooves. Best to store lubed bullets like fine wine - in the cool and dark. If you need lube to stay in hot weather, then the lubes that require a heater to be used when sizing-lubing bullets is the lube you want like Orange Magic for example. These lubes also contain no alox and can be used indoors. Good shootin' to ya!!
ocean374 First of all, I hope you are not thinking about pan lubing your bullets. That is the most horrible way - very messy, heat intensive, hazardous, wasteful, space inefficient, storage problematic, effort and time ineffective. Plus, the lube job will be substandard if your wax does not contain beeswax. And if you do use beeswax, you will need lots of it - very expensive. That parafin wax does look like a good price - but you have to include shipping. I remember buying wax from Marshall's (buying the wax from Safeway's canning section is too expensive) craft store was about the same price. You might want to give them a call to check. Otherwise, it's good parafin wax. Here's the thing though, this wax would only be good if you are going to use a lubri-sizer press to size / cast your bullets. Remember - that takes the time of running each bullet through the press - if you are doing 1500 bullets, that is some major time and effort. I know because I ran a lubri-sizer for about 30 years - actually wore out a Lyman 450. Doing the 45/45/10 is all you need to do - the very best way to lube bullets - all you need is a tin of JPW, a bottle of Lee Liquid Alox (LLA) and a can of mineral spirits and an old jug - easy and you are not storing 10-20 pounds of wax. Best to ya
FortuneCookie45LC actually yes i was thinking of pan lubbing since you say its horrible to work with and messy i will listen and take your advice and get a lubesizer they always have them on ebay thanks for your advice and help.
ocean374 Either the Lyman or the RCBS lubri - sizers are fine machines. They both use the same dies and nose punches. And your homemade lube will work well in them - nothing beats the pressure placement of lube in those wide grooves. Not as effective to lube tumble lube design bullets - for those, the tumble lube is best. and if sizing is needed, the Lee Kits will work well. For the regular wide groove bullet designs, the Lyman or RCBS. But the best would be if sizing was not needed, straight from the mold... Good reloadin' to ya
Jordan/Shyadow - Thanks for your comments and questions. Interesting to answer. Yes, the lube can be made softer by more vaseline vs the parafin. But if the lube is too soft, it won't stay in the bullet grooves, may leak into the powder fouling it. We do not want to put it back into the Alox bottle fouling the Alox there with unwanted parafin...Best way to store our bullet lube is in those cakes - can cut off strips as we need to put into our sizer lubricator RCBS LubeAMatic2. Happy New Year to ya..!! FC
FortuneCookie45LC thanks for the tip. I have a lee 4 hole turret press. Now can I use a Lyman sizer lubricator in my press? My super Blackhawk hunter cylinder/chamber throats read about .428 or .429", keep within .001"? Say off the mold is .430, size to .429 being the same dia. As my cylinder throats? Think I'm right? Really appreciate your help so far my trust has been to your advice with your channel. Still reading the Lyman book to double check. Much appreciated
Jordan/Shyadow - .430" should work out well for your SBH (as you note = .001" bigger than cylinder throats) If your mold is dropping .430 or .431", no need to size 'em. Just 45/45/10 tumble lube 'em, load 'em and shoot 'em. If you wish to size the bullets to .430", that would be easy as that is a popular sizing die for the 44. The Lyman 4500 sizer lubricator is its own press - not designed to be put on presses like the Lee sizer kits are - I use both my RCBS LubeAMatic 2 and the Lee sizer dies when sizing is necessary. . Happy New Year to ya..!! FC
Hi Fortune Cookie, what home made lube do you recommend for 300 BLK rifle bullets? Up to 2000 fps and preferebly harder one. I just ordered RCBS LAM after starting with powder coating. Will still PC my pistol bullets but for rifle I found out it liked tumble lubed and gas checked - old school :)
Dima Prok - Congrats on your RCBS LubeAMatic2..!! It's a good one - the cadillac of course is the Star, but set up for one caliber, cost is $400. For pistol shooting, homemade lubes work very well. For rifle shooting at 2000 fps, I recommend White Label Red Carnauba with gas checks if the bullet is designed for them. If you like tumble lube and it works for you in 2000fps rifle, by all means...Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ya, FC Steve
Well I am not sure if tumble lube is/was adequate (45-45-10), I haven't shot enough to notice leading but I applied very liberal amount, at any rate I felt it would be good to size, lube and apply gascheck all in one step.
Josue Galdamez - For indoors, we leave out the Alox. But yes, can shoot indoors and out...but there is some smoke so indoors may not be as welcome...that has not stopped me from using it. I don't shoot indoors as a rule though because of the increase exposure to lead. Best to ya, FC
Well....I am going to start casting some lead for my .223 using the New Lee mold they came out with C255-55-RF. It has lube groves, gas checks... so no tumble lubing...I have not pan lubed as of yet...saw tons of vids on formulas....do you have any clue why people add STP oil treatment to their formula????
+gman77gas -- For the lubricity just like STP in auto engines. Any manner of greases and oils have been tried. But please do not do pan lubing - it works best with big bullets (and even then it's the pits) and the smaller the bullet the less well it works...plus the mess and all the pans and pots and lots of lube all over the place including the frig - a huge mess. Best pan lubing requires beeswax, and the stuff is like liquid gold in cost - plus you need lots of it. I would tell anyone who wants to listen to avoid pan lubing like the plague. If you are going to put gas checks on those bullets, you might as well do the sizer lubricators. Otherwise 45/45/10 works so well for tumble lubing, it is the way to go. You can tumble lube regular groove bullet designs fine. I've done lots of that with great results. Lee sizer dies will also install your gas checks as you are very well aware. But if you are going to shoot 223/5.56 cast lead, you should look into powder coating. Please let me know how that mold works for you, as I personally have found no joy in casting the little teeny bullets... As you know, I like the big hulking hunks of lead... Happy Holidays to ya, Gary... FC Steve
Interesting...I thought I would have to pan lube or sizer lubricator. I also ordered the .224 lee sizer to size and crimp the gas check. I did not know I could just tumble lube those bullets. But I guess the bullets being so small the groves are not that deep. I will let you know how the casting of the tiny bullets work. I too like big bore bullets...but thought about giving it a try....
+gman77gas - I have a 22 cal Lyman bullet mold - Did a whole casting session with it back in the 70s and got about 20 acceptable bullets out of the whole casting session. Then the best they would do was 2 1/2" at 50 yards when the gun would hold 3/4" with FMJ easy. Have avoided casting anything under 30 cal every since... Am rather curious to see how the 22 cal does for you.... Good 2016 to ya.
+FortuneCookie45LC Yeks! Too late know....ordered all the equipment today.....well I will give it a try with 100 rounds before I go too far. Tumble Lubing it. I saw some other folk on RU-vid cast .223 and they too where getting ok groups at 50 yards. I have been buying .223 from Everglades Ammo for around 9 cents a round free shipping when its on sale.
+gman77gas -- Wow, 9 cents a shot is 22LR money, 100 rounds for $9. Might be a typo there. You might find your 223 cast bullets to shoot very well for you. They just did not in my AR, and dirty to boot. I did not want to shoot lead bullets through my accurate bolt gun. Please let me know how they cast, load and shoot for you -- will be helpful information for others. I wasn't going to buy that mold, but if they shoot well for you, I might join the 223 cast bullet club... Happy 2016 to ya, FC
+Ralph ditore -- For the pistol definitely yes, but I have not used this homemade stuff for 2K rifle...If I was doing 2K cast bullets for rifle today, I'd gas check 'em and powder coat 'em. Good shootin' to ya.. FC
+Ralph ditore -- Good point - we used to always want to fill the grooves completely with lube...but some time ago, we discovered that we were overlubricating our bullets with the traditional grease grooves...So now I don't even worry about it - just as long as there is grease in those grooves, we are good to go...Best Regards, FC
blueskysflyer-The homemade lube in this video has worked very well for me - economical, no heater needed, lube is not messy in the bullets and controls leading very well. However, the latest lube technique that beats use of lubrisizers is to go 45/45/10 tumble lube (see video) with Lee bullets dropped at the proper diameters right out of the mold. Can lube 1000 bullets in 10 minutes - unbeatable - and lube works just as well. Best Regards...
Molybdenum is completely unnecessary for cast pistol bullets and copper jacketed pistol bullets. Moly contained lube should only be used in Rifle bullets that have STEEL Jackets. Such as the surplus ammo from eastern Europe ect. Moly grease is for high pressure bearings and hard metal to metal contact.
Jerry Miller - Any organic fat will do...but SPG is favored by many BP shooters. As you know, any petroleum based lube will turn to tar with black powder... Good shootin' to ya, FC
FortuneCookie45LC - When I have loaded bullets in the past that are lubed, the lube has been very messy. It would be all over the brass and in my dies. These were bullets I bought from a local dealer. Was it a issue that the maker had, or was it possibly that my dies were not opening the mouth of the brass far enough? I really enjoy your videos, and you are full of information. Keep up the good work. Thanks,
callen herring-If the lube is a hard lube (needs a lube heater to apply), they tend to not be anywhere as messy as the soft lubes. No need to overbell the cases to seat cast bullets, just enough so the bullet base gets in is OK.
texpat- Yes, whatever color you desire. But note that the latest is that the grooves of our bullets do not need to be filled 100% with lube. We used to run bullets in and out of dies to get the grooves filled, when just get lube in the grooves will be fine. Good bullet lubin' to ya...
FortuneCookie45LC That's good to know, thanks! I have most of my gear setup, just have to get some lead to give it my first try. Thanks for all your great videos. Have a great day!
1LRLRG Both the commercially purchased and homemade lubes work well. For rifle shooting, though, I use sized lubed gas checked cast bullets also tumble lubed with 45/45/10. For all handgun shooting, the homemade lube works fine, but nothing beats using cast bullets that drop at the right diameter requiring no sizing (Lee Tumble Lube Molds give me that) and then the 45/45/10 lube system only takes 10-12 minutes total effort to lube 1000 bullets - that is very hard to beat. Many hours spent sizing and lubing bullets in the past that could have been spent doing other things...Good reloadin' to ya
+1LRLRG - This lube works great for all my target and +P shooting. If I'm doing all out magnums, I'll switch to commercial NRA 50-50 Alox/beeswax or Lyman Moly Lube or Orange Magic (for indoor ranges that I do not frequent much any more). Good shootin' to ya... FC
AirGunWarriors - leading is lead from bullets being left in the barrel, or chamber of a gun on firing. Accuracy is decreased as leading increases. Best to not get leading…Have a great day...
***** Thanks for adding that - there have been leading cases reported that were so bad, gun had to go to a gunsmith to "get the lead out". If they kept shooting that gun, it would have blown itself up at some point. Best Regards to you
FortuneCookie45LC Brownelles has a tool by Lem I think is the company, which claims to be ultimate in lead removal. It is a ramrod much like a regular rod for cleaning but caliber specific with a "T" handle, and an attachment for the tip. You buy these small cal. specific cut screen mesh cloths that after you slide the rod down your bore, you attach the mesh to it, then pull out the front of your barrel. They have a video on the web site showing how to use it and you can see the lead flake right out. The problem is, they are very expensive and the mesh can only be used once then thrown away. T handel rod and attachment can be reused... I have never used this product myself though, but have looked into it just to hold onto so in case I might get leading, which I try and avoid being careless, I would have handy, however I will admit pulling the mesh out through the barrel idea makes me a bit nervous about potential scratching or marring the inside of the barrel. Maybe, if possible, could you, when have time head to Brownelles web site, check the video out and see what your thoughts are about that product? ***Just Added: sorry, it is Brownells Lewis Lead Remover and is on youtube videos... Of course they will talk highly of their product, but with your experiance could you review and get your input to see what your thoughts are on this, because it is a pretty expensive investment... but if it does work, would be nice to have so if and when you might ever need... Thanks
Cycles Ov Hatred The Lewis Lead Remover does work - If I had bad leading problems, I'd have one of those. But I have never had the need for one. When I was shooting competition trap (upwards to 400 rounds a day during competitions), I got pretty heavily fouled barrels and choke tubes from the plastic wads. A Brass Brute chucked in an electric drill really made cleaning fast and easy. I use the same idea to clean out the cylinders of my revolvers - works great. But the forcing cone and barrels do take use of brass brushes and chore boy mesh wrapped around a brass brush - this removes light lead deposits by hand without too much problem. Have a great day
FortuneCookie45LC You have been nothing less then true inspiration to me on casting and reloading. Its actually gotten to the point I dont bother reading other manuals or videos except for fun, but for knowledge and learning, your the one I come to... I do have a few questions if I may ask please... These questions are all in regarding casting for me and my fathers .44 magnums... #1. I have enjoyed using Lymans orange magic and use a heater with alot of success with what little casting I have done so far. Although I usually cast and size/lube the night before, is it best to let your lubed bullets sit over night, or for a time to harden totally before reloading? #2. I know this was not covered in your tutorial video, but I have heard alot of pros and cons about moly coating bullets. The pro is that I am to understand this helps also stop leading in your barrel, but also puts a slightly harder shell coating over your entire bullet. The con I heard is that if you moly coat bullets then you do NOT want to shoot anything other then mnoly bullets out of your barrel until you totally clean the inside of your barrel. But then again Ive heard this isnt true and you can shoot between moly and unmoly bullets through your barrel equally. #3. If you do moly coat bullets, do you still want to lube them? I dont see where this would hurt to fill in the grease grooves in a cast bullet that has been moly tumbled. I know it might be extra process but I do love to experiment, but I also want to make sure I do right and learn as I go too which is why I ask. #4. Like I have said, I have been using Lyman orange magic, this was recommended to me to use for cast magnum rounds. However I am extremely interested in making my own lube which you shared in your tutorial video. Is your lube suitable for magnum loads which burn hotter? And also, does your lube require I use heat or not use heat so I dont melt it all out of my lubesizer and cause a big mess? Just wanting to get all my ducks in a row before doing this. Thank you kindly for your time on this and thanks again for sharing your wisdom. Still newbie at casting from Kentucky!
Cycles Ov Hatred - Bullet casting enables shooters to do 95% of their shooting with full satisfaction plus the economy allows us to shoot up a storm - or not. Thanks for your good questions. Aging bullets by a few days adds 1 BHN to the hardness of the bullets. If you water quench the bullets out of the mold, you are already getting 1-2 more BHN doing that. If you like to keep reserves of your favorite cast bullets, aging is no problemo. But if you really need them the next day, that 1 BHN point is not significant. Bullet fit to your gun is much more important for performance. Elmer Keith used to shoot his hot loaded magnums with 1-30 alloy - but he never leaded his barrels because his bullet fit was always what he wanted. 2) Moly bullets are not new and factories have and are offering them - the molybdenum disulfide coatings are very tough and takes a knife to cut through the coatings. You even get a little more velocity as the lubricity gives you that + no leading and accurate. Moly coated bullets have been around since the late 1970s. You do not need to add lube to moly coated bullets - just load 'em and shoot 'em. We never did anything but normal cleaning and shot all kinds of bullets including the molys without noticing any problems. There was work done tumble lubing even jacketed bullets - and the tester concluded that there may be some positive to doing that, but it wasn't significant enough to be become mainstream. 3) Adding lube to moly bullets is OK to do, but not necessary and does increase the smoke (one of the reasons we liked moly bullets) 4) the great thing about our homemade lubes is that heaters are not necessary (within reason with the mixes of course). And our lubes work great - but again bullet fit is much more critical - bullet lube is actually third in the order of importance. There were tests done shooting bare cast bullets, properly sized to the gun - and they shot well and clean ( I would not recommend doing this, however and you won't find any advice to do that anywhere). Good castin' to ya - and good shootin'
Hey, thanks for the help on this FortuneCookie45LC You should write a book or teach classes on this. Anyway, thanks a million for all of your help! One last final question please and I will make this short, I do have a nice supply of jacketed commercially made .44magnums although my interest is in casting. If I am to pursue moly coating the bullets and inside of barrel, I have heard you do NOT want to shoot unmoly jacketed bullets through a moly'ed barrel. If you do, you first want to clean all moly out of the barrel, but most who say this Ive also noticed are trying to push a special house brand cleaner for the method too... What is your take on this if I do moly and moly my barrel? Is it ok to shoot up the non moly jacketed bullets as I have about 2 thousand rnds of this and would like to just burn them up at the range for fun with me and my father... But at the same time I dont want to cause any damage to my barrel either... Some claim shooting non moly bullets after you molyed your barrel causes contamination, while Ive also heard otherwise and this is not true and its ok to alternate bullets. Im seriously at the point I only trust your opinion on anything casting, you proven to be best of the best.
+Cycles Ov Hatred -- Sorry to not have replied to this until now - Google did not post it in my inbox for me to see so I stumbled onto it. Also, if I replied already, Google has lost my reply. Gah!! So let me start at #1 By the time you get your bullets lubed (yes, Orange Magic needs a heater for best results - I like OM) the first ones have cooled enough for loading #2 The steel shooters at our range shot a lot of moly bullets all the way back in the late 1980s-1990s. We liked them - no leading, good accuracy and clean shooting. We just cleaned our guns in the usual ways and shot other bullets and ammo without problems. Some say moly bullets cause more barrel wear, but we did not find that to be trouble. #3 No need to use any other lubes with moly bullets - this applies to the current powder coated bullets (PC) being done now as well #4 If your cast bullet has a deep generous grease groove, any of the commercial lubes as well as our homemade lubes work fine - but to keep things within performance margins, I prefer to use my homemade lubes for cowboy, target and +P+ loadings only. My all out magnums (loaded right to the max published data to be found), I still prefer to use commercial lubes like NRA 50-50, Orange Magic, or Lyman Moly Lube. I don't shoot as many full magnums anyway, so it works out perfectly. Having said all of the above, the 45/45/10 system is the most superior way to traditionally lube cast bullets whether they are tumble lube designs or not. That system beats all the tumble lube, traditional, and pan lube systems (strongly recommend you do not pan lube bullets - it is the most messy and effort intensive way to lube cast bullets- just skip all the grief and do the 45/45/10 - I have videos up on it) Powder coated bullets are a whole different story. I have videos up on that also.... Best to ya, FC