Bullet Lubing and other newbie questions.

[azrael_cervale]

My wife and I got into shooting for fun a few years ago, and while cleaning out her grandfathers basement I found alot of old reloading equipment. So... I thought it would be fun to reload and since .45 can cost a bit after a few rounds it seemed like a good idea. I bought the equipment i needed and couldn't find in the basement, and the reloading manual. Then I saw something about lubing cast bullets, but don't see anything that says it's a must, so whats the story? Do I have to lube cast lead bullets? And any other suggestions to keep from blowing my hand off are appreciated as well. Thanks.

[Nate1778]

You generally need to lube bullets you cast yourself. If your buying lead bullets from an online store they will mire than likely come lubed. They would probably state otherwise. Knowledge is key to keeping your hands, know what your doing before you do it. If you know anyone that reloads, set up a session to go watch, its worth every second. Otherwise thouroughly read and understand a your reloading manual.

[azrael_cervale]

Yeah I made them myself. There is a section in the manual about lubing but it doesn't say when to do it, just talks about how. Is there a good way to lube them without a machine? I have an old one but I think it only does .38 spl.

[Nate1778]

If you have a machine then it should be able to get different sizers you can buy for it. Whats the make on it? Typically in a machine they are sized and lubed at the same time, after there cast of coarse. I do what they call "pan lubing" which I have linked a youtube below on. I then size mine through a LEE sizing die. There are many pan lubing recipes out there for the caster to make. Also many lubes out there for your machine, look at MidwayUSA for those under the casting section in bullet lubes. You might also find your make and model sizer there and different dies for it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBDFO0ftCQc

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Brow...=9315***685***

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Brow...=9315***685***

[Unclenick]

The lubricator/sizer presses have changeable dies so you can set them up to size and lube any caliber. You need the die, and, in the most common types, a top punch that fits the bullet nose to push it down into the die. A bottom ram pushes it back up out, and a handle is turned to pressurize the lubricant to fill the lubricating grooves. It is required for using lube groove-filling wax-based lubes.

If your molds are old, be aware that roughly about WWII, .45 Colt changed bullet diameters from 0.454" to 0.451" to match .45 ACP bullet diameters. You want to know which one your old mold is casting.

If you don't want to mess with the lubrisizer, you can use Lee Liquid Alox or White Label X-lox lube and Lee sizing dies that fit on a conventional loading press. The lube is drizzled onto the bullets, and they are rolled around in a container, like a cottage cheese tube, until they are coated, then they are set out, base down, on wax paper to dry for a day or so before you use them.

The Lee sizing die needs the bullets to be lubed to pass through it easily. If you are using a mold that casts the bullets the right size out of the mold, you may be able to load them without sizing? But if the cartridges are too tight, you will want to size them one or two thousandths over groove diameter.

[azrael_cervale]

the Sizer/Luber is by star mfg. I didn't see any die to change out for sizing, but I'll look more closely at it. I think it's pretty old probably around the same age as the Herter's 234 press i'm using.

[Nate1778]

You have one of the best, Look below for info and sizers.


http://magmaengineering.com/products...tar-lube-sizer

[azrael_cervale]

Thanks for the link. It is set up for .45 but I'll need to order dies for the .38 wadcutter gun I have. Thanks for the info

[Unclenick]

Congratulations on that Star. It's first in class, and you should get excellent service from it. Being a base-punch, through-die design, you don't need to worry about the bullet-matching top punches. You can put a bullet catch under it, but I've noticed a number of folks rig a horizontal stand and size right-to-left, so the bullets push out onto a tray level with the bottom edge of the die or into a tube without falling and making dents.

[steamroller]

I use a similar recipe as most others, with one additional component for pan lubing. I melt the 1 pound of beeswax and 1 pound of petroleum jelly with a tablespoon of Mobil 1 15W-50 and a tablespoon of Joy dish detergent and then I mix in about 3 tablespoons of Lockease - the Moly - DiSulfide lock lubricant dispersed in the liquid wax mix, Melted and thoroughly blended and mixed and pour over my cast .452 lead bullets in a metal cake pan. When cooled, I press them out and set them in a shallow plastic tray to be loaded after a few days to cure the mix.
The moly added to the mixture works great in my .45 Blackhawk and also the Puma lever action rifle in .45 Colt, and I have no leading problems with loads that vary fro 814fps for heavier bullets like 250-260 grain, to 1040fps with bullets of 200 grain or 225 grain. I decided to add the Lockease to get results similar to Lyman Super Molylube.


A politician is a broker of pillaged goods, and an election is merely an advance payment on a share of the theft - H.L. Mencken

[azrael_cervale]

Another thing i didn't see in my book. How important are gas checks for lead rounds in a .45 ACP? I really appreciate all the info and help so far.