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Old May 23, 2007, 11:34 AM   #1
Domino
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Stupid question about cast bullets

I have a odd question about cast bullets, a friend gave me a handful to try to see if I'd like to start using them (normally I load plated) and I was wondering about the lube on them. Is the entire bullet coated with a thin layer of lube or is it just what is in the lube grooves?
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Old May 23, 2007, 11:38 AM   #2
The Real Wyatt
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Typically it is just what is in the lube groove(s).
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Old May 23, 2007, 11:56 AM   #3
snuffy
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When a cast bullet is sized/lubed, it is pushed into a die that is in a lubrisizer, like the lyman 450. The die has holes in it that allow the lube to pass through, under pressure, into the lube groove(s) In practical terms, it also is forced against the driving bands of the bullet, so it is also on the base and sides of the bullet.

It also has a tapered section that takes the as-cast diameter, squeezes it down to the selected diameter.
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Old May 23, 2007, 05:17 PM   #4
Molasses
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In the interests of being thorough... What the earlier replies said is mostly right. Most people who use cast bullets use some sort of lubrisizer that'll put lube into the groves. Some folks don't size bullets from some moulds or for certain applications or else use sizing setups that don't inject lube (like the Lee setup that sizes on a reloading press, for example), which leaves 'em pan or tumble lubing. Pan lubing will still end up filling the grooves, but there are some tumble lubes on the market (like Lee liquid Alox) that put an overall coating on the whole thing. Most of the tumble lubes leave a coating that looks kind of like varnish and can be scraped off, just in case you were wondering.
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Old May 25, 2007, 03:01 PM   #5
Smokey Joe
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Cast bullet lubing

FWIW, I shoot bullseye pistol, and at one time my bullets of choice were hollow-based lead wadcutters. These came from the factory with an overall thin, transparent coating. I loaded 'em and shot 'em and they worked fine.

Since, I have switched to double-ended lead wadcutters, which come from the maker with lube in 2 grooves. It is a blue lube, impossible not to notice. I load 'em and shoot 'em and they work fine.

So, back to your original question: The answer is, "Either Way."
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