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Old March 6, 2018, 11:47 AM   #1
ConRich
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Recommended Lube ?

I plan to cast some of the .45 cal. Lee R.E.A.L. bullets to be used in my TC Hawken. How should these bullets be lubed ?

TIA,
Rich
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Old March 6, 2018, 12:58 PM   #2
rodwhaincamo
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As they are such an odd design I hand lube mine with chunks of Gatofeo’s #1 lube. I pour the excess into a soap mold and cut that into 6 blocks. Next I will try pouring it into a used chapstick tube and using it like a crayon.
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Old March 6, 2018, 01:15 PM   #3
ConRich
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Do you use anything like a Wonder Wad between the powder and the R.E.A.L. type bullet ? I've been loading patched round balls and this bullet thing is completely new to me.

Rich
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Old March 6, 2018, 01:55 PM   #4
Pahoo
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What I use to do with these

When I was running and shooting these REAL Conicals, I used Lyman products melt able lube and melted in a shallow tuna tin, over and controlled hotplate. Once the lube was soft enough, I dipped base down into the lube for a couple of seconds. Then set them base down on a sheet of aluminum and let then cool off. I only dipped the body of the REAL. I grasped the nose of the REAL with a set of small tweezers with just enough tension to hold them. Later, after the lube got firm, I trimmed off any excess lube and put the trimmings back into the tin. when done, poured melted lube into a small storage jar. ......

Quote:
Do you use anything like a Wonder Wad between the powder and the R.E.A.L. type bullet ?
This optional and it's entirely up to you. I do use bore-buttons in this manner for hotter loads and Sabots. Do a field test with and without and see how you like them....

Be Safe !!!
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Old March 6, 2018, 06:18 PM   #5
rodwhaincamo
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I had read many claimed these required a felt wad to shoot well so I punched some out prior to range day. At my typical 50 yds I found the first shot about a foot left and several inches low with a very distinct keyhole shape. The next two I tried with a wad and they were nearly touching and just under the bull. That’s when I decided to buy the mold!

My rifle (Lyman) states the bore is roughly .502 x .520” and the measurement on a REAL was something like .517”.
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Old March 6, 2018, 07:42 PM   #6
FrontierGander
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First thing, we need to take a look at the bullet lube you plan to use.

How hard or soft is it?

A lot of folks use Bore Butter for this process. I personally find it way to soft and runny in warm weather and no longer use it. If you do use it, add small amount of beeswax to thicken it a bit.

Folks often resort back to animal fat and beeswax. Crisco and beeswax makes a decent bullet lube, but with beeswax, it can get pretty hard and difficult to clean out at the end of the day. I've also found that it can leave behind a sticky tar like feel in the bore where the projectile sits on top of the powder charge.

Looking at todays prices for TC Maxi balls, I was amazed to find that our local Big R store had them for $24 for a package of 20! $24!! I remember a handful of years ago when they were in the $12 range!

Those of us that reload and cast our own ammo, balk at the idea of paying well over $120 for a Lyman mould and handles. Well, at $24 for 20 bullets, those handles and bullet moulds now seem like the cheap way to go!

Now looking back at all the times you've spend money on the TC Maxi balls or even the Hornady great plains bullets, do you remember opening the package only to find the lube on the bullets in a nasty dried out state that crumbled off the bullets easily? I remember those days, and always swore at the makers for using such a hard beeswax or paraffin wax and it not sticking to the bullets. Plus the poor lubrication it offered while sliding down the bore.

So how do we go about lubing our conical bullets the easy way, with the lube of our choice?


First, figure out if your lube is right for conicals. A simple Crisco/Beeswax combo mixed 60-40 or even 50-50 will do the job for starters.

For my bullets I use Frontier's Anti-Rust & Patch lube. This lube is mainly used for wiping rifles down inside and out to prevent rust, and used for shooting patches with round balls. It is however, firm enough to be used for conical bullets and is a lube that will NOT dry out and fall off once the bullets have been lubed. It also does not contain paraffin wax or even beeswax. Full melting point is a little over 100 degrees which means you can hunt without fear of the bullet lube melting and contaminating your powder charge.

I first start out finding a container large enough to hold all the bullets I plan on lubing that day.

I place those bullets into the container, leaving enough space in between to cut them out.

Next, I take my preferred lube, melt it down to a liquid state and carefully pour the lube into the bullet container and fill it up to the last loading band. A little extra never hurts as the cutting process will remove most of it.

Once the lube has been poured, you can either place the container into the Fridge or just allow them 24 hours to cure in the open air.


Now, lets look back to your lube... Is it going to get HARD or will it be semi hard? If its a hard mix lube, cut the bullets out of the lube while its in a semi hard state, otherwise, you will have to melt the bullets/lube and start over again.

To cut the bullets out cleanly, I used a .50cal Thompson Center QuickShot loading tool. Most of us ball them speed loaders. These, have a nice narrow end that slips over the nose of the bullet and easily cuts through lube and bullets the bullet right out. The QuickSot Loading tool Holds premeasured powder charge, projectile and priming in a waterproof container. Can be used with patch and ball, Maxi-Ball or Maxi-Hunter or any other conical bullet. Note the top flap on the speed loader. It can hold either a 209 primer, #10 or #11 percussion cap or even a small amount of 4fg priming powder for you flintlock! Very handy little gadget that speeds up the reloading process in the field.

Align the speed loader over the top of the bullet and press down straight to cut the bullet free of the lube.



Once you pull the bullet out of the lube, use a old rag or paper towel and wipe the base of the bullet clean and then use a short starter to push the bullet out of the speed loader. It is that easy! Your bullets are now lubed with your choice of lube!

If you have a supply of store bought bullets and do not like what they are lubed with, you can place those bullets into a pan and place it over a heat source and allow it to gently melt off. Pluck the bullets out once they are free of lube, and start the lubing process with a lube you can count on!
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Old March 6, 2018, 07:43 PM   #7
FrontierGander
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I also used a lubed veg wad with the REAL bullets.

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Old March 6, 2018, 11:22 PM   #8
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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What lube to use is based on ambient temperature the firearm is exposed to. Some lubes lubricate in the cold most won't. Some lubes turn to a greasy evergreen smell'in liquid in the summers heat some won't.
As far as what I know there has never been a Lube made that functions as expected in all yearly Seasons.
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Old March 7, 2018, 05:24 AM   #9
Old Stony
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I've used a 50/50 mix of beeswax and bore butter with good results. I like to put a vegetable wad over the powder as well. The beeswax just firms up the lube somewhat.
Most of my muzzleloader hunting is with round balls, but I have taken deer with this mix and was happy with the results. Pretty simple stuff...
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Old March 7, 2018, 10:37 AM   #10
ConRich
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Frontier Gander

Thank you, those photos were a great help. I like your method it's very similar to how I lube hard cast bullets for my smokeless powder cartridges.

Rich
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Old March 7, 2018, 11:59 AM   #11
Hawg
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These days I mostly use beeswax and olive oil for conicals. You can adjust the mix to be however stiff you want it.
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Old March 7, 2018, 02:12 PM   #12
rodwhaincamo
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I mix up the standard Gatofeo’s #1 lube (by weight 1 part mutton tallow, 1 part paraffin was, and 1/2 part beeswax) and use this on felt wads, on my pistol bullets, and on my REALs and have never had it become crumbly over time (mine is coming up on 5 years old now and it’s still just the same as it was when I first made it), nor has it ever been an issue as far as cleaning. Works exceptionally well just as Gatofeo claimed as he stated he had tried everything anyone talked about, not to mention it’s an authentic late 1800’s recipe used on the old outside lubricated bullets when metallic cartridges were becoming a thing.

Some have even said they use it as a patch lube, which I’ll one day try myself I suppose.
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Old March 7, 2018, 03:27 PM   #13
ConRich
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Thanks you all

Thanks for all the advice. Since I already have a batch of Gatofeo I plan to use it in the manner described by Frontier Gander. If I find it to be too hard, I'll cut it with Bore Butter.

Thanks,
Rich
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