Lubing Bevel Base cast lead bullet

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dave bennett

dave bennett

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Bevel bullet lubing

Conventional lubing 200gr .452 cast SWC (Lee Mold) BEVEL BASE. Flat base not available in the aluminum Lee Mold of this dimension. Using Lyman Lube/sizer .452 and CAN NOT adjust so lube stays out of the bevel or squirts out above the grove band onto the front of the bullet. (Hope I said that understandably) Coming out of the mold at .452 so really do not need sized. Need best method of getting the lube in the single lube grove and away from the base of the bullet, because of the bevel.
 
Tumble lube with Alox.

Or add linotype to make a larger diameter bullet as it drops from the mold. This should stop lube on top of the bullet.

The bevel lube i just wipe off in a plush towel. A half spin does it for me. The old Lyman die has more holes then newer ones. Plug some holes using lead shot and tap it into place, for old dies.

Others have made a cup to sit in the bottom of the die, using different materals. Didnt work for me.

th_NewTypeLymanDie_01.jpg 20190608_200144.jpg
 
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Lighten up on the pressure screw.
Make sure the hole(s) are lined up with the lube groove , not above or below it. The only way is to adjust the stop up and down until you hit the sweet spot...no lube on base and no lube out top of bullet , small adjustments up and down until you find it .
After finding the sweet spot....avoiding excessive pressure is the biggest factor in getting a clean based bullet .
Lube should never be squirting out the top...hole not alaigned correctly and maybe too much pressure .
Use a soft lube that flows without heat.
Using a lube with too much heat makes it flow into places you don't want it to go.

Soft lube , no heat , die alignment and just enough pressure to fill the groove 98% .
Another trick is just enough pressure to fill the groove 50% then turn the bullet 1/2 spin in the die and finish lubing the other half.

It's a tricky technique to master but once you see what's causing the problem it's easy to fix but takes some practice. Do not heat lubes too much. I have used soft lubes that do not require any heat and find them to be superior to hard heated lubes .
Gary
 
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243winxb said:
Tumble lube with Alox.

Or add linotype to make a larger diameter bullet as it drops from the mold. This should stop lube on top of the bullet.

The bevel lube i just wipe off in a plush towel. A half spin does it for me. The old Lyman die has more holes then newer ones. Plug some holes using lead shot and tap it into place, for old dies.

Others have made a cup to sit in the bottom of the die, using different materals. Didnt work for me.

View attachment 845353 View attachment 845354
Click to expand...
 
243 winxb Many Thanks for your reply. Tried and Tried to find that "sweet spot" to keep the lube off the bevel and fill the grove without splashing the lube onto the slopping end of the SWC. Your idea of plugging one or two holes in the size die may work for this drill. This Lube/Sizer is about 48-49 yrs old. Tumble lube, etc is not my cup of tea. Guess I'll eventually have to enter the 21st Century.
 
The holes in the Lyman dies are drilled straight through, without a constriction to hold the shot. You can wrap electrical tape over the holes you want to block, and it's easy to remove.

Even though I own a Lyman 450, RCBS and Saeco Luberisizers, most of my bullets go through my Star sizers these days.

Less pressure is better, but you didn't mention what lube you're using. Since you're talking about an older machine, my bet is it's 50/50 Alox/Beeswax lube. In that case, no heat is required, and less pressure will help to keep the lube from flowing where it doesn't belong.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
243 winxb Many Thanks for your reply. Tried and Tried to find that "sweet spot" to keep the lube off the bevel and fill the grove without splashing the lube onto the slopping end of the SWC. Your idea of plugging one or two holes in the size die may work for this drill. This Lube/Sizer is about 48-49 yrs old. Tumble lube, etc is not my cup of tea. Guess I'll eventually enter the 21st Century.
ReloaderFred said:
The holes in the Lyman dies are drilled straight through, without a constriction to hold the shot. You can wrap electrical tape over the holes you want to block, and it's easy to remove.

Even though I own a Lyman 450, RCBS and Saeco Luberisizers, most of my bullets go through my Star sizers these days.

Less pressure is better, but you didn't mention what lube you're using. Since you're talking about an older machine, my bet is it's 50/50 Alox/Beeswax lube. In that case, no heat is required, and less pressure will help to keep the lube from flowing where it doesn't belong.

Hope this helps.

Fred
Click to expand...
 
Hey Fred: Thanks, Yep . . . . . Lube box says: Hodgdon Bullet Lube (Alox) 99cents. Is Star still in business ?? I thought they were long gone. Dave
 
gwpercle said:
Lighten up on the pressure screw.
Make sure the hole(s) are lined up with the lube groove , not above or below it. The only way is to adjust the stop up and down until you hit the sweet spot...no lube on base and no lube out top of bullet , small adjustments up and down until you find it .
After finding the sweet spot....avoiding excessive pressure is the biggest factor in getting a clean based bullet .
Lube should never be squirting out the top...hole not alaigned correctly and maybe too much pressure .
Use a soft lube that flows without heat.
Using a lube with too much heat makes it flow into places you don't want it to go.

Soft lube , no heat , die alignment and just enough pressure to fill the groove 98% .
Another trick is just enough pressure to fill the groove 50% then turn the bullet 1/2 spin in the die and finish lubing the other half.

It's a tricky technique to master but once you see what's causing the problem it's easy to fix but takes some practice. Do not heat lubes too much. I have used soft lubes that do not require any heat and find them to be superior to hard heated lubes .
Gary
Click to expand...
 
Hey Gary: I like the idea of the "half spin" and 2nd pull on the handle to fill the grove and keep the base lube free.
 
Yes Star is long gone, but a LOT of equipment still exists and continue to function. Most parts that are prone to breaking or wear are readily made or repaired by a skilled machinist (ie: gunsmith).

My solution is that of 243winxb. Just wipe off excess lube with shop cloth.
Mostly however, I use Lee tumble lube cut with 1/3 mineral spirits or paint thinner.
I’ve tried powder coating but accuracy suffers. I shoot PPC so my accuracy requirements are very demanding.
I add Leadfree solder (95%tin/5%antimony) to wheelweight or scrap to improve fill and as-cast size.
My favorite molds are Lee 148gr .358” WC, 105gr .358”SWC, 158gr .358” SWC, 120gr .356” TCFN, and .452” 205gr SWC (H&G#68 style). 6-cavities of course!
The 105gr and 120gr I prefer to lube in Lyman to .357” with SPG for my S&W PPC-9’s.
 
You can cut a cardboard washer that fits in the bottom of the sizing die and takes up the space of the bevel. The kind of cardboard thats on the back of note pads. Or if you have an implement dealer near by you might find an "O" ring the correct size. ( John Deere, Case IH ) A more permanent fix would be to get Eric at Hollow Point Molds to remove the bevel in your mold. Any way you look at it, the bevel is a PITA.
 
dave bennett said:
Hey Fred: Thanks, Yep . . . . . Lube box says: Hodgdon Bullet Lube (Alox) 99cents. Is Star still in business ?? I thought they were long gone. Dave
Click to expand...

The Star sizer is still made by Magma Manufacturing, of Queen Creek, AZ. They're pricey, but well worth the cost if you're sizing a lot of bullets.

http://www.magmaengineering.com/magma-star-lube-sizer/

I gave C. B. Hodgdon a bunch of the Hodgdon Bullet Lube (and other things) for their museum display a few years ago.....

Hope this helps,

Fred
 
Using same mold as you I had same issues. No sweet spot ever found. Since the die wasn’t sizing any I ordered a .454-260 from NOE. Found sweet spot real quick. Lube was coming under my bullet and around it before due to undersized. I bought a .454 lube die since NOE molds runs on large size.
 
cowboy77 said:
Using same mold as you I had same issues. No sweet spot ever found. Since the die wasn’t sizing any I ordered a .454-260 from NOE. Found sweet spot real quick. Lube was coming under my bullet and around it before due to undersized. I bought a .454 lube die since NOE molds runs on large size.
Click to expand...
 
GooseGestapo said:
Yes Star is long gone, but a LOT of equipment still exists and continue to function. Most parts that are prone to breaking or wear are readily made or repaired by a skilled machinist (ie: gunsmith).

My solution is that of 243winxb. Just wipe off excess lube with shop cloth.
Mostly however, I use Lee tumble lube cut with 1/3 mineral spirits or paint thinner.
I’ve tried powder coating but accuracy suffers. I shoot PPC so my accuracy requirements are very demanding.
I add Leadfree solder (95%tin/5%antimony) to wheelweight or scrap to improve fill and as-cast size.
My favorite molds are Lee 148gr .358” WC, 105gr .358”SWC, 158gr .358” SWC, 120gr .356” TCFN, and .452” 205gr SWC (H&G#68 style). 6-cavities of course!
The 105gr and 120gr I prefer to lube in Lyman to .357” with SPG for my S&W PPC-9’s.
Click to expand...


This is really helpful, Thanks so much. Dave
 
lightman said:
You can cut a cardboard washer that fits in the bottom of the sizing die and takes up the space of the bevel. The kind of cardboard thats on the back of note pads. Or if you have an implement dealer near by you might find an "O" ring the correct size. ( John Deere, Case IH ) A more permanent fix would be to get Eric at Hollow Point Molds to remove the bevel in your mold. Any way you look at it, the bevel is a PITA.
Click to expand...


Good Ideas, hadn't thought of trying that. Thank you. Dave
 
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