.45 ACP - Lubing Lead Bullets?

[Country Boy]

Big Question: Do I need to lube lead bullets that I load in my .45 ACP cases?
Background: I'm not new to reloading, but I am new to reloading with lead bullets. I've reloaded jacketed rifle bullets for years, but haven't reloaded for my pistols yet, and want to get going. Am I going to need some sort of bullet lube with the lead bullets I use? (Actually, they're an alloy, not pure lead.) I tried doing a search, but I couldn't find the answer. It looked like some people lubed, and others didn't mention it. Any info/links would be appreciated.

 

[Jim Watson]

Are you buying commercial cast bullets or casting your own?

The large majority of commercial cast bullets come with a colored wax lube in the lube groove. (Unless you special order them without so as to use your own preference.)

Precision bullets (and a few other brands) are coated all over with a dry black lubricant, likely containing molybdenium sulfide. The lube groove is present in most designs but contains no wax, the black coating is all that is needed. Swaged bullets like Speer and Hornady are coated all over with a waxy substance.

If you are going to cast your own lead bullets, you are derned tootin' you have to lubricate them.

 

[Country Boy]

"The large majority of commercial cast bullets come with a colored wax lube in the lube groove."

Once again, I learn something new every day. Thanks for that simple tidbit of info Jim. That's the puzzle piece that fell behind the couch that I was looking for!

 

[stans]

While you are back there, see if you can find that black olive that fell off my slice of the pizza.