Adding lube to commercial lead bullets

[mdi]

Wondering how you got lead bullets that were "too small".

I walked into the LGS and picked up a box of 500 cast lead SWC, paid for them and took them home. That's how I got "too small" bullets.

I have since learned that many commercial cast bullets are sized to a "normal", nominal diameter and won't necessarily fit all guns (my cylinder throats of that particular gun are ,358"+, so a .357" bullet is too small. Most commercial cast bullets unnecessarily hard, and the lube many use is meant to survive shipping vs. shooting.

 

[mdi]

The cast bullet can allow gas cutting after longer lapse time in the barrel. That is why a gas check is used in rifle barrels. Proper sizing to bore would work but that is seldom considered.

I've always read that gas checks "check gas cutting of the bullet's base" and increase the bullet's grip on the rifling to avoid "skidding". I rarely use gas checks anymore in my handguns (9mm, 38/357, and ,44s) or my rifles (.223, 30-05, 7.62x54r, 393 British). Never heard of "bore time" in relation to leading...

 

[Dog Soldier]

Gas checks are rarely needed in handguns. The Gas Check is only an added expense at velocities below 1,500 fps. The duration of time beyond 10" of barrel travel may allow gas cutting to occur. There is some justification for hard lubes to retard this. I have been testing tumble lube with JPG in a 26" barreled .357 Mag. The leading with a Lyman #2 alloy 180 grs. developed at 1,700 fps. at 12" to muzzle no gas check. When using hard lubes retrieved bullets should show the lube was spent from the grooves.

 

[Walkalong]

If the bullet has enough lube for the trip down the barrel it won't lead form a barrel being to long. That said, with long barrels and pistol bullets running out of lube it is a distinct possibility. They just don't have as much lube. Just look a the typical cast rifle bullet to see the difference in lube/lube grooves.

 

[Laphroaig]

I ran into the same problem with a 500 ct. box of 9mm 125 conicals that leaded pretty bad in my pistol. I'm going to powder coat the rest. I boiled off the lube in a 3# coffee can which worked really well.

I'm just waiting for a chance to go over to my buddies who will get me started. Powder coating seems to be the rage and he claims its pretty easy to master.

 

[Dog Soldier]

If the bullet has enough lube for the trip down the barrel it won't lead form a barrel being to long. That said, with long barrels and pistol bullets running out of lube it is a distinct possibility. They just don't have as much lube. Just look a the typical cast rifle bullet to see the difference in lube/lube grooves.

Scroll down to "Splotches near the muzzle" it is common knowledge that lubricants are expended. Bullet hardness, diameter can be over come in longer barrels. How else do you explain a non-leading or clean barrel until the last inches before the muzzle.

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_7_Leading.htm

 

[Walkalong]

it is common knowledge that lubricants are expended.

And does not disagree with what I posted.

 

[RealGun]

I've always read that gas checks "check gas cutting of the bullet's base" and increase the bullet's grip on the rifling to avoid "skidding". I rarely use gas checks anymore in my handguns (9mm, 38/357, and ,44s) or my rifles (.223, 30-05, 7.62x54r, 393 British). Never heard of "bore time" in relation to leading...

Don't you find it intuitive that if a bullet spends enough time in the bore it may run out of lube? What high fallutin' reference do we need to validate that concept?

 

[Hondo 60]

Lots of reloaders use alox

Yup. I started using 45/45/10 about 3 or 4 years ago.
Works like a charm & its quite a bit more vicious than straight alox.
(which some reloaders refer to as mule snot)

 

[rfwobbly]

Having started my shooting career as a 3 position smallbore ROTC rifle team member, I've become painfully aware of changing bullet lubes since the late 1960's, especially on competition .22 ammo. I can't speak much to lubrication in pistol and large caliber rifle shooting, but my testing conclusively proves the difference for .22 ammo.

• The largest single difference between $4 a box .22 ammo and $8-$20 a box ammo is the lube. I have the targets to prove it. So what I now do is buy good quality 40gr ammo and dip the exposed lead into Alox or other lead bullet lube and allow it to dry for a week. With this I can get Federal AutoMatch to easily best Eley Target and Eley Practice from my Anschutz 1907.

• Not only that, but in smallbore it takes about 20 rounds to "wax the barrel", and then the effect of the lube stays on the barrel for at least 5-10 shots after the last waxed bullet. I laugh at ammo tests that shoot 10 rounds of 20 different brands of ammo. The results are skewed because the barrel is waxed by the proceeding 10 rounds and helps the follow-up batch. So even when I'm changing ammo brands, I make it a point to use the same wax on all my ammo.

I'm currently enjoying a bottle of White Label Lube from http://www.lsstuff.com/