jonas66
Member
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2020
- Messages
- 112
Adding a random .02-- I've cast several thousands of .45-70, .45 acp, and 9x19 out of the cheap lee molds over the last year, (my first year casting bullets)- both tumble-lube style and regular lube-groove, and lubed them all using LLA.
I toss a hundred or so at a time in a zip-loc bag, add a couple of dollops of LLA and a few squirts of brakleen to cut and thin the lube, zip up and massage the baggie for a minute or two. Lay them out on wax paper under a fan and they're ready to go next day.
When I first started I used way too much un-thinned LLA, but thanks to THR, Castboolits and arfcom I am constantly learning.
The only time I've had trouble with leading was with slightly undersized bullets cast too hard ( I water-quench, mostly, using soft bullet alloy sourced from range scrap) in a 9mm after shooting hundreds of rounds one day. Scraps of copper chore-boy wrapped around a bronze brush and a little extra effort took care of that.
I'd like to try powder-coating soon but haven't quite gotten around to it yet.
ETA: I have several of the Lee push-through sizers but haven't needed to use them so far. My bullets drop a bit heavy 'cause they're softer lead but the molds seem to be just about right as is.
I did have to learn a bit about how to prep the lee molds to avoid galling before use. I ruined one before I figured that out-- but hey, it was a $22.00 lesson. Good enough.
I toss a hundred or so at a time in a zip-loc bag, add a couple of dollops of LLA and a few squirts of brakleen to cut and thin the lube, zip up and massage the baggie for a minute or two. Lay them out on wax paper under a fan and they're ready to go next day.
When I first started I used way too much un-thinned LLA, but thanks to THR, Castboolits and arfcom I am constantly learning.
The only time I've had trouble with leading was with slightly undersized bullets cast too hard ( I water-quench, mostly, using soft bullet alloy sourced from range scrap) in a 9mm after shooting hundreds of rounds one day. Scraps of copper chore-boy wrapped around a bronze brush and a little extra effort took care of that.
I'd like to try powder-coating soon but haven't quite gotten around to it yet.
ETA: I have several of the Lee push-through sizers but haven't needed to use them so far. My bullets drop a bit heavy 'cause they're softer lead but the molds seem to be just about right as is.
I did have to learn a bit about how to prep the lee molds to avoid galling before use. I ruined one before I figured that out-- but hey, it was a $22.00 lesson. Good enough.