Tumble Lubing

[Schwing]

I am using the 45/45/10 lube sold by lsstuff.com. I like it because it doesn't dry tacky like alox seems to.

First, my .44 loads leave a little leading around the last inch to 2 inches of the barrel. I understand that this is usually due to insufficient lube. I have tried applying with the bullets and the lube warm but it seems to put such a thin layer on that you can't even see it. I have also tried applying it cool and it seems to leave a really thick layer. In both cases, I have the leading issue.

I do drive these bullets to about 1375 fps but they are about 20 bhn and are sized slightly more than 1 thousands oversize.

Any ideas?

 

[blarby]

Ideas ? Plenty.

But they have a lot more to do with your bullet than your lube, which I dont use.

Were you getting this leading using LLA properly ?

 

[tyeo098]

This is what my recluse 45/45/10 looks like applied, note the visible crap in the lube grooves. Never had any leading problems. (With is anyways lol)

I throw the bullets in a metal pot, scrape some lube in there, hit it with the heat gun until everything is nice and melty, then swish until I feel everything is evenly coated.

Let it try on a plastic to-go box lid, and dislodge and store.

 

[dagger dog]

Try heating the lube to thicken it, then dip each bullet up to the top lube groove ,set them nose up, on a wax paper. I use a small crock pot, you don't want too much heat and don't do it in the house !

 

[41 Mag]

What alloy are you using and how are you cooling the bullets?

I ask because when I was working up some loads for my 454 I was using both air cooled and water dropped bullets from the Lee 452-300RF. The loads are running in the mid 1500fps range. With the air cooled I had no issues, but the water dropped were scattered about on the paper and also leaded the barrel in the last couple of inches. This was the case using both the 45/45/10 and Felix Lube which is a good high speed lube. While these are GC'ed they will still lead the barrel if things aren't right and proper.

To date I have shot those same air cooled bullets up into the mid 1700fps range using the Alox formula with no issues. Well no issues with leading, my hand would say otherwise.

So it might be your bullets are a bit harder than needed if your water dropping them, if so try simply letting them cool off int he pan and lube with the the 45/45/10. My lube method is similar to what is mentioned above, only I use a vacuum seal bag. I put in 50 or so bullets, and chunk of the 45/45/10, (mine has dried up a bit) and use a hair drier to heat it all up until the lube chunk melts, then roll everything around in the bag for a good coating.

 

[tyeo098]

So it might be your bullets are a bit harder than needed if your water dropping them, if so try simply letting them cool off int he pan and lube with the the 45/45/10.

This. 1000x this.

Thats how I first started, thinking harder was better and softer would leave skid marks.

If the bullet is too hard, it wont obdurate and expand to fill the bore, letting the hot gasses slip by, and cause gas cutting in the process... leaving skid marks.

Air cool my WW alloy and everything has been fine since. (With 45/45/10 at least)

 

[Schwing]

I was really not planning well when I cast these. I cast a couple hundred initially and they shot so well that I duplicated my next batch exactly. The problem is that I didn't even think about checking my barrel for leading until I had lubed the next huge batch I had cast. It isn't horrible but it is more than I would like.


I am going to almost guarantee that they are too hard based on what I am hearing. The original alloy was between 16-18. They were actually from 9mm bullets that I purchased a long time ago that ended up being too small for my barrel. I water quenched them so the end result is... 27.

Would you guys re-cast these or just be fastidious in cleaning your barrel? They are about the most accurate bullets I have cast to date and I have about 2500 of them.

To answer blarby's question: I have never used Lee Alox on this particular bullet. When I first started casting, I only used it once on some 9mms but I hated how tacky it was so I stopped using it.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

The bullets may indeed be too hard, but leading in the last couple inches of the bore makes me think it is a lube problem.

I tumble lube low velocity stuff like .38 Special and .40 S&W with 45-45-10 but for higher velocity stuff like 9mm and "Ruger Only" stuff for .45 Colt I pan lube with a real lube.

 

[tyeo098]

I was really not planning well when I cast these. I cast a couple hundred initially and they shot so well that I duplicated my next batch exactly. The problem is that I didn't even think about checking my barrel for leading until I had lubed the next huge batch I had cast. It isn't horrible but it is more than I would like.

Yeah. Done that before. This is my CZ75:

 

[Schwing]

Heheheh

Luckily, I am looking at about 1/10 of what you ended up with there... I bet that was a fun clean job.

 

[tyeo098]

Heheheh

Luckily, I am looking at about 1/10 of what you ended up with there... I bet that was a fun clean job.

30 rounds of FMJ later and there was no lead

 

[kelbro]

You can reverse the effect of the quenching. Heat them up to just shy of the softening point, let them air cool naturally, and they will return to their original hardness.

 

[41 Mag]

As for the straight Alox I totally agree with the sticky mess. However you might contact Glen at White Label Lubes and see if he might have a sample size bottle of the 45/45/10 you could try out. A little bit goes a LONG ways. Then you would at least know where to go from there.

As mentioned you can take the hardness out of them. You might give say 20 or so a try and see what happens. Also if you do take the hardness out of some and find they are now too soft, you could try setting your oven to 350 and quench some, then some at 450 just to see if there is a noticeable difference in the end result. I would give them about a full week or two even before sizing to let them finish curing out or to stabilize. That is how I do my 454 bullets, well most all of them really. I usually pour up a big batch one weekend then set them aside for a couple fo weeks before I am actually needing them. Seems to work out great.

Good luck.