Tumble Lube ?

[stevemb]

Am considering some .38 full wadcutters that are tumble lubed. Have never tried tumble lubed bullets. How messy ? Pocket or ziplock friendly ? Or no ? steve

 

[sandman228]

i tumble lube pretty much everything i cast ,no its not real bad i tumble lube 1st time with 50/50 alox and mineral spirits then i resize and tumble lube again with straight alox . just toss them in a coffee can , bucket, bowl ,whatever pour in some lube shake around a bit then dump them out onto a piece of wax paper . i try to spread mine out a bit so theres non on top of each other and let dry overnight . as far as keeping them in your pocket i wouldn't do that there sticky even when lube is dry . some guys are using 45/45/10 alox, johnsons paste wax, mineral spirits, they say it dries harder and not as sticky i dunno i haven't tried that yet im still using straight alox

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have used it in several ways and It is a good lube,just not for the guy who is in a big rush.
What sandman228 said +1
I also have dipped the bullets in LLA just to lube the lube groove and below and set them on their bases (on wax paper) to dry. That method works real good as the rest of the bullet needs no lube and they are not sticky after they are loaded.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Chuck's idea may get tried around here next time I have some time! The way I do it probably takes as much time in the long run, and is certainly a bit messier:

I warm the LLA in hot water (putting the bottle of lube in a big coffee mug of boiling water will keep things flowing quite well), then tumble batches of bullets in a plastic tub. Onto the wax paper they go to dry, with no attention paid to whether they're upright or whatever. After they're loaded, I wipe the round down with a rag and some mineral spirits to get the lube off the exposed part of the bullet.

Leaving the lube on the bullet presents two problems for me: any rounds with exposed lube that go in a pocket, or even sit on the bench when it's windy and stuff's blowing around, which is common where I like to shoot, act as dirt, lint and sand magnets. The other problem is with my 9mm, where lube on the bullet can tend to build up on the feed ramp.

Rick C

 

[Tom W]

As stated earlier, Johnson's Paste wax works really well. Put a glob of it into an old jar, put some bullets in with it and set it in the sun ( or a warm place if you live where the water gets hard) and swirl them around, treat them as though they were lubed with liquid alox. Smells better, too.

 

[Jim Puke]

I tumble lube all of the bullets that I cast...never had a problem and will not even consider a lubri-sizer.

Good reading here...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67654-Tumble-Lubing-Made-Easy-amp-Mess-Free

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?259285-NEW-!-!-T-L-Liquid-Lube

 

[Dan in MI]

I have used it in several ways and It is a good lube,just not for the guy who is in a big rush.
What sandman228 said +1
I also have dipped the bullets in LLA just to lube the lube groove and below and set them on their bases (on wax paper) to dry. That method works real good as the rest of the bullet needs no lube and they are not sticky after they are loaded.

THIS^


After a couple runs of standard tumbling I tried this method too.

 

[gramps]

As stated earlier, Johnson's Paste wax works really well. Put a glob of it into an old jar, put some bullets in with it and set it in the sun ( or a warm place if you live where the water gets hard) and swirl them around, treat them as though they were lubed with liquid alox. Smells better, too.

Yep, I put a teaspoonful into a plastic jar that used to have peanuts. Place in the sun indoors or out with 50 lead bullets. When JPW liquid swirl the bullets around, then stand them up on end on wax paper or aluminum foil. I need to try dipping them.
gramps

 

[Bucks Owin]

I'm no big fan of Lee alox altho I've had reasonably good results with low pressure/velocity type loads...

Put it this way, it ain't LBT blue when it comes to full tilt loads, and I will definately hang on to my old Lyman 450... :wink:

Just my two centavos...

 

[wizofwas]

If it's a choice of tumbling or dipping, then I'll dip them. That way I get the lube to go where I want it, in the lube grooves. Just make sure to clean any excess lube off of the base of the bullet after letting the lube dry. For my gas checked bullets, I just lube them with my lubri-sizer.

 

[sandman228]

ive thought a time or 2 about the dip lube method others are mentioning ,but when I cast I usually try to do batches of 500 or 1000 sometimes 1500 .only having lube on the lube grooves would be great but I just don't have the time . I also pan lube for my 35 marlin with 50/50 gulf wax ,petroleum jelly with 1 tsp of stp its a real pita .

 

[paul105]

I tumble lube all of the bullets that I cast...never had a problem and will not even consider a lubri-sizer.

Good reading here...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67654-Tumble-Lubing-Made-Easy-amp-Mess-Free

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?259285-NEW-!-!-T-L-Liquid-Lube

Copied from the first link above -- make sure you follow this advice:

"Most novices' mistake is in using too much--especially the straight mule snot LLA. Result is tacky boolits, gummed up seating die, smoke at the firing line. . . and a bad attitude towards tumble-lubing."

The first batch I made worked really well in preventing leading but resulted in tacky crap all over the fired cases. A word to the wise -- pay attention to the above quote if you choose to go this route.

Making the stuff is a bit of pain (and Johnson's Paste Wax can be hard to find) -- this is probably a better way to go -- same stuff without the hassle:

http://lsstuff.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=31

FWIW,

Paul

 

[mikld]

Alox needs to be on the bearing surfaces rather than filling the grooves. I have been using "alternate" lubing methods for several years (alox, Ambisol, 45-45-10, pan lubing, etc.), and don't own, nor want a lubersizer. I have been "dip lubing" quite a bit as it's a bit cleaner. My straight alox is cut with mineral spirits and it dries readily, but still will get some in the seating die so dip lubing works well for me.

 

[stevemb]

Thanks guys for a wealth of info ! Am considering some tumble lubed wadcutters for .38/357's from Matt's. Never have used them before. Was just looking at cheapest way to punch paper, cans for backyard play.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I've cast/tumble lubed/loaded/shot several million 148gr DEWC's. Works good for loads under ~1,100fps.
Think lead-bulleted .22lr ammo.

For higher velocity rifle boolits, I still get far superior results from SPG or 50/50 Alox-Bee's wax (NRA formula) and sized to 0.002-0.003" over groove diameter. (ie: .311" with .30cal).
However, for loading .38spl, you'll need to use the Lee .358 sizer or your loaded ammo might not chamber in a tight cylinder.
A friend of mine who shoots PPC as I do, had to have me resize several thousand 148gr WC's as they were "as cast" and wouldn't fit his cylinder.
I found that my guns shoot better with boolits sized .358" likewise. (I'm talking ~2" at 50yds from match revolver vs. 3" at 25yds w/service grade gun).

Because I'm a "tightwad", I will be trying the Johnson's Paste wax as I recently bought a can of it...
just to see....

 

[jsh]

Only thing I use the mule snot for is store bought bullets that lead with their melted crayon lube.
It is like all things casting some like it some don't.
I am of the mind that petroleum based lubes don't belong in a gun barrel.
Jeff