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Lee Liquid Bullet Lube
v35
Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
How dry is dry enough to load lead bullets coated with Lee Alox liquid
Lube?
Do bases have to be cleaned to prevent contamination?
I relubed some old 45-200 knurled SWC bullets that leaded my 45 pretty badly.
The lube is also pretty old & came with bullet sizing kits. The lube wasn't thinned but poured about like thick sirup.
After a day drying, bullets are about as tacky as beeswax.
Lube?
Do bases have to be cleaned to prevent contamination?
I relubed some old 45-200 knurled SWC bullets that leaded my 45 pretty badly.
The lube is also pretty old & came with bullet sizing kits. The lube wasn't thinned but poured about like thick sirup.
After a day drying, bullets are about as tacky as beeswax.
Comments
For an even better lube, mix LLA and Johnson's Paste Wax half and half over a gentle warmer (I use an electric candle warmer) and then add a very small amount of mineral spirits. Cast bullet guys call it the 45/45/10 lube; it dries overnight, isn't tacky, and is a superb lube.
You don't have to wipe the bullet bases unless you've used WAY too much lube. The lead should have only a faint yellowish-honey color, not be dark brown. When in doubt, use half as much lube as your last batch.
However, if you put the right of lube on the bullet (just enough so the just tumbled bullets look shiny/wet), there is no problem.
The tacky bullet, back when I first started using it, never bothered me. I never had a problem with lube collecting on the seating stem or crimp die and the bullets were never exposed to the elements to make me concerned that the ammo would pick up lint/dust/dirt.
I still do not understand the "fear" of tacky bullets when the targets look so good and lubing is so easy.
The thing with LLA is: if you can see it on the bullet, you've used way more than needed.
There was probably a bit much lube however, the surplus didn't collect anywhere and blew out the barrel.
The big concern was in leading the Glock style rifling of the Kahr 45 which it didn't.
Prior to regreasing these ancient bullets, leading was terrible.
It took more time in cleaning than I care to put into it.
Years ago, back when I actually had enough lead to cast my own, the cast bullet companies were much better at offering custom bullet sizes. I always thought that this had to be a real pain for them as they had to install a different sizing die for a small order. Back then, all I shot were my own as-cast bullets (either pan or tumble lubed, depending on the decade) and I am still tempted to order as-cast and non-lubed bullets so I can tumble lube them and not have the occasional order that contains bullets too small for best function/accuracy.
The thing about LLA is that it will NOT melt if the rounds get hot sitting in the sun at the range. Bullets lubed in the grease groove with low melting lubes have been known to flow into the case and cause a lump of lube/powder that interferes with ignition.
LLA isn't perfect (I think Recluse's 45/45/10 will be better, but I haven't mixed any up yet), but it is easy to use and does its job.
If you get into lubing, you will learn that one of the "best" lubes for about 5-6 decades has been 50% beeswax and 50% Alox. This, however, is not the same Alox as in LLA but is an actual grease.
For tumble lubing, I place about 500 bullets in a chafing or casserole dish and turn them all on their sides. I squirt a little LLA on them and shuffle them around like dominoes, except I also try to "spin" them so they get coated all around. After maybe 1 minute, max, I look at all the bullets. If they are all shiny/wet looking, I am done and I pour them out onto wax paper or aluminum foil. I do not bother to stand them up and there is so little lube on them that almost none sticks to the paper/foil.
If you heat the bullets, it'll go on "smooth" and like LLA.
"cold" the bullets will congeal it like more like the consistency of floor wax. I prefer the cold method as this gives it more "stick" to the bullets and the lube goes into the lube grooves during tumble lubing so no need to buy a lubrisizer.
and will return on monday.