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Cast bullet lube?

Bohunk3006Bohunk3006 Member Posts: 53 ✭✭
edited February 2009 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
I am planning on buying a RCBS lubrasizer for making pistol bullets. What is a good lube to use with this sizer? Do I need a heater?
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Comments

  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,870 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It depends on how fast you want to push them. If you keep them about 750-800fps. you can use Alox. Any faster you need a harder lube and a heater.
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  • BHAVINBHAVIN Member Posts: 3,490 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would use "Rooster Red" or one of the other hard lubes. You will need a heater but they are much easier and cleaner to handle. If you cast many in advance alox tends to be messy.
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  • bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,669 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Not to disagree to harshly, but Rooster Red is less than optimum for shooting cast bullets. It is indeed less messy to handle but the idea is to stop leading. Correct boolit size is more important than lube to reduce leading, but the correct lube is critical for accuracy. Go to www.castboolits.gunloads.com this site is dedicated to cast boolit shooting and casting.

    Alox 2138F is no longer made. A substitute is available that mixes well with bees wax.
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  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Google felix lube if you are the sort to make things yourself.

    Otherwise the standard 50/50 alox/beeswax will do you well for pistol. And you don't need a heater.
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  • Bohunk3006Bohunk3006 Member Posts: 53 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    so maybe this is a dumb question, but what are the different applications for hollow vs solid lube sticks??
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  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Well the hollow ones will fit past the main drive bolt in your lube sizer. Otherwise you have to melt it to pour it in.
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  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I agree with BPost bullet size is the key should be .001 larger then groove diameter. Go with the 50-50 type soft lube and If you are going to shoot quantity find a Star ? Magma lubersizer they take the solid stick and will increase your speed about 50 times that of the rest of them.
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  • Bohunk3006Bohunk3006 Member Posts: 53 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    where do you buy a Star luberisizer?
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  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello Star lubersizers have been made from the 1920's up to the 1990's along with their Reloading machine. When Star sold out because of public use construction in their area of San Diego they did not rebuild their Manufacturing Shop. Rather At this time They sold the right to sell their design and manufacturing rights to a Company by the name of Magma. This firm makes new LUBERSIZERS today for sale . However because of the fact this design is so good most likely over 90 % of all Star units sold in 70 some years are still in use . The ones whose owners retire from loading are sold as used units on this site and others THE evil auction site has them all the time There are TWO star owners sites on the internet that support the product and have items for sale. Magma has it's own web site and sells online . I can send pictures if you like . The Great thing about this machine is the bullet goes in the top and the second bullet pushes the first one out the bottom . The operator handle stroke moves the bullet from top to bottom but also operates a PUMP of the lube to fill the groove of the bullet You can do about 50 a minute and I have done even more .
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  • bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,669 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Many years ago I gave up on the little tubes. I was shooting so much that they were not cost effective. I bought 10 pounds of beeswax from Dadant and a 10 pound tub of 2138F from Alox.

    My first wife was not amused when I melted all that wax and Alox in the basement in the winter stirring it to get a homogeneous mix. How was I supposed to know the Coleman stove would overheat the wax and make it stink?

    20 pounds of bullet lube lasts a long time. I use a old coffee pot like the ones we used to take camping and fill it with the mixture from the big bulk pan it was made in. I pinched the spout to make a nice pouring shape. An old heavy bottom sauce pan is used as a double boiler to melt the mix on the stove. Strangely enough; no woman has yet found amusing my melting of this stuff on the kitchen stove. Stranger still, the first wife is still mad about that sauce pan......

    When low on lube I just pour the melted stuff into the reservoir and wait a few minutes for it to harden. I drive bullets to over 2,000 FPS in rifles and as fast as they can go in pistols with no leading problems. Making this lube in bulk has saved me hundreds of dollars in casting supplies over the years. it was the divorces that were expensive, go figure.
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  • Bohunk3006Bohunk3006 Member Posts: 53 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    thanks for the info, appreciate it.
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  • Bohunk3006Bohunk3006 Member Posts: 53 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I noticed while " shopping' for sizers, that Midway, and several other retailers are backordered on most all LEE pots and common bullet molds. Is it the new president, is Lee having problems, or just a coincidence?
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  • budman46budman46 Member Posts: 7 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    bohunk,
    rcbs's lubrasizer is a fine piece of equipment...i used one for 20 years, but it sits idle because, these days i use liguid alox (available from lee, white label lube, etc.) and lee push-thru sizers (if bullets are more than .002" over-diameter or i need to seat a gascheck). lee push-thrus are cheaper than the dies for the rcbs or lyman sizers, faster and less messy. as a bonus, they can be honed to custom diameters with a drill and crocus cloth.

    i shoot 7.62-8 mm cal. cast rifle bullets in various milsurp rifles at 1800 fps using lee bullet sizers and liquid alox-lubed, gas-checked bullets with no leading and 100 yd, "minute of milk jug" accuracy...equal to past performance with the traditional lubrazizer technique.

    hope this is of some help.

    budman46
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  • grady mitchellgrady mitchell Member Posts: 139 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    yes get you a heater then you can use any of it
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