Doing it Myself

[ColColt]

Not having the time required to do my own, I've talked with Missouri Bullets and they're willing to send me their raw 158 gr bullet for me to size and lube at a slight cut in their prices. Reason for this is you guys turned me on to Carnuba Red and I figured since not many are using this commercially I'd just roll my own but, if I could get the bullet, I have an old Lyman 450 Lubrisizer I can use to size/lube the bullet. I'll order a few sticks of Carnuba Red and I'll have what I want. I don't know if I'll need a heater or not but thought I'd try it without one at first. I may have to bite the bullet(no pun intended) and get one later, however.

I also thought of getting them to just size the bullet and attempt pan lubing but never having done that and don't know the mess involved, the former seemed more feasible. What do you think?

[mpmarty]

Visit a Goodwill store and get a used iron. Placing an iron on a metal plate the sizer is mounted to makes a good substitute for a dedicated sizer heater.

[ColColt]

Yankee ingenuity-can't be beat.:D I thought about a hair dryer but don't know how well that would work...just enough to heat it initially and then may have to do it after a certain amount of bullets sized and lubed.

[KYCaster]

A hair drier works fine for me with CR in my 450 sizer. A 60 watt light bulb works even better.

Jerry

[Doby45]

You WILL have to heat it, no way around that.

[leftiye]

Mix the C-red with bullplate lube to soften it (6 Cred to 1 bullplate by weight). No heat needed. Betterer lube tooo. Sticky, but not a mess.

[nanuk]

leftiye, what ratio did you try?

[excess650]

I devised my own heater years ago before the commerial ones were available. LBT Blue was too firm to work through my 450 in my basement, and I didn't want to buy and wire up LBT's cartridge type heater. I took a 35W soldering iron, cut off the "screwdriver"tip, and drilled a hole slightly larger than remainder in the web (rear of lubrisizer). Its angled slightly downward, back to front, and low enough that the soldering iron doesn't interfere with the pressure ratchet.

After about 30 minutes I find that I have more than enough heat and simply unplug until I need more heat. A rheostat(dimmer switch) could be wired in to vary the heat output.

[dverna]

If you are buying bullets anyway and only getting "a slight cut in price", why size and lube them yourself?

I did exactly that when I was a student. But I had a source for really cheap raw bullets. I was saving 30%+ by doing it myself and I had a Star sizer to make it worthwhile. Unless you are buying 1000's of bullets, you will likely not save any money and it sounds like your time is limited.

Don

[Bwana]

[QUOTE=dverna;1182931]If you are buying bullets anyway and only getting "a slight cut in price", why size and lube them yourself?

I did this with Kead Bullets. His 9mm bullets were sized to .355 and I preferred
.358. There is a local bullet caster who makes a very hard bullet, as hard as mine; but, it is too small and leads the bore. Now whether the leading was due to the size or the hard lube he uses I don't know. I just cast all my bullets anymore since I have plenty of WW alloy and a lube thats works.

[dverna]

Bwana, that makes sense. I have been lucky and found commercial bullets that work but all I do is punch paper with loads at 700-1000 fps. If that 158 gr bullet was going into a .357 Mag rifle at 1500 fps special sizing and lube could be needed. I assumed it was just a .38 Spl plinking load. I stand corrected.

Don

[geargnasher]

Not having the time required to do my own, I've talked with Missouri Bullets and they're willing to send me their raw 158 gr bullet for me to size and lube at a slight cut in their prices. Reason for this is you guys turned me on to Carnuba Red and I figured since not many are using this commercially I'd just roll my own but, if I could get the bullet, I have an old Lyman 450 Lubrisizer I can use to size/lube the bullet. I'll order a few sticks of Carnuba Red and I'll have what I want. I don't know if I'll need a heater or not but thought I'd try it without one at first. I may have to bite the bullet(no pun intended) and get one later, however.

I also thought of getting them to just size the bullet and attempt pan lubing but never having done that and don't know the mess involved, the former seemed more feasible. What do you think?

Not sure if you really need something as hard as Carnauba Red, but if you choose to use it, use the sizer and heat it somehow. I use an incandescent lightbulb in a cheap aluminum spotlamp/work lamp fixture (the kind with the spring clamp) to heat my sizers in the winter. Pan lubing gets old pretty fast for all but the most low-volume shooting.

Gear

[ColColt]

The main reason I chose Carnuba Red lube was because I was looking for a lube that didn't smoke indoors as bad as the blue lube from the company I had been getting them from. For all intents and purposes, what I read hear about Carnuba Red seemed it was the one to have either by someone commercial outfit that made their bullets with this lube or my second thoughts were to just get the raw ones from Missouri Bullet, buy a .358 die for my 450 sizer and do it myself. Bottom line was I just wanted bullets that didn't smoke as bad at the indoor range I go to.

I found a couple places that use Carnuba but the selection is limited and at least one place didn't have the weight bullet(158) I was looking for-only a lighter one that didn't appeal to me in shape and form and a heavier bullet I hadn't worked up a load with as yet. I don't mind having to get a die, lube and just order the raw bullets even though it may not save much, at least I'm getting what I want-a 158 gr SWC with the lube I want. PITA, but it seems that's the way it is. I wish more companies would use this lube with their bullets. I've no experience with Carnuba Red and all I have to go by is the accolades I've read about it primarily here and figured with all the experience on the forum, it must be a great, hopefully less smokey lube.

[Doby45]

I think you could use BAC to the same effect and not have to heat it to use it in your sizer. BAC is also made by Whitel Label Lubes and is a half and half mix of Carnuba Red and Glen's 50/50 lube. Would be fine in your 38s or 357s and simply would not require a heater.

[ColColt]

Does it smoke less than the blue lube?

[Doby45]

It smokes on par with Carnuba Red which is next to nothing..

[ColColt]

I just went in to the storage room under the stairwell and found my old 450 Lubrisizer. It's been there with graphite lube in the well and die since 1980!! Needless to say, I can't get the plunger out. It's on the bottom of the well and doesn't want to budge. I got the die out but the plunger's still in the well. No surprise after it being in that condition for 30 years. I started to take a torch and play it around the outside of the well but that would no doubt ruin the O-rings but they're probably toast after all this time anyway.

I think I'll wait till tomorrow to tackle this. I may end up having to buy a new Lube machine. I didn't know I wasn't going to use it for that long or I wold have attempted to clean it...if that's possible. Things are real sticky and hard right now.

[Doby45]

I would use a heat gun or hair dryer. That machine would be cleaned out in no time and no damage to o-rings. ;)

[ColColt]

I have a heat gun and will give that a shot. OK, time for a silly question. remember, it's been about 30 years since I've had this thing out of storage and you forget a lot of things in 30 years...trust me.:oops: In order to get the plunger(piston?) out of the well, you have to have the sizer mounted? Reason I ask, I tried getting it out last night and forgot which way to turn the ratchet since I couldn't locate my old instruction manual. I figured clockwise would push it down had there been a stick of lube in it so, I went c/c and a plunger came out of the bottom for about an inch. I guess if mounted it would act as a stop and cause the piston to come to the top instead of just staying put at the bottom. It was really hard to turn the ratchet. I thought the piston would come up regardless whether the sizer was mounted or not. I'm not going to trust anything to memory anymore.

[Doby45]

I do not have that model of sizer so I can not speak intelligently to how it works, but I would say before you do any moving of parts, heat'er up.. That should make things MUCH easier, regardless of it being leftie loosey rightie tightie...

[ColColt]

It got the best of me so I took everything out(but the piston) and cleaned up the well that houses the die...totally filthy. I heated it up and you can see what come out. Before you couldn't even see through the bottom of it. I've had this sizer since I was in my late 20's if seems and I'm 65 now so; you can image how well it's built to last this long although I didn't use it for years. that black stuff is the old graphite lube that was in the die well alone!Now it's almost as new. Now, to get that piston out.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/ColColt/Misc%20Stuff/_DEF3887.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/ColColt/Misc%20Stuff/_DEF3888.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/ColColt/Misc%20Stuff/_DEF3889.jpg

[Doby45]

That thing looks like it is brand spankin new. LOL

[ColColt]

Oh, I ain't done yet! I'm going to strip the pressure nut and screw and replace those along with O- rings and the seal plug and O-ring...ordered the parts today. I also ordered the .358 size die and top punch. I've got the sizer mounted and will take it off again to clean the inside well where the lube goes.

In ordering the Carnuba from Larsen's they mention of ordering either solid, hollow or tube. Wheat the difference in hollow and tube? I thought all lube had the hole for the pressure screw to fit in.

[Doby45]

Star sizers do not require the hole in the center, therefore the solid sticks work much better. I am now spoiled rotten as I just hooked up my heater base to my Star and just finished sizing and lubing a bunch of 125-RFs for ya. They will be out in the mail tomorrow. 358 and Carnuba Red were used.

[ColColt]

The Star has to be the Rolls Royce of sizers-no doubt. My 450 will suit me for the time being since it's an old friend and free!! I'm never in a hurry to mass produce...guess that's why I still use an RCBS Jr press. Dinosaurs are creatures of habit.:-) Speaking of the 450, does it require the hollow or tube lube? I just wasn't sure of the definition of "tube" vs hollow. Missouri Bullets has agreed to send me raw 38 cal 158 gr bullets but, I have to order the Carnuba lube and wasn't sure which box to check as to the types they had. Without a heater I guess I can use a goose neck table lamp with a 75W bulb and extend it close to the sizer to keep it warm.

BTW-Many thanks for the 125's!!

[Doby45]

I would just order the hollow sticks. Or even better tell em that you are using them in a 450 and you will be golden, they great to work with.