Too much alox?

[DanM]

I have been casting .45acp and .45Colt boolits for a good while, mostly TL style, lubed with LLA. I used to lube once before sizing, and then again after. I don't do that anymore. Just lube 'em, size 'em, and dry 'em, works just fine. Well, I recently got a Lee 310-.430GC, 6cav mold, and it has 'regular' lube grooves, not the TL style, and I am wondering how much alox it really needs for loads in the 1200-1450+fps range with GCs? I am shooting an 8 3/8" M29, a 14" Contender, and a 20" Marlin. Luckily, all my bores slug to .429". These boolits just don't look right to me with only a thin coat of alox, and those lube grooves almost empty, so I have been hand lubing with some thickened alox to fill the grooves in. They shoot fine, no complaints, but I wonder if I am overdoing the Alox filling in by hand?

[454PB]

I think so. The thin coating of LLA on the boolit sides is enough, you don't have to fill the grooves. I apply the LLA after sizing, that way it leaves a good coating.

[DanM]

I have always lubed before sizing with the TL style boolits. They slide thru the die much easier, and still work fine, but these higher pressure loads worry me a little with just one coat of alox.

[jhalcott]

Wouldn't a simple test with a dozen shots tell you IF you NEED the 2nd coat?

[DanM]

Well yeah....I guess that would answer the question. Was hoping that someone might be shooting a similar boolit/lube/load combo that could say for sure. Otherwise, just making conversation....

[Whitespider]

DanM
Yea, your overdoin’ it.

A few years ago I was given some 155 SWCs for my .40 S&W. I didn’t do any of my own casting at the time, a friend did it all for me. Well, I picked up this .40 and told him I needed some boolits for it. He found a used mold, bought it and poured up a few, he didn’t have die for his lube-sizer yet. He knew I had some LLA and asked me if I wanted to try them.

I took ‘em home and measured ‘em, about .4026 inch and thought I could make ‘em work. I used an old acid brush and filled the lube groove with thickened LLA, let ‘em dry a couple of days and loaded ‘em. I hate searching all over my yard for empty brass so I stretch an old sheet across tall posts to “catch” the brass when I shoot an auto. After 50 rounds that sheet looked like someone shook a paintbrush full of reddish/brown paint at it. I recovered a couple of bullets, they still had some LLA in the bottom of the lube groove.

Your wasting time and wasting lube, just coat ‘em like Lee says.

[Silvyus]

so am i reading this right I can use the LLA on any cast boolit? TL or regular? will the lack of many small grooves still alow anough lube?

[Whitespider]

.....I can use the LLA on any cast boolit? TL or regular?.....

Silvyus

Lee says LLA will work with any bullet, but works best with the TL design because it holds more alox. I use a slightly heavier coating with non-TL boolits. Though, I’ve learned that LLA does have its limits.

[Shiloh]

I Use Liquid Alox on boolits from a a Lee #90352 six banger old. This is a 228 gr RN .45 with two really shallow lube grooves for lubing with a lubrisizer.

I put a couple of teaspoons of mineral spirits in a can with the boolits, shake to coat as a lubricant, run em through a Lee .452 size die, and then treat them with a light coat of LLA tumble lube. No leading at around 825 fps. through the various .45 ACP's

If you put this stuff on too thick it gets gummy. Especially so in hot, humid conditions

Shiloh :castmine:

[Maineboy]

I have always lubed before sizing with the TL style boolits. They slide thru the die much easier, and still work fine, but these higher pressure loads worry me a little with just one coat of alox.

You probably don't need to worry. I don't own a TL style mold but that's the lube method I use the most. I usually apply one thin coat of lube after I size and install gas checks. Most of my shooting is with rifles at 1200-1800 fps. without any leading. When I'm pushing them faster, like for hunting loads, I'll give them a second coat or more often pan lube with Felix lube, I guess you can call it a duplex lube application.

[tomf52]

DanM - I have had great success by putting the cast bullets in a margarine tub and spraying them with Hornady's One Shot case lube. Let them dry a few moments and then push them through the Lee sizer. They go through with very little effort and there is no galling of the bullet or leading of the die. I then tumble lube them in the conventional manner with the LLA. Hope this helps, Tom.

[EMC45]

Here's the way I do it FWIW: I cast them, then Lyman 4500 size and lube them, then I place them in a tub from the local Chinese take out place (yum), drip a couple of drops of Alox, swirl then I stand them on end on wax paper. Not too much, it will play havoc with your seater die and the chamber of your gun. I only use Lee molds and none are the Tumble Lube variety.

[DanM]

Well I just shot up the last of my last batch of hand lubed 310s. I hope to fire up the cooker this weekend and make some more. Will lube these as suggested and see how they do. Thanks all....