Lube for pan lubing?

[jonk]

I remember never much liking it and now I remember why...

I decided to pan lube some .45 bullets. I don't have a lube-sizer die for that diameter, just a Lee push through, and wasn't feeling like using LLA. Ok...

50/50 formula melted in a double boiler. Check. Pan, flexible enough to break out the cookie with a flat bottom. Check. Bullets. Check.

I poured the lube in and all looked good; but no matter what I did, the lube pulled out of the groove when removing them! Pull from the top, flex the bottom to push out from underneath, hot lube, cold lube, whatever- I ended up dipping 300 bullets individually in the melted lube, then sizing them- and that got tiresome (but worked ok- a little runover on some).

So what lube won't pull free like this? I COULD use a cookie cutter approach, but I don't have any tubing the proper diameter on hand.

[Scrounger]

I remember never much liking it and now I remember why...

I decided to pan lube some .45 bullets. I don't have a lube-sizer die for that diameter, just a Lee push through, and wasn't feeling like using LLA. Ok...

50/50 formula melted in a double boiler. Check. Pan, flexible enough to break out the cookie with a flat bottom. Check. Bullets. Check.

I poured the lube in and all looked good; but no matter what I did, the lube pulled out of the groove when removing them! Pull from the top, flex the bottom to push out from underneath, hot lube, cold lube, whatever- I ended up dipping 300 bullets individually in the melted lube, then sizing them- and that got tiresome (but worked ok- a little runover on some).

So what lube won't pull free like this? I COULD use a cookie cutter approach, but I don't have any tubing the proper diameter on hand.

You could soften the lube by melting it and adding some lanolin. Or you could simply use a .45 (or .45-70) case to cut the bullet from the lube.

[jonk]

Well, the case would be fine, if I had a 45/70. I do this for my 11mm mauser; I cut the end off of a cracked case so I can just push the bullets right through- but a .45 acp shell is a bit short to do this with....

Softening the lube sounds like a bad idea to me. In theory I like it mind you, and thought of adding some LLA to it myself, but 50/50 lube is tacky enough- I don't need it any softer or tackier!

I'll just break down and get the lube sizer die eventually.

[45nut]

if you cut any belted mag brass off at the neck and the case head it should prove useful.

[Scrounger]

Well, the case would be fine, if I had a 45/70. I do this for my 11mm mauser; I cut the end off of a cracked case so I can just push the bullets right through- but a .45 acp shell is a bit short to do this with....

Softening the lube sounds like a bad idea to me. In theory I like it mind you, and thought of adding some LLA to it myself, but 50/50 lube is tacky enough- I don't need it any softer or tackier!

I'll just break down and get the lube sizer die eventually.

Or if someone sent you a .45-70 case... Where do you live?

[jonk]

lol, well I live in Ohio, and thank you for the offer, but I do have a buddy with a 45-70 so will bum one off of him.

[Goatlips]

"I poured the lube in and all looked good; but no matter what I did, the lube pulled out of the groove when removing them! Pull from the top, flex the bottom to push out from underneath, hot lube, cold lube, whatever- I ended up dipping 300 bullets individually in the melted lube, then sizing them- and that got tiresome (but worked ok- a little runover on some).

So what lube won't pull free like this?"

Jonk,

My take on getting the lube to stick to the boolits is to have both at the same temperature. Lookie here:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/panlubing2.html

FWIW...

Goatlips

[Jon K]

Use the "Cookie Cutter Method" Heat and pour lube into the pan with Boolits, let cool, cut & remove w/cutter(45-70 case with drilled out primer pocket), push Boolit out.............Fast, Clean, no fuss, no muss, hands never touch or smear the lube.

Jon:castmine:

[Dale53]

Emmert's Home Mix lube is well proven on both Black Powder Bullets as well as smokeless bullets (think of it as home made SPG lube).

Write me direct and I'll send you my article on pan lubing:

rmcgee6@ cinci. rr. com (eliminate the spaces).

It explains in detail as to how to do it.

Dale53

[DonH]

I kinda think the addition of lanolin to lube makes it stick to the bullets better. May be just my imagination but my lube works fine for pan lubing without doing anything special or using a cake cutter. It is similar to Emmerts. Darr lube works fine also but I usually put the pan in a freezer to break the bond between the lube cake and the pan.

While on this topic, I found in my stuff a quantity of Thompson "Blue Angel" lube. Has anyone tried pan lubing with something like this? I'm not into harder lubes, heaters, etc. anymore but wouldn't mind using the stuff up.

[shotstring]

Guys, how do your home made lubes hold up over time when the loaded rounds aren't shot for lets say a few years? I have seen recipes that call for lots of Crisco and the like and it kind of scares me to think of what the inside of the cartridge case may look like in a few years of sitting on the shelf waiting to be shot.

And don't say it can't happen - that you shoot all your stuff right away! :Fire:
I used to think that too until I loaded up a bunch of 45 Colt rounds on my Dillon 1050 one afternoon and then dropped out of Cowboy shooting the next month. I have been carrying several thousand rounds of loaded 45 Colt ammunition around with me ever since that fateful day. Just think if my lube recipe had called for 3 cups of cut broccoli.:roll:

[DonH]

I can't answer your question about long-term storage because I don't use the lube mentioned for loads I would be likely to store long-term. The lube is used in BPCR and schuetzen. I have had a small quantity of BPCR ammo carried over to the next season and have fired it without any adverse effects such as leading, excess fouling, etc. None of this applies to schuetzen. I do have bullets lubed with the stuff which have sat on the shelf for as long as three years and all I have seen is some drying out of the lube. Heat softens it right up.
If you are having visions of lube rotting or turning rancid in the cartridge I think you can lose that worry. My lube uses sheep tallow rather than crisco and it has not turned rancid on me yet. Matter of fact a small container of tallow sat on my shelf (at room temp) for about four years and did not spoil. As for the Darr lube, Barry Darr recently stated that he has stored ammo using his lube for years and it was still good.

BTW, I use the lube mentioned above because for BP shooting the petroleum based types just will not work. I tried the same lube for schuetzen with smokeless powder up to 1450 fps or so and it works fine. The other stuff is for pistol and soon CF rifle CB shooting. Also the only ammo I load in bulk is .45 auto and for me most anything has worked with it.