Do I NEED a lubrisizer?

[Guy La Pourque]

I know enough about BPCR to be dangerous. I have loaded metallic cartridges with smokeless for years, and have done black powder muzzle loaders and cast my round ball for them - and I love it all.

The gun geeks on the lever gun forum are probably sick of me by now so I decided to come over here and torment you poor souls now too.

I am seeing Lyman lubrisizers up here (think the price was north of $200.00) and I don't mind spending the money on it if I need it. The operative word is 'need' I guess. I will only be casting for one cartridge gun. I know some folks will tell you that a reloading scale is optional and that you can rely on volumetric dippers like the ones made by Lee...but here in the real world a scale is an absolute 'must' in my opinion. Is it the same way with bullet sizers? Any recommendations for a newbie, fellas?

As always, your two cents are sincerely appreciated.

[JayinAZ]

I'd say it depends on the volume of cast you intend to shoot. I've not done much pan lubing but I've done enough to know I don't like doing it :). You should be able to find a deal on a used Lyman or RCBS lubrisizer if you look around.

[bangerjim]

Check out the threads in the new alternative coatings/powder coating forum.

Once you electrostatic gun powder coat your slugs, you will NEVER go back to greasy lubes.

All you need is an $18 Lee sizing die for PC'ing.

Check it out! Lots of info and questions answered there. There are a TON of us now doing it with GREAT success.

bangerjim

[Mk42gunner]

It depends. If your mold drops a round bullet at the diameter you need, you do not need a lubrisizer. You will however need a way to apply lube. Pan lubing lubing can work; but be advised, there is a reason some of us call it pain lubing.

The cheapest way to size a bullet is to buy Lee sizing dies that fit in your reloading press, if they make the size or within a few thousandths under the size you need. Ben as a couple of stickies further down the forums that spell out how to pan lube relatively pain free.

Don't forget the used market when looking for casting stuff. I have three lubrisizers (one RCBS lubamatic and two Lyman 450's) and I don't think I have $150.00 in them and about a dozen sizer dies.

Robert

[country gent]

Most of the lubes for Black powder are softer lubes. If your mold casts round and true bullets then you can pan lube or pack lube in to grooves by hand with a thumb. The Lubricator/sizer is faster and easier but the same can be accomplished with as cast and a cake cutter. Keep in mind I doubt the buffalo hunters headed out with loading presses, lubricator/sizers and a full reloading bench in thier wagons.

[Digital Dan]

Don't think a lube sizer is necessary myself. Tumble lube or pan lube works fine for me. Usually do lots of 50-100 bullets in 8 calibers and size with Lee push thru sizers.

.257
.284
.308
.357
.38
.40 (2)
.429 (2)
.457 (2)

Also swage .50 but it uses cross strip patches.

[dilly]

I have been able to get by without one so far. I tumble lube, pan lube, and have just started experimenting with powder coating. These endeavours are primarily to avoid having to dedicate the space to yet another press. Money was a deterrent as well.

[44man]

Need at least a Lee die if you use a GC boolit. I don't really size, just use the dies to remove excess lube and crimp checks on. I lap Lee dies for what I want, very easy.
Best to lube either pan or by hand and push GC boolits through base first. Pointy boolits will need a modified punch.

[Lead Fred]

Been pan & tumble lubing are cost effective ways, I do 100 at a time.

I have no reason to ever buy one of them contraptions

[MOcaster]

The short answer is no, you don't NEED one but if you do any kind of volume you will want one, especially if you are lubing little bullets. I started out pan lubing 40 and 22 cal bullets and got a lubesizer as fast as I could. The 22s were an absolute pain to pan lube! But it can be done if you have the patience. And small fingers help.

[Dan Cash]

In a word, no. If you are convinced you do though, I will have one for sale shortly. Between loading for my self and my shooting partner, I load about 1500 rounds of .45-70 a year. Pan lube is faster and more effective for me. If the bullet needed sizing as it does in one of my small bore high power loadings, I pan lube then use a push through sizer. Faster when all is said and done and the bullet is never distorted. If you hesitate at pan lubing, I will send you a tutorial with pictures on how I do it. My rate is over 500 bullets an hour, not counting the cooling time or the wait for lube to melt.

Powder coating and tumble lube will NOT work with black powder.

[Bret4207]

You can get by fine without a lubrisizer if you use PB boolits or the Lee sizer to apply GC's. Heck, I attached a lot of GC's without even that and some of them even stayed on! A lubrisizer just makes things a little easier.

[Wayne Smith]

If you are serious about only one caliber, and especially if that is a pistol caliber, no, you don't. If you are willing to go the coating way - and since you are just getting set up you should investigate that - you will not need one. Pan lubing and coating are viable options. If you are into high volume pistol shooting you might look into one. Otherwise the range of Lee type sizers is essentially infinite given what Lee has and what Buckshot and others here make.

As with any tool, evaluate your need for that tool on the basis of what it will specifically do for you in your process. My process is different from yours so my tools fit me. Yours should fit you.

[samwithacolt]

Lee sizers and tumbling/dipping rifle boolits work for me but .40 pistol is a pita when i have to dip and size a couple of hundred boolits!

[MarkP]

I have a Star and several LEE push thrus; if doing smaller quantities I will dip lube (50/50 or BAC) and use a LEE die rather than set up my sizer. I have made Lee type dies out of 7/8-14 x 2.5" Grade 5 bolts. As another member mentioned 22's are difficult for me to dip lube and these are done on a lubesizer.
If you will be shooting hundreds per month a sizer would save a significant amount of time.

[iron mule]

short answer
you say this is for BPCR so forget the advice about using alox or powder coating you need the lube to keep the fouling soft
you can do this three ways with a lube sizer/// by hand /// pan lubing
the amount that you are going to do would determine the need for the sizer

[btroj]

This is something only you can answer.

I wouldn't be without my Lyman and my Star. I shoot enough that the thought of pan lubing that many bullets gives me the willies.

Does getting by without fit your style? Wouldn't fit mine.

[Foto Joe]

I didn't "Need" one either but it showed up in the brown truck on Tuesday. Check out Cabela's if you're looking for a new Lyman 4500 with heater ($179 with free shipping), they also have a kit for about $20 more that includes a casting pot and ladle but the 4500 on that one doesn't come with the lube heater. If you're lubing with SPG the heater won't be an issue and Lyman also makes a Black Powder lube that fits in the 4500.

Do ya need it? Probably not but you probably didn't "need" the last gun you bought either.

[bhn22]

You don't need a lubrisizer. There are other ways to perform every function of a sizer, assuming you have the time and desire to take a longer, more labor intensive route. You can go full cowboy and load everything with hand tools, like a Lee Loader if thats what floats your boat. You don't even need a press or the afore mentioned scale. It's your money, spend it how you wish.

[NSP64]

No
you can powder coat, pan lube, or paper patch.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's all about your time and how much mess you want to deal with.

A good lubsizer, the correct die adjustment, and having your chosen Lube the correct temperature and pressure...will make lubing and sizing hundreds of boolits a joy, where lubing and sizing hundreds of boolits without a lubsizer is surely a chore.

But as nearly everyone has pointed out, you don't need one.

[TXGunNut]

I probably don't need one but I have one & use it for any boolit I load over BP or any other boolit that I want to use SPG on. Whether or not you need one depends on you, the boolit and the gun. I use the Lee sizer for most sizing/GC chores but consider the Lyman sizer an essential tool for my situation.

[mdi]

I started casting about 17 years ago and found a Lee "kit" with a 4" shallow pan, a 'cookie cutter" tool for removing bullet from lube cake, and a hammer through sizer. I made up hundreds of .44 cal bullets for my 2, .44 Magnums and learned how to cast/size, lube/load/shoot with that little kit. I have been threatening to get a lubersizer for those 17 years, but ain't done it yet, and don't see one in my future. I pan lube. I usually do a run of 100 to 150 bullets and size in my Lee push through dies (two of which I've "customized"). I use the toaster oven method and with my choice of lubes, I cut the bullets from the cake (I made some cutters out of stainless steel tubing reamed to a few thousandths over cast bullet diameter). My methods are not messy, and I don't get lube all over my bench, hands, dies, etc. So, in my opinion a lubersizer may be faster, but not a necessity...

P.S., Pan lubing and tumble lubing are only as messy as you are. If you tend to be a slob, then you'll get lube everywhere. If you are one of those neat-freaks, you'll keep your hand/arms/clothing/dies/press/bench pretty clean. I'm a little over half way between slob and freak, and stat fairly clean...

['74 sharps]

Not wanting to fool around with another piece of equipment, I tumble lube and shoot as cast for my smokeless loads, and dip others in a beeswax/Crisco mix and run through a Lee sizer, those being used for my black powder cartridges.

[geargnasher]

Soft, BP-type lubes are easily applied with your fingers, provided your fingers haven't been afflicted with a lifetime of heavy abuse or have a joint disease. Push them through Lee sizer like .44Man suggested just to squeegee off the excess.

Gear

[dverna]

Some great answers. You really need to decide what calibers you will shoot and how many rounds a year and how much "hassle" you are willing to put up with.

I get no joy in lubing and sizing so I go for the highest production rate I can. But I would not change dies or lube in a Star for 200 bullets. To much of a pain for 200 rounds.

Powder coat or Hy-Tek will not work with BP. Like gear said, for small quantities you can finger lube if you don't mind the mess.

If you are leaning to working with other calibers and a volume of bullets you will never regret getting a lubrisizer. They last a lifetime, appreciate in value and you get the convenience of using a good tool for years.

Some people try to do this as inexpensively as possible and take pride in the accomplishment. Nothing wrong with that approach but it is not for everyone.

Don Verna

[labradigger1]

"Need", probably not. For me i have only pan/tumble lubed only once and will never do so again. Nasty, greasy and imho makes for ugly boolits. I have 2 lyman 45's and a lyman 450 now, i usually keep a 309 die, 358 and 429 installed in one of them all the time, for me i can have the lube i want in the caliber i want immediatley. I also get alot of satisfaction from seeing the beautiful shiny swaged, lubed and checked bullet come to life.

[sthwestvictoria]

This is a great sticky about not being able to afford (or choosing not to) acquiring a lubrisizer:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?119056-So-you-can-t-afford-one&highlight=can%27t+afford

For me it is not wanting to purchase one, not having another thing on the workbench and not having to have different nose punches for different projectiles. However I only shoot low volume rifle cast and pan lube or TL and Lee push through sizers do all my work well. If I was shooting large volumes then I would think lubrisizer or increasingly about powder coating.

[FishingFool]

I pan lubed for 2 days and the immediately called up Star and ordered a sizer/luber. Now i'm just cranking away.

[Old Dawg]

I have tumble lubed as cast for 30 years andnever seemed to need anything else. I don't see how anything can be easier than tumble lubing.