How hot is too hot?

[SteveS]

With summer in full swing and my shooting range without cover, sun and heat have become an issue. It's easy to get the gun and empty cases too hot to handle. I'm using 50/50 for lube and wheel weights plus some tin for alloy.

I can take the heat but can the gun and ammo?

[357maximum]

I would like to propose a little experiment for you to try.


Take a boolit that will have it's lubegroove(s) totally encapsulated in the neck. Take said boolit and "panlube" it in a shallow pan of tapwater and place in freezer....later.... Remove boolit with the ICE lube, wipe it's base so no free ice is anywhere on it other than in the lube grooves and (rapidly) seat it normally over your normal load. Wait a few hours with the round standing boolit up....... and go see if it goes bang.

[GP100man]

What 357maximium is doing is an experiment to see if the lube will leak out of the groove/grooves & contaminate the powder charge.

Objects left in direct sunlight can get hot fast !!

GP

[Bzcraig]

Alox/Xlox or powder coat will be fine but but brass can get mighty hot!

[357maximum]

What 357maximium is doing is an experiment to see if the lube will leak out of the groove/grooves & contaminate the powder charge.

Objects left in direct sunlight can get hot fast !!


GP

Some things just need seen by self to be believed......I have seen the results...but telling him will solve nothing....he needs to do it and see it.........I also know how to intentionally make it fail......any mechanic knows the secret to making this experiment fail also.

[Larry Gibson]

Lived in NE Oregon for many years and shot a lot in the high desert in the summer where it got pretty hot. Since I make it a habit to not have GCs seated below the case neck I never had a problem with lube contamination of the powder. I mostly use Javilina and Tamerac lubes there. Here in AZ I have been shooting and loading in 100+ heat (hit 112 at the house today until the thunderstorm then it dropped 30 degrees in 45 minutes) and still not having any problems with lube contamination of the powder. The 311466s I use in the .308W Palma rifle have lube grooves exposed and the lube does not run out of them.

Learned a long time ago to keep ammo out of direct sun light so that helps no doubt. Even when on the firing line during matches I learned to use a towel over the ammo during slow fire to keep the temp of the ammo even. Did that in 45 degree weather and 90+ degree weather. If the sun was out I shaded the ammo.

Larry Gibson

[SteveS]

Even when on the firing line during matches I learned to use a towel over the ammo during slow fire to keep the temp of the ammo even.

I have been doing the same. I've been using my range bag for shade too.

As for the water lubed boolits, I notice the lube fails at about 33*F. lol At 100*F the 50/50 tends to melt too.

One of the reasons I asked is because during last weeks heat wave I experienced leading the likes of which I haven't dealt with before. But now, thinking of Larry out in the Arizona heat, I realize it must be a common situation.

I'll keep scrubbing.

[Larry Gibson]

Been
hitting 104 - 117 the last couple weeks here at the house. Been hitting 100 inside my garage a couple days. Photo shows 311466s lubed with Javelina (50/50) that have weathered all that. I think Sharfschuetzer can attest to the lube not failing as he shot them at 300+ yards in 100 degree heat.

Larry Gibson

109955109956

[MBTcustom]

I think direct sunlight has a lot to do with weather your lube melts or not. I remember back in 2011 when I first joined castboolits, I was shooting over the hood of my truck and I had my cartridges beside me. I glanced over and saw the lube was melting on the boolits! Yeah, it was blasted hot that day, and the hood of the truck didn't help things any.

109959

[Larry Gibson]

Yup.....rule #1; keep ammo out of direct sunlight.

Maybe rule #1a is keep 'em off a hot PU hood also[smilie=l:

Larry Gibson

[MSD MIke]

I made up a dummy round (45 Colt) using 50/50 lube in a homecast bullet. I then took he dummy round and used a tubing cutter to cut it inhalf, allowing you to see the base of the bullet. I then took the half with thebullet it and placed it out in the sun on the hood of the truck. I also placedit on the dash so the sun could bake it through the windshield. After doingthis test repeatedly there was no lube migration past the base ofthe bullet at all. The lube certainlymust have melted but seemed well enough contained by the brass surrounding thelube groove that I’m not real concerned about bullet lube migrating past thebullet and contaminating the powder. I’m not advocating heating up your ammo ofcourse, I was just curious what happened to the lube when my ammo sat in thetruck. Anyway, just one small test on one bullet with one caliber.
By the way, this is in Texas so its plenty hot. On the dash ofmy truck I saw temps over 135 degrees the day I did the test.

Thanks
Mike

[243winxb]

From Midwayusa and http://www.lsstuff.com/frequently-asked-questionshttp://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/Firearms%20%20and%20%20Reloading/BulletLubeMeltingPoints.jpg
Melt Temperatures-
Lube working temp melt temp
50/50 room temp 162F
BAC room temp 162F
2500 room temp 162F
Carnauba Red 100F 162F
Commercial 160 105-130F 165F
Commercial 190 130-155F 190F

[243winxb]

IMR 4350 single base powder autoignition temperature is 338 degrees fahrenheit. (170 C) Check the MSDS for other powders. http://www.hodgdon.com/msds.html Now thats a hot car. :shock: