How long can I store lubed bullets

[tjndaltx]

Hello all,

Just getting started in casting. Pot is still in the box.

Question:

I bought lead bullets about 10 years ago. They're still in the original box and have been kept dry and secure. Will these need to be re-lubed in order to shoot them?

Thank you and I'm really learning a lot here.

This is going to be a lot of fun.

TJ

[Shiloh]

I still have commercial 9mm, .40 S&W, and .38/357 boolits that are fine. As long as the lube is not chipping out of the grooves, got warm and flowed out of the grooves, or even shrunk in the grooves, you're fine. Boolits that have been contaminated with dirt or dust should probably cleaned and re-lubed or even re-cast.

My leftover commercial boolits are 15 years old or more. I have some 20+ year old 145 grain truncated cone 9mm boolits that the lube has shrunk in. I suppose some of whatever solvent was in the lube has evaporated out. Those are the only onesw that are bad. The others are as good as when they were purchased.

Shiloh :castmine:

[Echo]

Welcome to the Gang, TJ. Spent a few months in Dal during WWII - my Dad worked @ North American. A working associate said the most beautiful women came from Dal - hope you scored one! My Sweetie spent her formative years there, validating what my chum said.

To address your question - the bullets should be OK, whether swaged or cast. Swaged commercial bullets (Speer, Hornady, &cetera) are given a sparse lube that should last, and last... Commercial cast boolits will be lubed with a hard wax-based lube that might tend to deteriorate after 30-50 years (my guess), or a hard epoxy-based lube that will last, and last.

Shoot the balls. They are probably just fine - at least as fine now as they were when new.

[mooman76]

It depends on alot of things. Type of lube, storage conditions temperature range and dryness or humidity and things like that. If they were loaded of coarse they would keep longer but I would avoid lubing them up way ahead ( several years )of when you plan to use them unless you plan to store them in very good conditions but the most you would loss is a little lube and some effort. I don't see where a couple years ahead would be bad but I'm thinking the softer the lube the less it will last. The lube will dry out and crack and sometimes flake off. Just run them through the luber again.

[chewie]

tjndaltx,

enjoyed your post. i am too real new to this site. i enjoy all the questions and when you ask some like i have the people here are real good in giving you ideas. go tot he chat room tonight it was fun for me last night.

chewie

[jhrosier]

TJ,
I recently fired some boolits that I had bought back in the mid '70s.
The lube was shrunk but the boolits shot about the same as similar ones that I recently cast in a couple of revolvers.
I have several hundreds more and may simply tumble lube the rest for good measure.

Jack

[tjndaltx]

Hey guys,

Wow, thanks a lot for the replies. Really appreciate it.

Yes, Dallas has beautiful women - unrivaled. I got more than one though.........that's been a real problem.

That's funny, my dad also worked at North American during WWII. Small world.

Where I am:

I just received my Lee 20 lb casting pot, about 12 molds, most Lee, plus a couple of RCBS and Lyman. Bought most of the sizing dies from Lee as I'm not ready to spring for a lube-sizer yet. However, that will probably come.

I've got it all in my shed still in the boxes. I just picked up about 66 pounds of wheel weights and linotype from a salvage yard and will be going back for more. The guys got a lot of linotype. Lower amounts of WW's though. I tried visiting a lot of tire shops and was turned down every time, sometimes rudely, sometimes nicely. Looks like the days of free WW are gone. I paid .59 cents a pound for about 40 pounds of WW and 26 pounds of lino. I don't figure that's too bad.

From reading this forum I've already learned a lot. One of the first things is don't use your nice casting pot to make ingots from dirty wheel weights. Glad I caught on to that one. I have a Coleman stove that I'm going to use for the dirty work. Am looking for a cast iron pot to smelt in. Then I'll use my Lee casting pot just for actual bullet making.

Once again, thanks for the replies and a great forum. Full of interesting and necessary knowledge.

By the way, I'm looking for the Loverin designed 311466. Know where I can get one? None on gayBay.

Take care.

TJ

[Pavogrande]

How long does lube last? I am still using bullets I cast in 1963 --- But obviously it does depend on the lube -- As long as it looks good, it probably is --

[Jim]

TJ, glad to have ya', Bud! I helped build the new One Arts Plaza in the arts district back in '06. Helluva town!

[missionary5155]

Greetings and Welcome... I am still new here also... I have some 45 caliber 405 grain 30-1 round nose boolits (.463 NEI) I cast and lubed back in 1983. Each time back I get a couple more out and take the 1884 Trapdoor out and clang the gong at 200 yards. Should have enough for my life at the rate I pop them off. I forget the lube I used... Some mix stuff Danny Powell (Illinois) told me to use. But it still worked 2 years ago and I expect it better work in anout 9 more months. Read a bunch and learn a lot more.

[Boerrancher]

I have a 3 lb coffee can full of stacked layers of 45 boolits that I cast up over 20 years ago, with a home made lube. I have noticed that gravity has had a slight impact on them and has started to pull the lube out of the grooves. I don't shoot them that often, but what I found works quite well is tumble lubing them with JPW. The JPW forms a hard waxy sell over the old lube, and once they are dry they shoot just fine.


Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[alamogunr]

I've got the remains of a Beartooth Bullet order from about 8-9 yrs ago that the lube has shrunk. I just swish them around in LLA and use as is. Have never kept my own long enough to see any deterioration in lube.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but has anyone ordered recently from Beartooth? The order I referred to above was a mess when it arrived. Not packed securely. When I counted, several were missing. I guess you can deduce that it still irks me a little.
John