Anyone know what lube Hornady is putting on...

[Russel Nash]

their cold swaged bullets.

They look like this:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q101/chills1994/HornadyBullet.jpg

I emailed them to ask. The reply I got back was that it was some "Trade secret" mixture of alox and something else?

Do you guys have any idea of what the "something else" is?

I really liked their bullets. Now, though, the prices have gone so high.

They ran great and they didn't seem to smoke.

Thanks!

[Heavy lead]

I have not used their boolits in years, seems to me like it was a wax based lube, that would be my guess. I don't think it would be too hard to cast a better boolit and tumble lube and get just as good or better results.

[Shiloh]

I have not used their boolits in years, seems to me like it was a wax based lube, that would be my guess. I don't think it would be too hard to cast a better boolit and tumble lube and get just as good or better results.

I agree that one can cast better boolits and get outstanding results with a light coat of LEE or another brand of liquid alox.

My understanding from a vendor that sold them years ago, was that it was a harder wax similar to what is on .22 rimfire ammo. I had 500 pcs. given to me years ago in the heavy cardboard box that they once came in. This was an older box and there was a white powdery residue in the bottom of the carton.

Shiloh

[357maximum]

I was told it was a mix of "ABOUT" 50/50 carnauba and soft microcrystalline wax......I would think Johnsons paste wax mixed with some lee liquid earwax would work as well...maybe better.....just guessing[smilie=1:

[runfiverun]

i would bet the white powder is mica.

[Russel Nash]

Okay, I give, what does the mica do for the bullets?

Does it keep the bullets from feeling all sticky with the alox on them?

While I am here, pestering you all about lubes :wink:, what the heck is alox, anyways?

I have heard of guys tumbling their bullets around in baby powder (talcum powder) to get rid of the stickiness of the tumble lubed bullets.

[wiljen]

Yes Mica does keep lubed bullets from clumping and feeling sticky.

Alox is a trade name once belonging to the Alox corporation and now belonging to Lubrizol. The name is used to represent a line of commercial products most of which are used as rust preventatives or lubricants in industrial applications.

Lee Liquid Alox is a solvent cutback of Alox-606 which is a calcium soap originally designed as a rust preventative for auto and marine applications.

50/50 is made with Alox 350 - also a rust preventative but of a slightly different composition.

[Russel Nash]

So it's the Lee Liquid Alox that everyone is supposed to tumble lube with, right?

Do people tumble lube with other lube concoctions?

Said another way, is that NRA lube formula (50 % beeswax and 50% regular Alox) strictly a stick lube to be used in lube-sizers?

I was just thinking, kicking an idea around that I have had, is that if someone had a Dillon 650 or 1050 reloading press with a KISS bullet feeder (http://www.bulletfeeder.com/) and a Lee Sizing kit like this one:

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q101/chills1994/LeeLubeAndSizeKit.jpg

that maybe one could theoretically cobble together a really quick way to size bullets and then tumble lube them in a zip loc bag with the Lee Liquid Alox.

The tricky part would be to cobble up an extended shell holder/ram dealie-oh that rode in all 5 "stations" in the Dillon 650 toolhead. And then to set up the press so it did NOT automatically eject the cobbled together "shellholder/ram".

Anyway... just an idea I had...

They aren't taking any new orders for the bulletfeeder anyway. :(

[jameslovesjammie]

The press that the Lee sizer is mounted on is like $20. Not really worth the hassle of cobbling something together to work on a progressive press when an elcheapo will do the same thing.

p.s. I have that Lee press. I bought it when I was still going to college. I figured for the price I would use it and when it broke, get a Rockchucker. I haven't broken it yet. I load .38's, .357's, .270 WSM, 7mm Rem, and .223 on it. I'm actually quite impressed with it.

[Russel Nash]

^^^ I'm just saying that if one was a serious reloader, had a 650 and/or a 1050 already with the KISS bullet feeder that they could theoretically have a really fast way of sizing their own cast lead bullets.

Just throw a heap or two of unsized bullets into the KISS bulletfeeder's hopper, and have the Lee sizer in station 5 on a 650, and start-a-crankin' !

And was far as a ram/shellholder thing goes it could just be case that has been belled a little bit and filled almost all the way to the top, maybe just shy of that by an eigth of an inch, with molten lead and allowed to cool.

There would be no need to handle the bullets individually to size them.

Just keep one hand on the 650's handle and keep crankin' till that red plastic hopper on the Lee sizer fills up with bullets.

Okay, I give, what's a microcrystalline wax?

[missionary5155]

I was told it was a mix of "ABOUT" 50/50 carnauba and soft microcrystalline wax......I would think Johnsons paste wax mixed with some lee liquid earwax would work as well...maybe better.....just guessing[smilie=1:
Now I really like this LLE = L&& Liquid Earwax ... I knew I was saving then old Ear swabbers for something.. "LLama Earwax Lube "... High Altitude Precision Shooting Marvel.. [smilie=1:

[wiljen]

Most of the folks that have spent the $ on a Dillon 650 or the likes have also invested in Star sizers. They size and lube and do a good job of doing both very quickly.

[Russel Nash]

I have a Star lube sizer, with about all the doo-dads.

I guess the next accessory I could get would be the bulletfeeder for it. From reading here, it sounds to me like the production rate won't necessarily be more with a bullet feeder/collator equipped Star, but it will keep you from smashing your thumb and index finger.

I have a 550.

I also have a 650 with a casefeeder.

I just got into the casting thing because I didn't want to pay about $80 per 1k of commercially cast lead bullets or at least $140 per one thousand of copper jacketed/plated pro-jo's.

Eeeekkk!!!

I figure I will shoot about 10,000 rounds next year in matches alone. Not counting practice, load development and sighting in.

Yeah, I have seen the Star lube sizer video on YouTube. That guy really cranks 'em out. I figured about 2,300 to 2,400 bullets per hour.

I went ahead and did a search for microcrystalline wax.

Sounds like that is a snow ski wax, a fine and expensive furniture paste wax, or Johnson's Paste Wax.

[Leadforbrains]

I got curious and did a google search for microcrystalline wax as well. Checked out a company website called Clarus Specialty Products. They are out of Rockhill S.C., but seem to have regional branches in New Jersey and Texas.
I typed in "bullet lube" into their search block and low and behold I got a part number of CSB 3038. Anyone here ever heard of this company Clarus and use any of this CSB 3038? These folks seem to be in the custom wax business and have a whole gamut of types and blends of wax for all kinds of applications.

Great videos Nash. I used to go to the IDPA matches awhile back. I had a great time with a great group of folks. Your videos are causing me to want to start going again.

[Leadforbrains]

CSB 3038 is a blended wax. Description also notes that it is a "white petrolatum in pails". I don't have a clue as to what that means.

[Russel Nash]

the petrolatum part used to be "older speak" for petroleum jelly, aka "vaseline" .

I think it's one of those things where you're better off talking to a person on the phone to make sure of what it is.

Glad you liked the videos!