RCBS Luber Sizer

[shepherddogs]

OK, I've given up on the Lee liquid Alox and ordered a sizer lubricater. After all the time spent casting lubing and loading, I want professional results. Will I get professional results with the Lee Tumblelube molds or am I better off getting new ones with standard grooves? I actually have 2 molds I've never even used and could send back and exchange for different molds. Also I ordered four sticks of lube. About how far should that go? Oh and Happy New Year.

[Sprue]

Certainly no Pro here......

but when I switched from using alox and TL boolits I changed to the "grease or lube" grooved style.

I'm sure what you have mentioned has been tried many times by others even myself, but those TL boolits ran thru a luber/sizer was not too attractive to me in one way or another.

I like a deep grease groove, one or two. I might also add that it certainly looks more professional, as you refer.

As for lube sticks, hopefully they have a hole in the center. If not, that can be solved by melting your lube and pouring it into the luber cavity. I prefer the softer lubes that don't require a heater.

You should get somewhere around 1k boolits (lubed) per stick or somewhere in that ball park. YMMV

If you are a do'er self'er, look up the various homemade type lubes. Now there's another avenue to follow, its never ending....

Have Fun!

[Recluse]

OK, I've given up on the Lee liquid Alox and ordered a sizer lubricater. After all the time spent casting lubing and loading, I want professional results. Will I get professional results with the Lee Tumblelube molds or am I better off getting new ones with standard grooves? I actually have 2 molds I've never even used and could send back and exchange for different molds. Also I ordered four sticks of lube. About how far should that go? Oh and Happy New Year.

If you continue to give up on things you'll experience in the black magic world of boolit casting as quickly as you are, my opinion is that you'll be much happier buying commercially cast bullets. No sin whatsoever in that. Casting boolits is not for every shooter anymore than reloading is for every shooter.

I have the RCBS lubamatic and it frustrates me far more than tumble lubing ever has or ever will. First off, there are no dedicated top punches for Lee moulds. There is a conversion/applicability list on this forum that is very close and will do for most purposes. Second is that I like the Star and the Lee sizer systems because they push from the base rather than the nose.

Am not sure what you mean by "professional results." If you are referring to how the boolits look after casting and lubing, that is something I learned many years ago to care less about. I care about the holes they make on targets and how close together they are. I care about how quickly they turn a deer into something that can be processed into steaks and roasts, chili and sausage. My tumble lube boolits for handguns shoot better, more accurate and cleaner than those run through the RCBS. I mainly run my high power longgun or gas check high power handgun rounds through the RCBS with a homemade lube that needs a heater.

A long time ago when I melted my first wheel weight, a wise old caster once told me to exhaust as many variables and options as I could before declaring either success or failure and moving on to something else. Learning patience was harder than learning how to cast purty boolits. But once I learned patience, I learned to make very good, very accurate boolits.

And by the way... I have tried running TL boolits through the RCBS and if you think the LLA makes a mess.......

I have been reading these pages since back in the shooters.com days and finally decided to join last Thanksgiving. There is an avalanche and gold mine of information here from people who have tried everything and tried it all. Learn from them as well as from your own experiences. Many, many, many casters use the LLA with outstanding success, but it takes some patience and a little bit of skill to perfect your technique for your boolits for your loads for your gun. If you are looking for fast size and lube gratification with minimum trouble, I'd highly recommend a Star.

[shepherddogs]

I used to use an old Lyman lube sizer and a standard Lee mold for .357 so I know you CAN make 1st rate bullets. The Tumblelube molds just don't seem to fill out as well as my old mold use to. And the Alox is pretty messy. I just can't see loading for semiautos with these messy cartridges. Feed problems seem like a guaranteed thing. I quit casting about 20 years ago because it just seemed like too much trouble for the savings. Now with the price of bullets about double what I use to pay, my interest is back. So I'm not new to casting, just rusty. And inexperienced with the tumblelube method. I do care how my ammo looks. After spending my time and labor I won't accept less than a quality product. I just don't believe in wasting my time creating junk.

[mainiac]

I only have experience with one tumble lube design, its a .32 rifle boolit, run it threw my lube-sizers just like all of my molds. Have zero problems......all grooves fill right up,no muss,no fuss!

[Hardcast416taylor]

I am probably not the person you should ask an opinion of. I not only use LLA i also pan lube I also use either my RCBS lubamatic 2 (I wore out the first model) or my lyman lube sizer 450. I don`t use Lee tumble lube moulds. I use lubes from the old black lyman graphite to modern day miracle lube sticks to lube I just made out in the barn in an old coffee can. So what is best or more professional - what ever you try that works for you and your budget. [smilie=1: Robert

[medicstimpy]

I am not a fan of LLA at all. I tried many different loads and still was getting fouling. Turns out it was mostly lube fouling since mineral spirits wiped it clean but still am not a fan.

You don't have to rebuy any of your molds. I run my TL design boolit through the Lubersizer and they work great with Lar's Red Carnuba. It does get a little messy if you leave the heater on too long and let the lube get too soft.

Just set your sizer to push the boolits a little deeper into the die and they should lube all the small lube bands on your TL boolits.

I've also used Lyman Orange and Lee NRA Beeswax Mix lubes in the lubersizer with TL bullets and they work almost as good, so you don't have to use Lars's lubes. It's just a recommendation. :)

[Hang Fire]

First off, there are no dedicated top punches for Lee moulds.

After reading of it, I have been making custom nose punches for quite a while using the standard (not the quick) JB Weld epoxy.

I use a piece of rubber or soft plastic to avoid marring bullet nose and run bullet down into sizer die, leaving nose exposed. Wipe a light coat of release agent onto bullet nose and thoroughly clean selected nose punch cavity with mineral spirits to remove all traces of bullet lube and wipe dry. Mix up some JB Weld and let set until will not run, put a sufficient glob into nose punch cavity, run nose punch down and seat firmly onto bullet nose, wipe off any excess epoxy and hang a small weight on handle of my old Lyman model 45. Once epoxy sets up, if there should be epoxy over run on nose punch, it can be easily cleaned up with sand paper on a wood block.

I have never had to redo any nose punches done as such.

[Bret4207]

Recluse, welcome home! You've been lurking since the Shooters days and just know joined? That must be some kind of record.

I'm not sure just what you want. The fill out issues can usually be cleared up by turning up the heat and having a very, very clean mould. Lee's Mule Snot, (LLA) has worked good for me up to 15-1600 fps anyway. If it's the mes that gets you, what I do is lube and let them sit for a while, an hour or so at least. Then I dust them with powdered graphite/mica. Cornstarch works too. That gets rid of the sticky part. I load and if the exposed part of the nose bothers me I just give it a wipe with 4/0 steel wool. The Mule Snot comes off and the boolit looks like it's chromed!

[Recluse]

Hang Fire, I've done the same thing except I used some fiberglass rosin I keep sitting around. Works pretty good. Course it doesn't do much for ensuring the proper vertical alignment when the boolit travels through the die. I started off with push-through sizers and LLA. Migrated to the lube-sizers when I was a busy and important person in my workplace. Now I'm a nobody, pretty much keep to myself and only work enough to supplement my healthcare benefits. With all this time on my hands, I've gravitated back to push-through sizers and tumble-lubing. For me, I'm just convinced I get a better shooting, more consistent boolit. I'll often pan lube before I lube-size when absolute accuracy counts.

Lots of ways to do this stuff. Only right way to do it is the way it works best for you and gets you the results you want... safely.


Recluse, welcome home! You've been lurking since the Shooters days and just know joined? That must be some kind of record.


LOL! I was reading Carpetman's stuff when his sheep were still baby ewes.

Just never been all that social on most days, especially when I was working fulltime and always around a lot of people. Happiest when it's just me and my guns and an open, deserted range. Or in my reloading shop with just my boolit and ammo making equipment, a fridge and the tv turned on to the History or Science Channel.

Been meaning to send you some money to help keep this thing going. Can I just mail you some cash? I don't have any use for Paypal none what so ever and I don't get by the bank very often to get a money order or cashier's check.

[shepherddogs]

I shot 100 rounds of the LLA 38s yesterday. There was not a trace of leading though there was plenty of fouling between the lube and Unique. It's a good and cheap way to lube bullets but very messy. I'm hoping I'll be much happier with the RCBS LubeSizer.

[rbstern]

I use Lee molds in 38 special and 357 magnum with an RCBS luber. You have several shallow lube grooves instead of one deep one. Works fine for me with Red Carnuba.