Simplist, easist, cleanist way to lube...

[Old Ironsights]

I load only one cartridge: .357, and ned to lube only 2 types of boolits - .357 BP and .45/.50 BP Conicals.

I've seen various "oven & Pan" lube techniques, but they seem annoying and produce way more than I shoot regularly. What is the easiest way to get an adequate lube on a BP cartridge/conical?

[Buckshot]

.................Well if you don't need a lube press, and pan lubing makes too many, I suppose the last resort is to hand lube. Seems awful messy to me though. I'd opt for the pan lube myself, then through a push through die to clean things up a bit.

.....................Buckshot

[Old Ironsights]

What is a lube press? Only lubing I've ever been near is Liquid Alox.

[Blacktail 8541]

A lube press is a nice little machine that has a resivoir to store and dispence lude on a bullet. It takes a sizeing die that can either size the bullet or not depending on witch one you choose. No mess and very little cost depending on which model chosen. Availeable thru many mail order or internet stores in their cast bullet section.

[keeper89]

Try one out and I think your days of pan lubing will come to a screeching halt--mine did nearly thirty years ago and I haven't once thought of returning......:mrgreen:

[Old Ironsights]

Try one out and I think your days of pan lubing will come to a screeching halt--mine did nearly thirty years ago and I haven't once thought of returning......:mrgreen:
It certainly looks like it.

BUT, I am very cheap and VERY low volume. (Remember, I load more than enough using a simple Lee Loader setup - no press.)

However, I just came across an interesting bit of arcana.

According to Clyde "Snooky" Williamson (WINCHESTER LEVER LEGACY) you can do some really interesting things by 'lubing' a bullet with teflon plumbers tape. He claimed a 10% increase in velocity when wrapping cast bullets with teflon tape.

A guy on another forum tested it and got this data:

Reformed 444 Marlin Brass (rifle #1)
40.0gr of IMR-4064 = 1686fps
40.0gr of IMR-4064 = 1840fps (With Teflon Wrap)

Reformed 444 Marlin Brass (Rifle #2)
41.0gr of IMR-4064 = 1765fps
40.0gr of IMR-4064 = 1910fps (With Teflon Wrap)

although Snooky teflon taped them first and then applied the gas check. He just wrapped 2 wraps of the tape around our already gas checked bullets and then shrunk it tight with a lighter then Seated the bullets

He was quite surprised at the difference in velocity.

[smilie=w:

This I must try. It would save me a good bit of hassle for the time being.

[Bucks Owin]

Try one out and I think your days of pan lubing will come to a screeching halt--mine did nearly thirty years ago and I haven't once thought of returning......:mrgreen:


I agree. Now that I have a sizer/luber, it would be mighty hard to go back to "cake cutters" and "cookie tins" and "sizing with the bore"..... ;-)

Dennis

[montana_charlie]

According to Clyde "Snooky" Williamson (WINCHESTER LEVER LEGACY) you can do some really interesting things by 'lubing' a bullet with teflon plumbers tape. He claimed a 10% increase in velocity when wrapping cast bullets with teflon tape.
Yeah, but...you said,

I load only one cartridge: .357, and ned to lube only 2 types of boolits - .357 BP and .45/.50 BP Conicals.
If that 'BP' means Black Powder, you aren't going to be happy with teflon tape unless you pack a grease cookie under the bullet.

I remember seeing a tool (somewhere) for greasing Maxi Balls one at a time. If they are made in models which fit your bullets snugly, it might be your answer.
CM

[Old Ironsights]

Yeah, but...you said,

If that 'BP' means Black Powder, you aren't going to be happy with teflon tape unless you pack a grease cookie under the bullet.Why not? (details please)

edit: BTW, I intend on using my 2lbs of Pinnacle & APP Shockey Gold "3F" first. I can't use them in my flinter and they will corrode the brass less than my 4F. Would I need a grease cookie then? :confused:


I remember seeing a tool (somewhere) for greasing Maxi Balls one at a time. If they are made in models which fit your bullets snugly, it might be your answer.
CM
I have one made by (IIRC) TC. Works OK if I remember to warm the Bore Butter tube up to at least 70 degrees first. (My shop is in the basement... ambient 60deg..)

[montana_charlie]

Why not? (details please)

edit: BTW, I intend on using my 2lbs of Pinnacle & APP Shockey Gold "3F" first. I can't use them in my flinter and they will corrode the brass less than my 4F. Would I need a grease cookie then?
Oh! If you are using BP substitutes (not the real thing) you may be OK.
I have no experience with them, but they may not need the 'fouling management' that black powder requires.
CM

[PatMarlin]

I've got the slickest little hand luber I picked up at a Gunshow. I use it for all of my BP boolits.

Its a:

Leding Loader Inc.
PO Box 1129
Ozark AR 72949

It's hard plastic with 4 holes for boolits. There's a thumb screw on the side. Put your bollits in the unit. You pull out the screw, squeeze your lube in to load it, then replace the screw.

As you crank down on the screw, it fully lubes your boolit. Also stores your lubed boolits when on a hunt. Maybe you could find one on eBay sometime.

[DEVERS454]

PatMarlin-

could you post a pic?

I use my other Lyman 45 with soft BP lube.
(bees wax, crisco, canola oil, bol-wax)

I just swap sizers when needed, but, it makes lubing ALOT easer...

I still pan lube for 56-50 spencer.

[13Echo]

If pan lubing makes too many bullets use a smaller pan. It is still the easiest way to lube just a few bullets without investing in a lurisizer. Also since you are shooting black powder, even a substitute, you really will be better off with a good BP lube for fouling control. The simple ones are easy to make such as Emmert's (Beeswax, crisco, and anyone of a number of vegetable oils) or Wolf's for the 45-70 Springfield (half beeswax and half olive oil). FWFL made with peanut oil instead of baby oil and without parafin wax would also do very nicely. Another method is dip the bullet in melted lube, wipe the base and run it through a Lee sizer die. Use a coffe cup heater to melt just enough lube to do the job.

Jerry Liles

[PatMarlin]

I can make you one.

What diameter would you like?...

Buckshot's been giving me lathe lessons.. :mrgreen:

[Bucks Owin]

Another method is dip the bullet in melted lube, wipe the base and run it through a Lee sizer die. Use a coffe cup heater to melt just enough lube to do the job.

Jerry Liles

You mean like this? (This is Lee Liquid Alox...)

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/BucksOwin/IMAGE051.jpg

[doc25]

isn't the Lee lubrisizer pretty cheap? and it fits on a regular press?

[Scrounger]

isn't the Lee lubrisizer pretty cheap? and it fits on a regular press?

Yes and yes. It's about $15 at Midway and places like that in factory sizes. If you want a custom size, it's $25 direct from Lee. It's not too hard to buy a factory size (say .430) and lap it up to .432 or whatever...

[PatMarlin]

DEVERS454...

I just looked at a Spencer in 56-50 today. It was an orginal civil war rimfire. Is yours a rimfire?

The patent is up on the leding loader, and they are no longer manufactured, so I think I may start fabricating them if there is a need.

Slick unit for PB, and for anybody that shoots only a few rounds or doesn't want to buy a lube press, but wants to lube grooves only.

[wcb_gabe]

Simplist, easist, cleanist way to lube...

Wouldn't that be using or buying someone else already lubed bullets???
But I guess that would defeat the point.
Hey it is all of the above... just not the cheapest... I mean cheapist
Gabe

[steveb]

If pan lubing makes too many bullets use a smaller pan. It is still the easiest way to lube just a few bullets without investing in a lurisizer. Also since you are shooting black powder, even a substitute, you really will be better off with a good BP lube for fouling control. The simple ones are easy to make such as Emmert's (Beeswax, crisco, and anyone of a number of vegetable oils) or Wolf's for the 45-70 Springfield (half beeswax and half olive oil). FWFL made with peanut oil instead of baby oil and without parafin wax would also do very nicely. Another method is dip the bullet in melted lube, wipe the base and run it through a Lee sizer die. Use a coffe cup heater to melt just enough lube to do the job.

Jerry Liles

Ditto.