Lee Tumble lube wadcutters

[pps]

Finally got around to loading up some of the 148gr Lee tumble lube DEWC over 2.8 grains of bullseye. Just used range scrap, forgot to add tin, but fillout seemed good enough to get accuracy and minimal leading. LLA/mineral spirits 50/50 for the lube.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/pps_2006/TLDEwadcutter.jpg?t=1265009785

@25 yards off the bench 10 round group.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l96/pps_2006/TLtarget1.jpg?t=1265009909

For such a fast casting mold, it's an efficient use of range scrap. I like this mold.

[Shiloh]

Looks good You may try turning the heat up a bit to help with fill out. I also cast these with range scrap.

Shiloh

[Phat Man Mike]

that's some fine shooting in my book! :)

[Ben]

Looks like you have ARRIVED ! !

Yes, that is some fine shooting.

[RayinNH]

Try loading them backwards :wink:...Ray

[Beerd]

Try loading them backwards :wink:...Ray

I wuz thinkin' that flyer at 11:00 was loaded backwards!
..

[curator]

Yup, 2.8 grains of bullseye and the 148grain Lee trashcan shoots great. Try loading half of your cartridges with the "sprue" end up. This seems to produce better groups in my various .38 special revolvers.

[pps]

Looks like you have ARRIVED ! !

Yes, that is some fine shooting.

Thanks. The bench helps IMMENSELY.

That 11 oclock flier was probly one of them wrinkled boolits. :veryconfu

[Shiloh]

I load with sprue end up. The bottom is virtually always perfectly formed. A flat base.

Shiloh

[dudel]

Looks good. I use the same boolit and a similar load of BE. Shot from a 10" Contender, they do quite well. I'm not getting mimimal leading; but also not excessive. I'd like to reduce the leading. What length barrel did you shoot those with?

[Dale53]

I shoot LOTS of double ended WC's. However, dbl ended WC's often require slightly higher powder charges than hollow base wad cutters. My standard load with the H&G dbl ended 148 gr WC is 3.5 grs of Bullseye. You might want to start at 3.2 and see which shoots better (3.2 or 3.5).

Here is a thread I started on the Cast Bullet Association Forum regarding this subject:

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/forum/view_topic.php?id=3860&forum_id=4&highlight=Dale53

Best of luck!
Dale53

[Wally]

I use 4.0 Grains of Bullesye in my .38 Spl revovler with the Lee 148 WC-TL buulet..I get 950 FPS MV and use it as a can plinking load--quote accurate and works well in my Taurus 84 (it can handle P+ loads).

[pps]

Looks good. I use the same boolit and a similar load of BE. Shot from a 10" Contender, they do quite well. I'm not getting mimimal leading; but also not excessive. I'd like to reduce the leading. What length barrel did you shoot those with?

5" model 627 S&W. I firelapped the bore a while back and that helped a lot with leading across the board.

[rattletrap1970]

I'm going to resurrect an old thread cause it had the title I was going to use. I have a Smith and Wesson Model 52-2. It's a .38 special wadcutter semi auto. I picked up the Lee 6 cavity DEWC mold. Fill out is very nice and uniform, no wrinkles, no frost. I lube with a mix of Lee Alox, Johnson's Paste wax and mineral spirits. I was always under the belief that Tumble lube boolits don't have to be sized, but I loaded several and there is a bulge and will not slide into my case gauge. Is there any way to set the dies that will allow these to chamber or do I have to size?

[Jack Stanley]

I don't remember because it's been such a long time ago that I loaded wadcutters , but I think the Redding "profile crimp' die takes care of some of that bulge

Jack

[Dale53]

First, I have to state, up front, that I don't tumble lube (I use a Star, RCBS, and Lyman lube/sizers).

However, if you have a Lee Factory Crimp die, you could merely run those loaded rounds through the LFCD and they would work just fine, I'm thinkin'.

Ed Harris, former Tech Editor on the American Rifleman Staff doesn't size EITHER his cases OR the bullets for many calibers. He just seats the unsized bullets in the unsized cases (de-capped and reprimed, of course) then runs them through the Lee FCD to size the bullet and case to fit. You might want to give that method a trial.

On a side note, the Model 52 Smith typically has a tight chamber and often works well with bullets sized smaller than normal ("normal" for me is .358").

Let us know how you solve this - some others may benefit (several years after I quit Bullseye shooting, I sold my 52 to a very good friend).

Dale53

[jt1]

You might try a different brand of brass. I have experienced that bulge with some brands but not others. +P brass is particularly bad in my experience.

You might also check the length of the brass and experiment with your crimp die setting. Sometimes too much crimp can cause the bulge.

John

[rattletrap1970]

The bulge is at the bottom of the boolit (about in the middle of the brass). Looks like a snake that swallowed a wadcutter. I did try resizing a TL boolit and it it didn't do it. But I kinda bought the TL's so I wouldn't have to size.

[felix]

If times have not changed, Torrington has an indoor bullseye pistol team in the State's pistol league. I belonged to the Bear's team in Hartford, with the home field being the Colt's factory range. The team to beat was the Capital City Club during those days, the early 70's. Go and seek the local club members for this kind of shooting and ADVICE. ... felix

[rattletrap1970]

Sadly to the best of my knowledge I'm the only person I know with one. I like coming on here and checking with the folks that specialize in cast bullets as I AM casting my own. I shoot on Torrington Gun Club's pistol team in the Met League (.22 Indoor 50 Foot). Just customized a Ruger MKIII and put a trigger kit, grips, open red dot and went from shooting 209's to a 268 last week.

[zxcvbob]

I'm going to resurrect an old thread cause it had the title I was going to use. I have a Smith and Wesson Model 52-2. It's a .38 special wadcutter semi auto. I picked up the Lee 6 cavity DEWC mold. Fill out is very nice and uniform, no wrinkles, no frost. I lube with a mix of Lee Alox, Johnson's Paste wax and mineral spirits. I was always under the belief that Tumble lube boolits don't have to be sized, but I loaded several and there is a bulge and will not slide into my case gauge. Is there any way to set the dies that will allow these to chamber or do I have to size?
Lee's "Factory Crimp" die will fix that bulge (just back-out the crimper so it doesn't do anything and use the die as a sizing die for the finished rounds that won't load), but first try just using R-P brass. It's thinner than most. The other thing you can do is size the boolits before loading them.

I'm currently loading those with 2.5 grains of International. I need to load some tonight to shoot tomorrow...

[rattletrap1970]

When I size I don't have this issue. I will try with thinner brass but to my measurements the unsized are .006 over the sized. They're throwing at .3610 which is a bit heavy. I may just size them, I gotta turn a top punch with a nice flat face tomorrow at work. It will be interesting to see how the Boolits behave resized (lots of lube grooves). When I use pre-sized commercial wadcutters I load with 2.85 2.90 Bullseye seated flush with just the slightest crimp that just hugs the chamfer on the wadcutter.

[RayinNH]

Using wadcutter casings may alleviate some of the bulging. The casings have a double cannelure around the circumference, supposedly parallel sided internally...Ray

[rattletrap1970]

Interesting, I have some of those too. I'm probably just going to resize, but I have to see how the accuracy of resized boolits are. .006 is pretty substantial.. But I will try a couple other cases.

[earplug]

I was having chambering issues with my unsized LEE TL wadcutters. I tried the magic Lee die and it worked but I lost the spot for my lock out die and on my RCBS 2000 placing the bullet by hand was awkward on the back left side of the press.
I just cull the PMC brass for other uses.
Several year ago I ran into problems while reloading for 44spl. I think some ammo companies just cut down the longer magnum brass for 38 or 44 spl. This leave a thicker case that will bulge with deeper seated bullets such as a WC.
I have been real happy with 3 grains of WW231 and Rooster Bullet Jacket. I shoot a red dot equipped S&W M-65 for indoor 25 yard Bullseye league.
I sold a M-14 because this rig works as well or better.

[rattletrap1970]

I have been running the Tumble Lube wadcutters through the Lubrisizer (so I end up with a bunch of very small lube grooves). I've been seating them flush with just the smallest bit of crimp (just breaking the edges over the side of the bullet). Been loading with 2.8gr Bullseye. I must say they do shoot very well.

I do want to replace the ultra dot (older one) with a small rear sight replacement reflex dot sight. Can anyone suggest a mount/sight option that fits nicely on the model 52-2?

[nonferrous]

I have not tried to shoot Lee TL boolits as cast, I use the LLA, JPW, Mineral spirits lube and a Lee sizer. I have noticed over time, that when sizing, most go through with a little push at .358. However, from time to time, there are some that I really have to lean on to get through the sizer and some that fall right through.

While you are sizing, it's quite hard to find that oddball in the pile of boolits that end up in the canister on the sizer, like finding the tooth that bit you on the Skilsaw.

Yesterday, I had one drop right into the casing when I set it into the bellmouth, it was .356. I don't know where the extra shrinkage comes from, it only works out to about 1 or 2 in a 1000.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

On the LEE sizer (.359) I found that if I run into a boolit that just barely has any resistance to it when it is pushed through, I can take the red plastic canister off and push down on the boolits that are in the steel tube and it will push that small one back out the way it went in.