Grease

[zxcvbob]

Has anybody tried just smearing a little automotive grease in the microgrooves of a TL boolit with your finger and loading them (smokeless cartridges) when you just have a few to load? I don't think the oil will migrate out. I think I want to try it; not sure whether to use some red General Motors EP grease (don't know what soap it uses) or some anhydrous calcium grease that I bought a tube of a while back.

I think Alox is a calcium soap with a little barium (don't know where I read that)...

[Ben]

I have a good friend that recently used some Marine grease ( which kind I don't know ) and rubbed some into the lube grooves in a 9 mm cast bullet. He fired 50 rds without a hint of leading and good accuracy.

[BerdanIII]

Harrison recommended a multi-purpose lithium chassis grease for cast bullets but noted it could be messy. I gave it quick trial and got good accuracy, no leading and the quickest cleanup I've ever had. It is messy, though.

Edit: I have noticed some seperation of oil from the grease in the grease cartridge (cheepo WallyWorld) over the long term; if I were to use chassis grease I would store loaded ammunition bullet-down and use it soon after loading. In straight-walled cases, a waxed paper disc on the bullet base might prevent or slow down oil migration.

Jim: What's "rabbit trailing"? It sounds like those little mementos rabbits leave wherever they go....

[Jim]

At the risk of rabbit trailing the thread, I mix 4X fine graphite powder with white lithium grease for a tumble lube. I handle the boolits with hemostats. I wipe the lube off the bottom of the boolit before seating it to keep the powder from being inerted. It's a little time consuming, but I enjoy what I'm doing, so it doesn't matter to me.

[zxcvbob]

It might be better to use an acid brush to apply the grease so I keep my fingers relatively clean when handling the boolits. I'll try it this weekend, but it might be a week or two before I get to shoot them. (I'll pretend that's part of the test)

The anhydrous calcium grease that I have I think says it's for marine use.

[longbow]

Believe it or not when I was young and poor (hmmm, the poor part hasn't changed) I used to use Valvoline PB wheelbearing grease for lube on a Lyman 457124 in my 1895 Marlin .45-70 with both smokeless and BP. No problems with either.

It was messy to put on as I just wiped it onto/into the grease grooves with a finger but it seemed to lube well with no leading and contrary to what most experience with petro based lubes and black powder making nasty tar, this stuff wiped out like black mud. A tight patch pushed through the barrel would bring out a black mucky patch and the bore was shiny after ~ no crispy/crusty build up. Of course the gun got a thorough cleaning as well but the point is that the BP fouling stayed soft with this grease.

I also used it for lubing the Lyman 457125 for my Siamese Mauser in .45-70 over smokeless loads again with no problems and these tended towards the hot side.

I did not load up for long term storage though so can't comment on oil migration over long periods.

This grease was a clear amber colour not opaque like most lithium greases. Not sure if that matters or not. In any case, with smokeless I doubt it would matter. I am currently using Lucas Red 'N Tacky grease in my lube for smokeless and it is working well.

Longbow

[fredj338]

I new there was a reason I went to a Star luber/sizer, sure saves on the mess handling & reloading lead bullets.

[mdi]

I havent tried it but I've heard of "hand lubing" and "finger lubing" (not for the old guy's exam either). Usually done in small batches and with something that won't seep into the powder...

[longbow]

Yup, zxcvbob's original question was about doing just a few. When I was young and poor and didn't know anything about pan lubing and couldn't afford a sizer luber, I used grease and my fingers. These were not tumble lube boolits though so maybe my answer is not entirely on track but anyway, it is messy but simple and worked well for me.

Now that I mention pan lubing, it might work for tumble lube boolits but I suspect a cake cutter would be needed as the grooves are very shallow. Even at that, pan lubing is probably more stuff and more work than a fellow might want to put into just a few boolits.

Another simple option is warming regular lube and wiping it on with fingers or dip lubing in hot melted lube. Done both those too. That way you don't have to worry about oil migration into the powder if the loads are stored any length of time.

Longbow

[buck1]

Years ago my dad did it a lot in a 3030. I wouldnt store them long or at very warm temps.
Just plop a dab of grease on to a pice of paper and come back to it the next day and see the oils spread like mad.....Buck

[Freightman]

1/2 bees wax !/2 lithium grease works fine and isn't to messy. Put it in a $10 crock pot heat and mix. Then dip boolits after casting run through a LEE sizer and perfect boolits.

[Ben]

Longbow :

Lucas Red 'N Tacky grease in my lube for smokeless and it is working well

Same here on this end !

Ben

[Lucky Joe]

I use a black #2 Lithium grease with moly from time to time. Didn't know grease was this widely use and will probably use it more. This grease doesn't separate and withstands high temps. also the barrels show no leading clean easy and show shiny bores.

[Trifocals]

It is my understanding that the one time very popular and effective Texaco Taurak grease (no longer obtainable) was actually meant and used for lubricating the wheel journals on railroad cars. I believe NEI repackaged Taurak and sold it as "Hawkeye" Bullet Lube. I obtained a large carton of Taurak when the last remaining supply was sold. Following the experiment of a boolit caster from TX who used to contribute articles to the Cast Bullet Assn. "Fouling Shot", I began adding 50% beeswax to Taurak. It has worked out very well as a boolit lube. A bit tacky, tho. The gentleman who came up with the idea to add beeswax dusted his lubed boolits with Motor Mica. I don't do that. One will never know what can make a good cast boolit lube till you try it. LOL

[Char-Gar]

Since the invention of the horseless carriage, bullet casters have been using "cup grease" of one kind or another to lube bullet. I used Texaco Marfac some years back with success. Smearing it on with the fingers is messy but works for a few round. Mixing it with beeswax about 50/50 is even better and stiff enough to pan lube or use in lube size machine.

I have not tried every kind of auto chassis grease under the sun, but the ones I have used have all made good bullet lubes. Water pump grease also works well.

[Thumbcocker]

I have an old NRA reloading manual where pistol champions laods were listed. Some boolits were lubed with "locamotive side rod grease".

[mroliver77]

My dad was a railroader actually a brakeman/conductor on the D T & I RR here in OH and MI. He once brought home a case of grease in bags that was being thrown out. This stuff was so thick it would almost break when you bent it. We used it on moldsboards and suck to prevent rusting. I have wondered just what it was and how it would woirk for lube.
A few years back I was "experimenting" a lot and tried various waxes and greases around the place. For well fitting low pressure handgun boolits almost everything tried worked to prevent leading. I even tried glycerin suppositories once. Might just as well have shoved them up my ...........ah well they did not work as well as crayons. I have made lube with the Felix recipe but substituting certain greases for the mineral oil and using less beeswax to get the stiffness correct for a lube sizer. It actually worked well! I now just use FWFL, sometimes made with mineral oil and sometimes with atf as per Felixs' advice.

Jay

[zxcvbob]

I finally took the gun out this afternoon after church (FIL's old Ruger .41 Magnum.) Fired 15 rounds, 210 grain TL boolit lubed with "boat trailer and marine grease", and 9.0 grains of Rex3 powder, which burns similar to Solo 1250 or Universal. It's a good-shooting load, but the grease was a total failure. The gun was so leaded-up when I got it home, the copper Chore Boy plug I pushed thru got stuck (I was able to pull it out and try again) The boolits were cast with soft lead, which probably made the problem worse.

I may try it one more time with some Extreme Pressure grease, just out of curiosity, but it's time to lube some bullets properly with wax and Alox.

[jmh54738]

The 50-50 mix of lithium grease and beeswax was marketed under the name "Lithi-Bee". I also have two sticks of the locomotive side rod lube, marketed as "Perfect Lube" by Cooper-Woodward, Riverside Ca. 92502. The sticks are dark brown, stiff, but very tacky to the touch. It also has a slight Alox smell. The label says "Stands Heat" (with the picture of a devil) and "Stands Cold", with a picture of an eskimo.. The stuff is at least 50 years old and in perfect condition, ready to use. Performance is unknown. John

[Casting Timmy]

I'd agree, mix that grease with some beeswax and it should work for you. I've been using a white lithium and beeswax mix and one of these days I'll try some moly grease and beeswax mix.