Alox Lube what do ya think?

[fanner 50]

I'm new to casting my own but need some sort of hobby while taking cancer treatment. I have a 45 LC Ruger Bisley and a AMT HB converted to 45 Super. I am starting by casting the 228 gr R1 Lee. for use in the 1911. What do you think of the liquid Alox lube by Lee. It seems to get mixed reviews. Oh and I'm new here so helo to all. - Fanner 50

[45forlife]

I like the LLA but it is messy. I read a thread here about mixing it with Johnsons paste wax and tried it. My mixture was about 1/3 LLA and 2/3 JPW. I like this a lot better because it is less sticky. I’ve been using this with a 300 grain gas checked boolit in a 454 casull. I haven’t tried it on my 1911 boolits yet.

I’m pretty new here myself but welcome.

[454PB]

I've used the LLA with good results, but it is messy and tends to attract dirt and lint. I've even gone so far as using Gunscrubber to remove the LLA from the boolit noses. Though I've not done it, it seems like dipping the boolits rather than coating them entirely would be a possible solution to the problem.

[pdawg_shooter]

I use LLA as a lube on my paper patch bullets. Works great.

[Jack Stanley]

I've applied the lube to the bullet grooves directly from the spout on the LEE bottle before . It's time consuming but for trying just a few and not making a mess it works OK .

Jack

[Newtire]

I use the stuff alot and only thing is it's a little messy and smokes a bit. I tumble the boolits in a plastic dish & and pour them out on a big plastic bag instead of waxed paper. Let dry overnite or use hairdryer to dry quick. Run em thru the Lee sizer and you're set. I think if someone is getting leading at moderate cast boolit speeds in say a .30-30, then his boolits are too small. I use it in .44 mag full out and also .30-30 and 30-30 Ackley. Also lots of other plinker loads. Go for it.

[Bullshop]

Tell ya what I used to do when I was working at a log camp and rooming in the bunk house. I couldnt have any equipment set up so I just had a home made hand press, some molds and lee sizers and a colman stove provided heat. What I did to lube the boolits and not get lube on the noses was to smear some alox on a sheat of wax paper then with the boolits lying on thier side roll them through it. What worked good was to line up half a dozen boolits like you would do with cases on a lube pad then with a wood ruler press down on the boolits with one hand at each end of the ruler. Roll the boolits back and fourth through the smear of alox until the grooves are filled. That will keep the nose free of lube. There will be some at the leading edge of the first drive band but I found this way far less messy than tumbling.
BIC/BS

[G. Blessing]

That sounds a lot better.... doesn't seem like it would waste as much,(coating the tub inside)

Now if only the smell of the stuff left the house easier....

G.

[hunter64]

You can cut LLA with Mineral Spirits till you get the consistency that you want. I use an old plastic film canister and use about 1/2 LLA with 1/2 MS and fill the little holder up till about 3/4 of the way. Then I use a pair of needle nose pliers/tweezers and just dip each bullet in to mixture, rub any excess off the sides and put them on wax paper nose up. You can also tumble lube them like the instructions say but then the noses get covered and what happens is this translates into the seating die and after 10-15 rounds there starts to be a build up of gunk on the inside of the die and your bullets start to be seated farther into the case. You have to take the die out and with Mineral Spirits on the end of a q-tip get the gunk out. I guess as an alternative to that you could just wipe the noses off of the bullets while they are on the wax paper. At any rate make sure you where gloves because the LLA is horrible smelling stuff and very hard to get off your hands after other than washing in Mineral Spirits. Welcome to the board.

[wiljen]

I dip lube with Alox and use it thick and place my bullets base down on a plastic cutting board to dry. Once dry and the bullets removed, I scrape the excess off into a small plastic container with a putty knife. This can be heated and a little mineral spirits added and it comes back to life to be used again. Almost no waste this way.

[tom barthel]

I load on a tight budget. LLA works good enough for me. It is messy but, after several thousand shots, no leading. After lubing and drying, I dust them with fine powdered mica. This seems to make them less troublesome to handle and load. I don't shoot matches. I only look for reasonable accuracy. Cast bullets are at least, as accurate as jacketed. If I were younger and, could afford it, I would probably try one of the other methods of lubing just to be trying it. My hunting days are done. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to reload and shoot. LLA keeps it simple and easy for me.

[Joel Chavez]

I'm using Lars C. Red on my 38/357 boolits and for my 45acp stuff. So far so good and the boolits look perty dern gud. Gitr dun.

[Lloyd Smale]

makes a good undercoating for a car.

[wiljen]

Yep, works good on gate hardware too. If heated it can be used in a spray gun to coat about any metal surface and adheres well and dries rapidly. Once dry, other than friction, it about never wears off. I coated the top bar of the kids swingset with it -doesnt rub off on their hands and has worked to keep the typical rust buildup off the swingset. (the bars will now rust from the inside out just to prove me wrong).

[Newtire]

I'm using Lars C. Red on my 38/357 boolits and for my 45acp stuff. So far so good and the boolits look perty dern gud. Gitr dun.

I agree that the Lars Red is a real nice looking boolit lube and works like a champ. No complaints here. In the days before I had a lube/sizer and did everything the hard way, I used the LLA or 50/50 alox poured into a pan around the boolits and cut them out with the little knurled tube Lee used to provide. I got by just fine.

[Bob Jones]

I shoot a fair bit of cast in handguns primarily, maybe 10K a year, in 9mm, 40, 45 and 357. I only use Alox, although for the 357 I mix some paste wax in with it. Once you get your bullets the right size (far more important than the kind of lube you use IMHO) you can shoot all day without leading. Lube is just one fact, size is critical, load (poweder type and charge) is important, barrel, etc. Find a mix of factors that works for you, but remember lube is just one of those factors, not a magic cure for other problems.

[USARO4]

I use the stuff and have had good results. I have also mixed it with JPW and had good results. But for less mess and fuss I have gone to straight JPW for my plinking loads. Its faster and dries without stickiness. Less work= more shooting.

[dromia]

It works good, I use it if I don't have time to lube bullets through a Lube/Sizer.

I can give a puckle a shoogle, let them dry over night and they are ready to seat.

I thin with white spirit, I also dip the noses of the couple of actual bore riders I have(alox stick lube in the GGs). I use it well thinned so that it just leaves a light golden hue to the bullet.