Shake dump and bake

[gunoholic]

I thought I'd try the shake and dump on some pistol boolits, it worked ok, non stick foil is awesome, but those that stuck together stuck so well when pulling apart pulled lead off the boolit they were stuck to.
Back to lube sizing for the bulk of my boolits, its faster just not as clean.
Powder coat maybe just for these
Hard work to stand up but so pretty.

[dahermit]

Back to lube sizing for the bulk of my boolits, its faster just not as clean.

It will be hard for you to get most that post here to agree that lube-sizing is faster than powder coating. I agree with you, but you and I will be in the minority. I am just waiting for someone to come to my house where we can set-up a contest. 100 .44 245 grain cast bullets for them, 100 .44 245 grain cast bullets for me. Me and my Lyman Lube Sizer against their, shake, pick-out one-by-one with hemostat, and then bake, then push them through a sizer. I will put $100 on me.

[gunoholic]

It will be hard for you to get most that post here to agree that lube-sizing is faster than powder coating. I agree with you, but you and I will be in the minority. I am just waiting for someone to come to my house where we can set-up a contest. 100 .44 245 grain cast bullets for them, 100 .44 245 grain cast bullets for me. Me and my Lyman Lube Sizer against their, shake, pick-out one-by-one with hemostat, and then bake, then push them through a sizer. I will put $100 on me.

My custom (self made)lube sizer gets the hurry up with the gas torch, and the compressor gets up to pressure faster than my oven get up to temp, then it the same as using Lee push through sizer.

[Landshark9025]

It will be hard for you to get most that post here to agree that lube-sizing is faster than powder coating. I agree with you, but you and I will be in the minority. I am just waiting for someone to come to my house where we can set-up a contest. 100 .44 245 grain cast bullets for them, 100 .44 245 grain cast bullets for me. Me and my Lyman Lube Sizer against their, shake, pick-out one-by-one with hemostat, and then bake, then push them through a sizer. I will put $100 on me.

No question, I can run 100 or 1,000 through my Star faster than I can PC them. However I have generally gravitated to softer lubes like lithi-bee or Ben's Red for pistol rounds and after storage, there is often a few that have had the lube pulled out of the groove in pockets, etc.

The other thing is I can load faster with PC as I don't wipe my fingers between rounds to keep from getting prints on the brass, etc.

So, I definitely agree with you. Processing freshly cast bullets into ready to load? Hands down the lube sizer is faster and if you want the attributes PC is going to give, you have to be wiling to sacrifice that.

Guess that's why there's chocolate and vanilla ice cream, eh? Different tastes. Me? I like 'em both!

[jmort]

Then don't do PC. Simple. I'm not seeing that people say PC is faster, at least on the front end. Also, there is the issue of what is left in your bore/sizing dies to clean-up when you uses conventional lubes. I don't consider it to be a race, but some do. I don't own a progressive or a Star, yet I survive and I am happy with the process.

[OS OK]

Then don't do PC. Simple. I'm not seeing that people say PC is faster, at least on the front end. Also, there is the issue of what is left in your bore/sizing dies to clean-up when you uses conventional lubes. I don't consider it to be a race, but some do. I don't own a progressive or a Star, yet I survive and I am happy with the process.

I agree with you jmort...What is this thing about 'fast'? Do they rush through their reloading with the same feverish pace, doesn't quality count for anything anymore?
PC and Lube Sizing each have their applications, can't they mix and match and just leave it at that?

[dahermit]

Then don't do PC. Simple. I'm not seeing that people say PC is faster, at least on the front end. Also, there is the issue of what is left in your bore/sizing dies to clean-up when you uses conventional lubes. I don't consider it to be a race, but some do. I don't own a progressive or a Star, yet I survive and I am happy with the process.

If you don't see where people are saying PC is faster, then you must not be reading all their posts. What "issue of what is left in your bore/sizing dies..."? I have been grease-sizing bullets since the early sixties and have never cleaned my sizing dies...unless you mean the seating die on a hand loading set. But then if a bullet is sized in Lyman/RCBS type of machine there is no excess to get into the seating die. However, if one uses that Lee tumble lube system where the entire bullet is coated with liquid Alox, then yes, lube does build-up in the seating die.
As for your dismissive, "Then don't do PC. Simple.", the discussion was not whether to PC or not...it is about the advantages and disadvantages of each.
As for, "I don't consider it to be a race,...", that statement is a non-sequitur inasmuch as I have my own humble range and shoot a whole lot, to the extent that I need to produce bullets as fast as possible to keep up with my shooting.
In short, I do both...there are some applications where it makes sense to Powder Coat instead of Lube/Size...such as my recently acquired Lee 158 RF bullet mold which happens to have a beveled base...the bain of Lyman/RCBS Lube sizers in that they leave the bevel with grease to possibly contaminate the gun powder. With Powder Coating, I can shake and bake them and not be concerned with grease contaminating the gun powder.

[rbuck351]

With a Star you get grease only in the lube groove and no where else, not even in the bevel base, and if you want to use a heater and hard lube there is no mess and it won't pull out of the groove. The Star is also even faster than a Lyman or RCBS luber sizer with less potential alignment issues. PC may allow higher velocity with accuracy which is something I need to try but for pistol the Star is fast, accurate and clean. I have a 452 bevel base mold that I was considering trimming the top to get rid of the bevel until I got th Star. Now no more lube where it doesn't belong. Trying to stand a thousand 224 bullets on a tray with tweezers and then putting them in an oven with out knocking a bunch over is not something I even want to try.

[fredj338]

I agree with you jmort...What is this thing about 'fast'? Do they rush through their reloading with the same feverish pace, doesn't quality count for anything anymore?
PC and Lube Sizing each have their applications, can't they mix and match and just leave it at that?

Well time does have a value, even if you are retired. So if you can do something faster, why not? Yes, coating takes more time for me, as I size regardless, but it offers me what conventional lubed/cast does not; less smoke & cleaner gun, like shooting plated bullets but for nearly free.

[Walter Laich]

I PC pistol bullets and lube rifle ones. Still haven't found a way I like to do the tall skinny ones.

to each his own, I say

[Motor]

I thought I'd try the shake and dump on some pistol boolits, it worked ok, non stick foil is awesome, but those that stuck together stuck so well when pulling apart pulled lead off the boolit they were stuck to.
Back to lube sizing for the bulk of my boolits, its faster just not as clean.
Powder coat maybe just for these
Hard work to stand up but so pretty.

You need to break them apart while they are still hot.

The best way is to go through them before you put the tray in the oven and separate as many as you can that are touching each other. Then after they have baked separate any that are stuck together before they cool.

PC is faster than tumble lube if you consider that TL usually needs at least over night to dry. Yes I have dried it with a heat gun but it dries much better naturally.

I can cast boolits and PC them and load them all the same day. More work? maybe, slower than TL? I don't think so.

Motor

[shoot-n-lead]

I don't necessarily care to race through the process either...but, just last week, I PC'd 500 bullets ...shake & baked and sized them in 1hr...that is fast enough for me. Went from unlubed and unsized, to ready to load, in 1hr...I don't think I ever did it any quicker with my lubrisizer. At any rate, I ain't going back...if it can't be pc'd, I won't be shooting it.

[dverna]

There is no "right" way for everyone. The advantages of coatings is significant to some but irrelevant to others.

How much you shoot, number of calibers to set up for, value of your time, how much you are willing to invest, bench space, production environmental conditions, storage conditions, etc etc all factor into what is best for YOU. But here is news a flash....YOU are not that important!!!

What is important is to provide users with factual information so they may make a more educated guess to address their needs. The good threads will state, this is how I do things, and this is my production rate in bullets per hour. Cleanup and set up times are important too. Fast means nothing....it is only relative to whatever method(s) you currently employ. Anything is faster than finger lubing - nothing is faster than a Star. If you tell someone with a Star that your method is fast - that person will think you are doing well over 1000 per hour.

Every method may be "correct" depending on your objectives. And there may be more than one method that will meet you objectives.

[gunoholic]

" no right way for everyone" is right on the money. Star type sizers are fast, PC makes for super clean loading and shooting, tumble lube takes next to no gear, shake n bake is second to star sizer for me.

[shoot-n-lead]

" no right way for everyone" is right on the money. Star type sizers are fast, PC makes for super clean loading and shooting, tumble lube takes next to no gear, shake n bake is second to star sizer for me.

I agree, also...and I have a friend that has a nearly new Star...and I want to see him run 1000 per hour through it. I don't believe he can...but I will see.

[RogerDat]

I think where tumble lube shines is in the low bar and cost to entry, I also count the ability to do 45/45/10 or 60/40 with JPW or JLW (Johnson wax, paste or liquid mix) a plus as it introduces the potential for experimentation that improves outcomes. Equipment consists of a tray with some wax paper to dry on, and a half gallon zip lock freezer bag to tumble in.

Powder coating offers a solution to higher velocity or auto loader rifles without clogging gas ports or pistons. Again the basic set up is inexpensive and a low barrier to adding this to your tool kit of solutions. Cool Whip container, some ASBB's, and non-stick aluminum foil to go into a garage sale or thrift store toaster oven.

One can make choices from there in terms of sprayer and better oven for PC or moving to a lube and sizing tool/die set up. Seems to me high volume, or speed are the big selling points to the lube sizing equipment, along with a wide assortment of lubes suitable for diverse uses. Feeding 9mm or 40 S&W or needing quantities sufficient to practice for competition are all potential considerations that might push one to get into a lube & size approach. Me so far I don't need it to feed revolvers and use PC for rifle but can see where different circumstances would make my solutions less than ideal.

[rbuck351]

shoot-n-lead
Do not put money on your friend not being able to size and lube 1000 per hour. That's only one every 3.6 seconds. All you have to do is pick up a bullet and drop it nose down in the top of a tapered die. While you're grabbing another bullet, you pull the handle down and up and drop another bullet in the die and repeat. I think you could possibly do 2 thousand an hour but you would risk mashing a finger if you got a bit out of sync. When your friend gets his set up you need to go watch him size a few. It's hard to believe until you see it. It's a push through sizer that automatic lubes at the bottom of the bullet punches stroke. It still means some smoke when you shoot and some grease on the gun to clean up and they are expensive but they are really fast. I will be trying PC on some rifle boolits to see if I can gain accuracy and velocity but pistol boolits are working very well with lube.

[pmer]

The fastest way I found to PC boolits so far is coating hollow points. I have 2 trays with sheet metal screws sticking up and I set the hollow point on the screw and spray coat them upside down. Baking one tray while setting up the other tray. I suppose one could do hollow bases the same way.


It seems like pretty good production. Since Federal is selling some coated American Eagle ammo they must have found a economical way to do it too.

[OS OK]

The fastest way I found to PC boolits so far is coating hollow points. I have 2 trays with sheet metal screws sticking up and I set the hollow point on the screw and spray coat them upside down. Baking one tray while setting up the other tray. I suppose one could do hollow bases the same way.


It seems like pretty good production. Since Federal is selling some coated American Eagle ammo they must have found a economical way to do it too.

Haven't done it yet (have to buy a mold first) but do you think the PC helps HP's from fragmenting the nose parts of the boolit?

Also…"where did you get that picture of my 'mother-in-law'?"

[pmer]

No the boolit staying together depends on your alloy. A nice lead - tin alloy will make nice mushrooms over and over again. The big one the right is a 12 ga. smooth bore slug.

LOL the Emu is from when I was joking about that Blu Emu cream and how many Emu's have to get squeezed to make up a jar.