Dumb Lube question

[uncle guns]

Greetings All

I use lee t/l and lee push through size, my question is .....
The lee manuel says to lube b-4 size, but this leaves me with un-lubed area's on the boolit, should I re-lube after size or am I just being to picky??

[44man]

The reason to lube before sizing is to make it easy to get the boolit through the size die. And yes, you can lube again after sizing.

[StarMetal]

The reason to size after lubing is that you get a finished product, that is no excess lube on the bullet, but more importantly if you size a bullet that isn't lubed it distorts the bullet metal into the lube groove or any other grooves. Alot of us size bullets from one caliber drastically down to a smaller caliber. You should never attempt that without a lubeb first bullet because the results will be a very distorted bullet. The lube can't be compressed and it makes the bullet being sized as though it were one solid bullet without any grooves. Lube doesn't necessarily have to be on a bullet first because the walls of the sizer have some lube left on them.

Joe

[grumble]

I lube 'em twice, before and after. If using undiluted liquid alox, it leaves a lot of sticky gunk on the boolits, so I cut the alox 50/50 with mineral spirits. They dry a lot faster and there's not so much thick gunk to deal with.

I don't know if my way is right or wrong, but it works for me.

[versifier]

Sometimes you need to do them twice, sometimes not. Assuming your bullets are properly sized for the bore, if there's no leading with one presizing lube, then you needn't bother with a second. Shoot a bunch and then examine the barrel for leading. If there's some leading, tumble lube 'em a second time. Clean the barrel thoroughly and then shoot another bunch. If you still get leading, lube's not necessarily the problem, if you don't, you got an easy answer. I have found in general that bigger slower handgun bullets seldom need a second lubing, while the higher velocities in my .308 & 06 often do. Every barrel (and alloy, and powder) is different and the only way to know for sure what works best in yours is to experiment. Others' results can only give you an idea of what's likely to happen.
BTW, the only dumb question is the one you're too proud to ask.

[Iron River Red]

To me its a waste of time to lube the bullet after.
1. Its a mess to deal with.
2. The lube only needs to be in the lube groove anyway.
3. If you tumble lube after sizing you will get small dings on the bullet that would have been sized clean going thru the die.
4. Did I mention the stuff is a mess?

[drinks]

There are times when you want to put the bullet through to seat the gas check, without a full lubeing.
For that, I use Hornady Unique case lube.
It is a very slick paste, you just tap a finger on the lube, fondle the bullet as you put on the gas check and size, a tap is good for several bullets.
Works fine and, is a very effective case lube as well.

[versifier]

With my long skinny .30 cal rifle bullets, tumble lubing after sizing helps keep the leading down, where if it's only in the grooves, it is often not enough to do the job at higher velocities. Liquid alox hardens nicely if you have a little patience, though other posters have said this does take longer for them in hotter climates. The solvent needs a chance to evaporate, then the lube can harden. If you use a gentle swirling motion in a round bottomed container and don't try to lube more than a hundred or so at a time, there are no dings on the bullets, at least there aren't any with mine. Maybe if you use a case tumbler or shake them vigorously I suppose it could cause problems, but I have never seen any damage from the process. I get the distinct impression that those that do higher volumes and/or have limited time in which to work may be better served by more conventional lubrisizers, but the Lee system works great for me, and I don't find it to be overly messy. I have to wipe off one fingertip after I spread them out on a sheet of foil or wax paper. Then, they sit overnight, or at the most two nights when it's really hot and can then be handled without making a mess. The seater die does need an occasional wiping out with a q-tip and mineral spirits. My old RCBS used to make a helluva mess & I sold it & heater years ago after cleaning hard lube off of the floor with a putty knife one too many times. One session with the Lee sizer and liquid alox was enough to convince me. Again, if I were shooting a pistol in competition and needed to process more than my average thousand rounds a month, or I needed an odd size and didn't feel like special ordering, I imagine that I would probably feel differently.