Tumble lubing non-microgroove boolits

[selmerfan]

I'm sure it's been discussed before, but what kind of results are people getting just tumble lubing with LLA or JPW with boolits designed for a lube-sizer, aka, have one large lube groove? I would assume it will still work well? I suppose I could let my gun tell me too...
Selmerfan

[missionary5155]

Greetings I lube all my non-magnum pistol boolits with Lee Alox.. this includes Ideal 386176 41 Colt ; Then in .357 and 38 special Lyman 358429 .. Lyman 357446, Lee 90320, Ideal 358432 all which have regular lube grove(s) ...Under 900fps I do not see any lead problems. When I get to 1000 FPS in my 357 mags I fill grease groves with my home brew lube of 50-50 beeswax and axlegrease.

[wiljen]

I do the vast majority of my handgun boolits with LLA regardless of bullet design and with little issue.

[crabo]

Not exactly what you are asking, but I size and lube all my boolits with a star sizer. I then put them in a ziplock bag, put some LLA in the bag, and coat them good. I am doing this while the barrel is slicking up. I will stop using the LLA once the barrel does not need it. It lets me push the plain based boolits at near max or max loads without leading. I also coat the forcing cone with a q-tip and LLA before I start a shooting session.

[EDK]

Not exactly what you are asking, but I size and lube all my boolits with a star sizer. I then put them in a ziplock bag, put some LLA in the bag, and coat them good. I am doing this while the barrel is slicking up. I will stop using the LLA once the barrel does not need it. It lets me push the plain based boolits at near max or max loads without leading. I also coat the forcing cone with a q-tip and LLA before I start a shooting session.

Would dip lubing after sizing be imbedding the LLA (or XLOX) into the driving bands? Or possibly sizing a second time after dip lubing? I'm thinking that there would enough to help a lot with the barrel break-in. Dip lubing per his tutorial, the RANCH DOG TLC 432 265 (with gas check) has cleaned the barrels of assorted VAQUEROS and BISLEY VAQUEROS and their target sighted siblings far better than any process I've tried so far. (Most of the guns are around a 1,000 round count; I need to start keeping log books!) I've got a lot of boolits to lube and size...this sounds like a good project and won't take a lot of time to find out.

[Bret4207]

I use LLA (Mule Snot) on all sorts of designs. I've used it successfully up to 15-1600 fps in the 8x56R, 35 Whelen and 308. It works okay with a good fitting boolit, with a poor fit....not so much, but then nothing does.

[USARO4]

I use an 80/20 mix of JPW/LLA on all my boolits, TL and non-TL, handgun and long gun. I have had good results, no leading. I dont push them to hyper velocities though.

[4570guy]

I've used nothing but LLA for all my casting applications (.45-70, .30-40, .303, .30-06). None of the bullets I cast for are TL designs. My cast bullet velocities have ranged from 1200-2100 fps. I've had no issues with LLA what-so-ever.

[NuJudge]

The only problem with LLA is buildup in the seater die. I don't use LLA that much, but occasionally I do. I try to dip just the banded portion, but sometimes I do it their way. When it builds up, bullets get seated progressively deeper. I now use the Dillon seater die in pistol calibers. With that die, I can disassemble and clean without losing adjustment.

CDD

[Boerrancher]

I'm sure it's been discussed before, but what kind of results are people getting just tumble lubing with LLA or JPW with boolits designed for a lube-sizer, aka, have one large lube groove? I would assume it will still work well? I suppose I could let my gun tell me too...
Selmerfan

I have gotten completely away from LLA and strictly use JPW. I give my 180gr 309dia gas checked boolits a heavy coat of JPW before I add the gas check and run it through the Lee sizer, then I give it a second heavy coat and let it dry hard. I have posted a few targets here from time to time with my results. Everything I have posted has been MOA or Sub MOA with my Mil Spec 03A3 springfield. I started around 1700 fps and am now a bit over 2000 fps and it still shoots MOA or better.

My 30-30 with that same boolit shoots 3 in groups at 100 yds and my pet load for it is 30 grs of IMR 4064 which is around 2200 fps. My alloy is 50/50 range scrap and WWs. These boolits are so soft if they fall off of the bench on to the floor they are ruined. As I stated in another post, I have put about 200 rounds through each of thes rifles and have not cleaned the bore yet. They are both nice and shiny. I think the secret to JPW is having a good boolit fit and soft enough alloy to obturate.

I hope this helps some.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[wild_weasel]

While I do not cast my own bullets, I do buy large quantities of cast pre-sized and lubed bullets. In my .357 Mag and 9mm shooting hot loads I’ll add an extra coat of Lee Liquid Alox for lead free shooting.

[Shiloh]

I do it with pistol bullets at around 1100 fps or less. That's normally the velocities that I run in my handgun loads.

Especially in .45 auto with a LEE #90352
.45 228gr round nose boolit. Those run around 825fps or so. Other threads in this post speak of folks running them faster. There is no reason for me to doubt that they could be, I just don't have any TL rifle molds.

Shiloh

[Lloyd Smale]

Selmer it seems to work ok at low velocitys even with conventional bullets. Im not a fan of LLA. I use a little bit of it for some low pressure plinking loads in the 38 but thats about it. Personaly i dont think its any kind of majic lube like some think. It also doesnt alloy a guy to load a pile of ammo and keep it stored as the lube thats on the base can deaden your powder. Ive had that problem many times and just gave up doing it. It sure wouldnt give me enough confidence to use it in hunting ammo unless a guy took the time to clean the bases. The only advantage i can really see to the stuff is a guy can size and lube bullets cheaply with the lee set up but lubing with a star takes much less time and uses a much better lube. One other exception i can state is the use of it with ranch dog molds. Ive been playing a little with his 350 4570 mold and its given me great accuacy and no leading but id about bet it would work just as good running it through a star with conventional lube.

[timkelley]

I've stolen from Boerancher, I tumble on a light coat of LLA and let set overnight. Next morning I tumble again in JPW and let set for at least 24 hours. Seems to be good in 45 (colt & auto), 41 mag, and 9MM. I haven't tried 357 and 38 yet.

[Lloyd Smale]

another thing that may effect your abiltiy to use tumble lube on a convetional bullet is your probably going to have to use a harder alloy and avoid bullets with a deap grease grove. If you put any kind of high pressure behind a bullet that is soft and has a big lube grove its going to colaspe and it isnt going to do it exactly the same every time. The lube that is in the grove of a conventional bullet helps prevent this from happening. I guess the real answer is that it depends on what bullet your using and what load and alloy your using.

[Bass Ackward]

I guess the real answer is that it depends on what bullet your using and what load and alloy your using.

Atta boy Lloyd!!!

[kamikaze1a]

I too had reservations about using LLA on conventionally grooved boolits but have found that it works well. I don't size my micro-grooved boolits but do size the conventional grooved ones with the Lee push through but I am beginning to thinking that I can skip that. What I do is apply the LLA in 3 light coats with an overnight dry between coats. I find that I get a better groove fill with 3 light coats rather than 2 heavy. I tumble lube them...I find pan lubing or hand dipping too time consumming.

[exile]

Would a coat of Johnson's Paste Wax over the liquid Alox prevent powder contamination?

Exile

[shotman]

I have some loaded 45 ACP that have been stored 10 + years and last time i shot no mis fires. these are stored in the plastic boxes boolit down. that bunch is unique powder. so i dont see the lee lube a problem. Here this could have some effect- when I lube them i dump on wax paper and stand them up right. The nose tends to be thin and it is uniform in grooves the base dont have much on it. This also helps in the seating die rick

[kamikaze1a]

I think giving them enough dry time helps. After a few days, a lot of the stickiness goes away since more of the solvent evaporates. I use a small fan on low to ventilate the drying boo's and that seems to aid in the drying process...