Any advantage to getting rid of the lube groove?

[NJWoT]

So I was thinking of picking up some molds for Arsenal Molds, and I read in the product reviews that Arsenal will remove the lube groove for powder coating if you ask them to do so when you are checking out. Is there any advantage to this, or should I just keep the lube groove in case I ever decide to lube my boolits?

[Burnt Fingers]

The boolits will be slightly heavier. If you EVER plan on using conventional lube leave the groove on the boolit.

[tazman]

Having the lube groove removed will give you more surface area for the rifling to grip, thereby giving a more stable and accurate boolit, maybe.
If the boolit will work with the lube groove in place, there is really no need to remove it.

[fredj338]

I don't think you really get a lot better accuracy with no groove. What you do get is slightly higher pressures & vel, so you can back the powder charge off a bit & get the same vel.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I have both. I agree 100% with everything said so far. The nlg bullets will give higher pressure so you need to be careful with max loads. For awhile I thought that the nlg bullets were more accurate, but then I found lube groove bullets that were just as accurate. The lube groove molds are going to be easier to sell, if you go that route. Some say the nlg molds drop bullets easier, but with a good mold, I don’t see any difference.

[NJWoT]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll keep the grooves

[waco]

All of that displaced lead has to go somewhere. No grooves for it to flow into? It will end up at the base of the bullet. See a difference in 100 yard accuracy? Maybe not. 2-300 yards, you bet.

[44Blam]

I like not having lube groves in pistol boolits. I shoot a LOT of 40 and I have two molds with no lube grove. But they are low velocity.
Attachment 247026
I have a non-lube grove 30 cal 90 grain boolit I shoot in my tokarev, but it has a gas check so small grove... I run those puppies at 1600 fps+.
Attachment 247027
I like not having the grove in the 40s and I have a mold that is a 125 (actual 127) 357 boolit that is gc and no lube grove. Again, it has a small grove in front of the gas check for lead to flow into.
Attachment 247028
But my 44s have a lube grove as do my 45s. And my 30 cal rifle boolits also have lube groves...

[white eagle]

I see no advantage in removing lube grooves
some major bullet makers actually cut groove in their bullets

[jmort]

I like TL/Micro grooves
If you do not need a crimp groove, you do not need lube-grooves
Either way, they work fine at cast bullet velocities
Most of my recent molds have been NLG for PC/HiTek

[mdi]

It may "increase surface area for better rifling grip", but I think that's a moot point.

[badgeredd]

I have found little tails on recovered bullet that had no lube grooves on both sides of the rifling cut. It may not matter for handgun velocities at short ranges, but I have serious doubts that this is conducive to consistent accuracy.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

+1 waco badgeredd displaced metal needs to move somewhere, one of the boattail accuracy theories is that the displace metal is not acting as an air resistant tail, but not very noticable 100 yards or less.One of the benefits of gas checks and multi-groove bullets could be the reduction of 'finning' at the bullet base. F.W. Mann talked about the importance of the bullet base long ago in in his Bullet's FLight book.

[popper]

None of my rifle moulds have a L.G. Most have a very shallow displacement groove, but the last one I did has NO groove (GC) and I shot MOA @ 50, ~1900 fps (150gr). while sized at 308 and lubed with BLL. Beginning to change my mind about boolit design. More testing and higher fps to come.

[Drew P]

What’s a displacement groove?
Another consideration is that grooves remove metal from the rear of the bullet, moving the CG forward, reducing stability.