What to watch out for when using lubed boolits

[Jevyod]

I have cast and reloaded before, but up to this point I have been using powdercoat. I want to use a traditional lube for the RCBS 35-200 that I cast for my 358 win. Reason being the gun chamber was cut by MBT, and I am trying to replicate the load he has found best for the 358 win. Lube is white label 2500. Like the title says, what are things I need to watch out for? I plan on pan lubing as budget does not allow for a lube sizer right now. How long will the lube still be good? Will i need to shoot them within a certain time frame? Will my lube work from temps 20-75 degrees? What about powder contamination? Those are some questions right off the top of my head.

[Jevyod]

Sorry maybe my question was too open ended. I am not asking how to pan lube...i watched several youtube videos and am sure I can figure it out. What I am asking specifically is what is different about a traditional lube that may throw a wrench at someone who had only powdercoated in the past. Hopefully this is ask clear enough. And I usually use the search function on here a lot...just not sure where to start on this question.

[ShooterAZ]

There are really no Pitfalls to using a conventional lube. I assume you have a push through sizer and will be using gas checks? The temperature range should raise no problems, and the lubed boolits stay good for a long, long time when properly stored. Powder contamination has never been an issue for me. Go forth and lube up some boolits and go shoot them!

[Dusty Bannister]

Until you try the lube, or check with the makers suggestions, you will not know if the lube will be good in the temperature range you like. Pan lube can result in lube on the base of the bullets. It is pretty basic to wipe lube off the bases of the bullets. How can anyone know what information you are working with until you tell us? Have you checked any of the cast bullet manuals so you have a basic understanding of lubricating cast bullets? The same issues apply whether the bullets are lubed by machine, hand, or pan. Excess on the nose or the base is not good. Did any of the videos indicate the importance of keeping the lube clean and free of dust? That would seem to be more important than a time factor between applying the lube and the actual loading. Store the bullets in a hot room and the lube will partly melt and weep and may affect the powder of a loaded round. Hard to know where to start so it seemed a site search would be a fair plan and you can ignore the things you already know and concentrate on the points you are uncertain about.

[redhawk0]

Keep your base/GC clean before seating the boolit...Make sure the GC doesn't extend into the case body below the neck when you seat it. Your lube will stay put, clean and not effect the powder.

redhawk

[Jevyod]

Ok several more things. Sorry if it seemed like I was a new guy not wanting to do my homework and wanting free, easy answers. Not the case here at all. I have A push through die that I opened up to .3595, I will size with that. I will be using gator checks. Lube is white label 2500. I looked at white label's site, and the only thing I saw was working temp of 60, and melting temp of 165. That does not tell me if it is usable within my parameters. So does anything negative happen if the lube gets too cold? Does it lose lubing ability? What about too warm? I obviously will not be using it at the melting point, but is there some point where it starts to soften, possibly contaminating powder? At what point does that occur? Maybe these are questions better asked of Glen, just looking for experiences here. Partly why I am asking is I am trying to figure out how many of the 340 bullets I cast I should lube right away. If long term storage is going to be a problem, than I will just lube 50-75, and wait to lube as I need them. On the other hand, if I could I would rather lube them all at once.

[Jevyod]

Thanks for the replies concerning keeping the bases clean, not extending the base of the bullet below the neck etc. That is exactly the type of "stuff" that somebody beginning to lube traditionally needs to hear!

[redhawk0]

I can only tell you what I do. I do not use WL-2500 but I make my own felix lube (or did) as a pan lube...If you plan to store long term in a container/box then you might want to generally lube just what you plan to use during a load session. If you plan to store them long term in tubes where they won't rattle around then lube them all at once.

The problem with bulk storage is when they mix/rattle around, the lube had a tendency to get knocked out of the lube grooves.

I said that "or did" above because I don't lube anything any longer. I switched to Powder Coat...and have no plans of looking back.

redhawk

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Xlox 2500 plus is an excellent lube for your 358 win rifle loads.

You will have no problems in the temperature range you mention.

The only way you might get lube/powder cross contamination, is if you happen to leave some loaded ammo in a hot car on a sunny day, where the lube would get hot enough to melt/flow.

Long term storage:
If you store them so they aren't in direct sunlight and in a container that will keep them dust free, you can store them for years.
A couple weeks ago, I loaded some 41 mag ammo with boolits I cast, sized, and lubed in 2011 (stored in a plastic jar), using a lube with similar ingredients as 2500, they were fine.

[gwpercle]

MBT stands for what ?

Wipe the boolit base clean before loading .

I've never had powder contamination by lubed boolits ...50 years of doing it . Rounds kept in ammo boxes , boolits down .
Don't store loads in glove box , in summer , in hot closed up car .

Lubes have shelf lives measured in decades and loaded ammo stored boolit down and not in an oven/car in hot summer sun will be fine...you do not have a xx number of days time limit to shoot them . More than likely the powder will degrade before the lube will , so don't worry about time , just extreme high heat .

Gary

[Jevyod]

MBT stands for Malcolm Ballistic Tool aka Tim Malcolm. He has built some fine rifles for different folks, and he has a 358 win that was cut with the same reamer as mine. I am replicating what he found to work for his.

[Elpatoloco]

MBT stands for what ?

Wipe the boolit base clean before loading .

I've never had powder contamination by lubed boolits ...50 years of doing it . Rounds kept in ammo boxes , boolits down .
Don't store loads in glove box , in summer , in hot closed up car .

Lubes have shelf lives measured in decades and loaded ammo stored boolit down and not in an oven/car in hot summer sun will be fine...you do not have a xx number of days time limit to shoot them . More than likely the powder will degrade before the lube will , so don't worry about time , just extreme high heat .

Gary

I have .44 mag loads from 2008 that were stored in an outbuilding in the texas heat. Lube is Javelina. Bullet is rcbs 44-240-swc which is gas checked. I fired off about 500 of them in the last month. Lube must still be intact. I get the beautiful smelling smoke and no leading.

[Jevyod]

So this was my first attempt at pan lubing last evening. I was not sure if I should install gas checks before or after lubing. I did after. There was a bit of lube that collected on the bottom of the bullet from pushing through the Lee sizing die. I wiped it off with mineral spirits. Now to load and shoot. I do plan on shooting them beside powdercoated bullets and see if there us a significant difference. I know others have done it, but it still sounds like a fun thing to compare. It was work to pan lube, but actually it was not that bad at all.

[Dusty Bannister]

If you do have slight leading, you can always seat the gas checks first and then pan lube. That will fill the space between the gas check and the base driving band as was intended by design. A high quality lube may not require the extra lube in the grooves.

[Land Owner]

Cast boolit reloading, lubricating, and shooting is trial and error at worst. go slow. make small batches. make small changes. write stuff down. compare results. stay within powder manufacturer and cast bullet reloading manual ranges and the rest is what you observe and your rifle likes.

[Jevyod]

If you do have slight leading, you can always seat the gas checks first and then pan lube. That will fill the space between the gas check and the base driving band as was intended by design. A high quality lube may not require the extra lube in the grooves.

duh!!! Never thought about it that the gas check was to create another lube groove... That is why I need you guys. Lube is white label...thought it was 2500 but it is 2700.

[gwpercle]

MBT stands for Malcolm Ballistic Tool aka Tim Malcolm. He has built some fine rifles for different folks, and he has a 358 win that was cut with the same reamer as mine. I am replicating what he found to work for his.

Thanks for explanation.... I understand now .

I seat checks then lube simply to not have to handle lubed boolits while getting checks crimped on .
Should make no difference which way it's done .

Good luck with load development , I'm interested in outcome , conventional lube / powder coated.
My Lyman 450 was paid for decades ago so never tried PC ... I like the smoke and smell .

Gary