How many bullets can you lube?

[namsag]

Hello, new guy here, I have a question I haven't seen addressed, a pretty basic one.

If you have a Lyman or RCBS lubrisizer that uses the hollow cylinder lubes sticks, or you pour own melted lube into it, about how many .44/.45 caliber SWC bullets can you expect to lube on one fill-up of the reservoir?

Thanks,
namsag

[Bazoo]

Howdy, welcome to the CB.GL forum.

Be dependent on the amount of lube the bullets hold. Each style or make holds different amounts. Bout 1500 though be my estimation. It takes 3/4 a stick to fill the sizer below where the stick starts. So, 1 3/4 sticks to top off an empty sizer.

[poppy42]

As far as how many bullets you can lube that really depends on how many lube grooves how big the lube grooves are and I wouldn’t even venture a guess. As for using a solid stick or melting the lube and filling the reservoir that way I tried melting lube one time! I will never do that again! I’m sure others have done it with success but for me all I wound up with was a big pile of melted lube on the floor. Considering my reloading bench is the living room(My wife and I live in an apartment) you can imagine my wife’s reaction!

[lar45]

I'll guess somewhere around 900-1000.

[gwpercle]

I'm sure a math wizard out there with a calculator can calculate how much lube is in a stick and how much lube is in your specified boolit lube groove (you must specify a boolit for this to be exact) and then calculate how many boolits will be lubricated from one stick .
Although I have lubed for 54+ years I never counted sticks or boolits and doing math makes my head hurt and honestly I don't really know what I would do with that information once I had it .
Gary

[Stewbaby]

Weigh 100 lubed bullets and weigh 100 non-lubed of same bullet. The difference is roughly your lube weight per 100, call it ‘A’.

Weigh a tube of lube, call it ‘B’.

Divide the tube weight ‘B’ by the lube weight in 100 bullets ‘A’, call that ‘C’ (C=B/A). That gives the number of ‘100 bullet’ lots you can lube. Say C=10.5, then total bullets lubed is 10.5x100=1050

...we could also do this like Archimedes in the tub but the above way is close enough LOL.

[gwpercle]

Weigh 100 lubed bullets and weigh 100 non-lubed of same bullet. The difference is roughly your lube weight per 100, call it ‘A’.

Weigh a tube of lube, call it ‘B’.

Divide the tube weight ‘B’ by the lube weight in 100 bullets ‘A’, call that ‘C’ (C=B/A). That gives the number of ‘100 bullet’ lots you can lube. Say C=10.5, then total bullets lubed is 10.5x100=1050

...we could also do this like Archimedes in the tub but the above way is close enough LOL.

There You Go ... the math wizard way to calculate what you wanted to know !
Thanks Stewbaby!
Gary

[sharps4590]

Till the lube runs out.

[Chill Wills]

Till the lube runs out.

CORRECT

[LenH]

Never really gave it much thought. I make my own lube, when I get down to my last stick I make more. As long as I have enough beeswax.

[Froogal]

I use SPG lube. I simply cut chunks off the brick and stuff them down into the chamber of my RCBS lubri-sizer. I fill the chamber to about 3/4 full. I lubed well over 1,000 .358-158 round nose, flat point bullets during my last session, and I expect I could do about that many more.

[Springfield]

About 700 for a one groove bullet with a normal smokeless size lube groove. I do overly large lube groove BP bullets and I get 2-300.

[Petrol & Powder]

Both Stewbaby and Sharps4590 are correct; but lets face it, the answer from Sharps4590 is WAY funnier !

[gwpercle]

Till the lube runs out.

Yeah ... that's my method . Sizing and lubing nearly 50 years and I never thought about counting them .
Gary

[greenjoytj]

I weight a few Boolets before and after lubing and got 0.9 gr to 1.1 gr weight increase.
I called it 1 gr per bullet and weighed a lube stick and did the math.

[John Boy]

PS: Do believe I have seen this question asked several times on the forum

[GasGuzzler]

I will die before I run out of Johnson Liquid Floor wax and powder paint.

[fcvan]

I used Javalina for decades and it was always on the shelf. I once ran out and bought 'another name brand' epic fail, boolits leaded the bore. Never bought that again. After I joined this site I read about making my own and so I did. I even made a funnel from a soda bottle for pouring directly into the Lyman 450. It worked rather well for pistol loads, and was rather inexpensive.

I started loading rifle cartridges and read nothing but glowing remarks about White Label Carnuba Red. (Thanks Lars45) I bought 10 or 12 sticks as the shipping cost v price per unit was very reasonable. I still have a bunch because I started powder coating everything. Lyman 450 worked better with a lube heater and the Carnuba Red, especially after I fixed a flaw. The Lyman 450 was prone to leaking like a sieve due to a defect in the bottom seal part. A little correcting with a hammer and a flat punch and voila!

Lyman 450 got retired, last of the lube in the reservoir was boiled out, unit is clean, lubed, and back in the factory box, Carnuba Red ready for when I may need it for off-grid reloading I suppose. I can always go back to making my own if needs be, I just never thought about 'how many per stick of lube,' I just never made the mistake again about not having at least 2 more on hand of what I know works.

How many boolits can I PC per pound? I only know I use those Lee powder dippers to measure 1 - 1 1/2 CCs of powder for each shake and bake run, and I have many pounds of various powders, mostly black. I don't think I will run out of that. If I do, it may be time for bear grease and bees wax or some such thing.

[Walks]

Never paid attention, just filled up whenever I finished lubing. 100 or 500, did learn when you make you own lube to fill the lubesizer when ever the level went down no more then 3 inches down from the top. Other wise the fresh hot lube will melt what's already in the lubesizer and it will run leak the bottom.

I think about 500 half stick.