Lube sizer VS pan lubing

[Wolfdog91]

Ok so other then sizing and lubing at once ist theri any other advantage a lube sizer has to say pan lubing then using something like the NOE sizing system? Do some lubes just plain not work with pan lubing ? Are their high velocity lubes for pan lubing ?
Thanks

[justindad]

I pan lube with FWFL, and use a cookie cutter. I read somewhere that the Lee push through die do not affect the concentricity between driving bands and boolit, but all Lube sizers do to varying degrees. Lube presses are expensive.

[Sasquatch-1]

I tried pan lubing in the past and never had a lot of luck. I would get a lot of bullets where the lube pulled away while removing them. I already had the RCBS LAM and decided there was no need to pursue pan lubing any further.

[ascast]

I don't size unless I really have too. Most in the sizer are just barely contact the bullet. Never open the mold over the pot and splash lead onto the mating surfaces causing out of round bullets. That said, depends some on what your lubing for. I don't know if guys shooting cast over 2000fps pan lube. I mostly pan lube or tumble lube everything. My BPCS stuff is basically 50/50 beeswax/criso and works OK for everything. If you have a couple dedicated pans, like shortbread tins, you can do 100 at a whack while the next 100 is melting. Then refill the holes. I modified the "kake cutter" with a plastic tube so done bullets where auto dumped to the side. With heat plate on, ice water cooling pan, and several tins, I could do several hundred in an hour. Way more than I could with a press.
Pan lubing I think generally requires a softer lube, so will be messier. And. maybe more apt to get bases lubed.

[milkman]

I have an RCBS lube machine, but I only use it for short pistol bullets. I find that it bends longer bullets and destroys accuracy. I tried lubing in a pan and pushing the bullets out or cutting them out with a cutter, I wasn't satisfied with either method. The method I settled on was a tuna can with lube in it on the heater plate of an old Mr Coffee. I then dip bullets base first into the melted lube and place them on a flat surface. I have found that if you dip cold bullets there is a heavy coat of lube which makes a mess when you size them. To avoid this I set three or four bullets around the the heater and use them sequentially which gives them time to get warm. When dipped they come out with a very light coat of lube which sizes nicely. It sounds complicated but actually goes pretty quickly. After lubing, a run through the sizer and done. Any lube will work, commercial or homemade.

[Froogal]

I tried pan lubing in the past and never had a lot of luck. I would get a lot of bullets where the lube pulled away while removing them. I already had the RCBS LAM and decided there was no need to pursue pan lubing any further.

That is pretty much the same experience I had with pan lubing. Bought the RCBS lubri-sizer and never looked back.

[Thumbcocker]

My first luring setup was a Lyman "cake cutter". Booliits were put in a small pan and lube poured around them. Them an aluminum sleeve was slid over the boolit to cut it out of the lube. This kept the lube in the grooves. There was a drive through sizer in the kit.

When you cast boolits with a dipper, a 4 pound pot, a 2 cavity mold, and size them with a mallet in a drive through sizer you really get to know them as individuals.
Pan luring will work fine as long as you have something to cut them out of the lube like a slightly bigger case or a piece of tubing that will just fit over the boolit. If you use a case drill out the flash hole and use a nail with the point ground off to push the boolit out. A piece of tubing lets the boolits come out the top.

[charlie b]

I used a cookie cutter for decades. The results were always good. But, the mess that I got in the sizing and bullet seating dies was a PITA. One of the main reasons I went to powder coating.

I had a Lyman lubesizer at one time and it worked well, but, I never spent a lot of time with it. I bought an RCBS lubesizer last year and it has enabled the use of some of my molds that became oversize with PC. I have never 'bent' a long bullet in the sizer, but, I don't try to size more than .002" or .003".

The benefit of the lubesizer over pan lube is simply less mess in the seating die. Also is easier to do than using a cookie cutter and then a sizing die. But, if you you don't need to size, then that leaves out that step as well.

I know some guys who breach seat and they just wipe some lube on the bullets before they seat them. No sizing as the bullets come out of their custom molds at the perfect size for them.

So, it is all relative to what you are trying to do.

[lar45]

https://youtu.be/-6VknyUHcFI

Carnauba Blue can be pushed to atleast 2800fps and pan lubes very well.

[ammohead]

Seeing as I have the tools I make a size/lube die to the diameter that they drop from the mould. Little to zero sizing is done but the bullet gets lubed nicely, and gas check gets seated. Then I run them nose first through a lee style die the desired diameter. No bending and the lube keeps the grooves from collapsing. Let me know if you would like a pair made.

[Bigslug]

Wolf, not a great deal to contribute directly to your question, but you might consider the NOE push-through sizer and NOE/Ranch Dog tumble lube boolit approach.

I've been using the TL310-178 as my go-to .308Win plinker, and to a lesser degree, the TL225-52RF in a K-Hornet. Shove them in a row through the sizer to seat the gas checks, then swirl them in 45/45/10 - done!

[charlie b]

Didn't answer the lube part. I've used quite a few different lubes in pan. Most of those were capable of higher rifle velocities.

The ones I have used the most are home made. Ben's Red, Lithi-Bee and Fryxell's Moly. The easiest for me are the Lithi-Bee (Lucas Red n Tacky and Beeswax) and Fryxell's (Sta-Lube Molly grease and Beeswax).

FWIW, I use a 'cookie cutter' with the pan lube. A fired .30-06 case with the base drilled out gives enough case to grip in the hand well. I've tried the methods where you cool the lube and push the bullets out, but, for me much of the time the lube is pulled from some of the grooves. I have not had good luck with tumble lube, but, others do.

[tmanbuckhunter]

Pan lube in a silicone tray, and once, and not a moment later, that the lube has solidified push them out from the nose while holding the silicone tray in your hands supporting the lube cookie. Once they're all broken free of the lube pick the lube cookie up out of the silicone tray and push the bullets out the rest of the way. That is how you get successfull, 100% lubed bullets each and every time with little mess.


I lubrisize all my smokeless bullets, and bullets that require a gas check simply because I don't want to melt petroleum based lubricants in the house. Both are about equally as fast. BPCR bullets get panlubed, and shot as cast. They all have their advantages and draw backs. The only real way to know if you prefer one or the other, is to simply try them.

[paul edward]

A lubrisizer can also crimp gas checks onto cast bullets.

While the pan lube process is less costly, is also slower, messy and more work than using a lubrisizer. Depends on how many bullets you cast and your budget.

Until I got a lubrisizer I pan lubed all of my cast bullets. Had a couple of diameter-specific cookie cutters and a couple home made ones. Cast bullets were either used as-cast or, if gas checks were needed, could be sized in a Lyman 310 tool sizing die (used with adapter in a regular press). The Lee push-through sizing die will work.

[gwpercle]

Start saving you nickels and dimes .
Many years ago after trying all the pan , dip tumble and other lubing methods ...
I bought a brand new Lyman 450 lube/sizer ... it was the best thing I ever did .

Any lube hard / soft can be used . A heater can be a heat lamp or store bought heater ( I use soft lubes)
The big plus is speed ... one cycle of the handle makes a sized , lubed and if needed crimped on gas check boolit ... ready to shoot !
Set gas check in hole , place boolit on top of check , pull handle down , tweak lube supply wrench, push handle up ... You Are Done .

I can lube and size more boolits in 1 hour than you can think about doing with pan or powder coat ... it's so freaking fast .
I have always used a soft Lithium Grease (1 part) Beeswax (3 parts) Lithi-Bee Lubricant and Never experienced any leading problems .
Other lubes (sold by Lyman) have had failures but never with Lithi-Bee .
This was the best reloading purchase I ever made !
Gary

[Soundguy]

pan lube tends to work best when poured hot so that the bullet heats up.. holds the lube instead of letting it pull off. softer lubes aren't as easy to handle with pan lubing.

[Wolfdog91]

Start saving you nickels and dimes .
Many years ago after trying all the pan , dip tumble and other lubing methods ...
I bought a brand new Lyman 450 lube/sizer ... it was the best thing I ever did .

Any lube hard / soft can be used . A heater can be a heat lamp or store bought heater ( I use soft lubes)
The big plus is speed ... one cycle of the handle makes a sized , lubed and if needed crimped on gas check boolit ... ready to shoot !
Set gas check in hole , place boolit on top of check , pull handle down , tweak lube supply wrench, push handle up ... You Are Done .

I can lube and size more boolits in 1 hour than you can think about doing with pan or powder coat ... it's so freaking fast .
I have always used a soft Lithium Grease (1 part) Beeswax (3 parts) Lithi-Bee Lubricant and Never experienced any leading problems .
Other lubes (sold by Lyman) have had failures but never with Lithi-Bee .
This was the best reloading purchase I ever made !
Gary

I have two 450's actually it's just their just the sizing dies are such a pain. Everytime I go to mess with them tried to find the dies I want ,within 20min I'm back to powder coating with a NOE system.

[Wolfdog91]

Wolf, not a great deal to contribute directly to your question, but you might consider the NOE push-through sizer and NOE/Ranch Dog tumble lube boolit approach.

I've been using the TL310-178 as my go-to .308Win plinker, and to a lesser degree, the TL225-52RF in a K-Hornet. Shove them in a row through the sizer to seat the gas checks, then swirl them in 45/45/10 - done!

Got the push though system, love it , especially the fact I can incriminate go up by .001 for only $7 a bushing ...and the fact I don't have to go all over the place to get odd sizes . But do t like tumble lube..messed with some and just too messy for my liking

[ACC]

Anyone know where I can get cookie cutters for bullets?

ACC

[challenger_i]

You have a PM waiting.

Anyone know where I can get cookie cutters for bullets?

ACC