Tumble Lubing--Made Easy & Mess-Free

[olaf455]

Loading for 30-06 with LEE C312-185-1R
Is this method good for say 1900fps

There is probably not enough lube for a rifle length barrel at those pressures. Might work if every thing fit perfectly, but you may be better pan lubing.

[olaf455]

Why lube after you size? The groves are still full of lube. And when using a lubeasizer the sides of the boolit aren't lubed.

Due to the minute amount of lube applied during tumble lubing, most folks use a second coat to minimize metal metal contact.

[DrCaveman]

I was out of wax paper the other week and substituted waxy advertising print. Didnt work so hot for me, the boolits stuck.

Next round of tumbling i tried my soft silicone baking pans for drying. Worked awesome!

No sticking, no buildup, no cleaning needed or throwing anything away hence no continued expense

$.02

[Smoke4320]

I was lost on the tumble lube process.. This instruction post was/is spot on..Loved the pics and written instructions

Thanks

Smoke

[TangoDownPro]

Okay, this article sold me on the tumble lube. I was considering pan lubing, but it looks like a real PITA. So, using this mixture as Recluse writes it out, sounds like a perfect way to go. I'll be using the Lee sizer dies too. I'm loving this site with every click of the mouse. You guys rock.

[Recluse]

Why lube after you size? The groves are still full of lube. And when using a lubeasizer the sides of the boolit aren't lubed.

When using a lubesizer, you are utilizing a completely different type of lube and relying more upon flow rather than bearing contact. Thus, why it is a good idea to put another coat of lube on after running your boolits through the push-through sizer.

I was out of wax paper the other week and substituted waxy advertising print. Didnt work so hot for me, the boolits stuck.

Next round of tumbling i tried my soft silicone baking pans for drying. Worked awesome!

No sticking, no buildup, no cleaning needed or throwing anything away hence no continued expense

$.02

Heh, I've used the same sheet of wax paper for my tumble-lube cookie sheets for I don't know HOW long or how many times.

[.429]

i mixed this recipe up last night and it seemed to turn out good. it came out a lil thinner tho...bout like a bottle of lotion i guess. is this right or did i screw it up?

[DrCaveman]

Heh, I've used the same sheet of wax paper for my tumble-lube cookie sheets for I don't know HOW long or how many times.

[/QUOTE]

Good to know. Guess I am still using a bit too much. Amazing how little it takes

[noylj]

There is a VERY simply rule with LLA--if you can see it, you used too much.
I pour 3-500 bullets in a large casserole pan, put all bullets on their sides, squirt a little LLA on, and start the shuffle and roll them around. After maybe a minute, I look at the bullets. If they all appear wet and shiny, they're good to go. If some are dull looking, then I need a little more LLA or more shuffle/rolling.
I just hate the idea of possibly denting the base of a bullet by tumbling them against each other.
So, I go from casting to lubing to loading, with lubing 500 bullets being no more than a 10 minute job including washing my hands.

[Critr]

I started reloading in 1960. Lots happened since then. Sold my Saeco sizer and bullet dies. Have shot Cowboy Action for 5 years, usually shoot someplace every Saturday. Tumble lube, used Lee Liquid Alox dried on wax paper. OK, but not thrilled with the paper. Tried tinfoil; OK, but not really better. I do not size my 38 cal boolits, but run the 45s thru a Lee Sizer so they go in the cases without a problem. (95% of my shooting is with 38s.)

Then I built a wood frame, fastened hardware cloth on it (size that sits on a card table). GREAT! Use a piece of stiff cardboard to scoop boolits up from the hardware cloth, and pour into jars.

Used some Rooster Jacket lube. Liked it. Sad they stopped making it.

Made a batch of 45-45-10. Looks good, haven't shot it yet.....................

I am now 76, and the learning never stops.....................

Gotta go now, and get ready for the match this Saturday!

[zxcvbob]

Used some Rooster Jacket lube. Liked it. Sad they stopped making it.

Gotta go now, and get ready for the match this Saturday!

Wha'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?

[Critr]

"Willis"????????????????????????????/ I must be missing something here!!

I put a pan of water on my hotplate, set boolits (in jars) and bottle of 45-45-10 in it, heated just warm to the touch for half hour. Lubed the boolits (about 680 of the 124LeeTCTL) and spread to dry. Shut shop door, came back next day. Repeated lubing procedure (no sizing). Spread to dry. Today checked, nice and dry.

Checked a bottle of my 45-45-10, in shop at about 75 degrees, not solid but does not want to pour. Guess that is about right!!!!

Bottled up my lubed boolits, ready to load. I already have my ammo ready for this Saturday, so it will be another week before I try the ones above. Shoot 200 each local match (plus practice, if any). Then I will check for leading (in two Richard-Mason conversion revolvers and my '73 Win.) before lubing more.

I have a little over 10,000 38s and a couple thousand 45s that I cast a few days ago, just waiting for lube.

BTW: Picked up a couple more cans of JPW at Home Depot today. WalMart was sold out, I got their last can last week................

[JWFilips]

This is a great recipe and I have been using it for a while now. I even have double duplexed many of my commercially bought casts ( Overly hard BHN 18+ with multi colored wax lubes... for revolvers) with this. I have made up a number of small batches and each is always slightly different no matter how I measure things. & I'm not sure why?
I have one big question for the "True 45/45/10 masters" out there..... At a normal summer room temp Lets say 72 -75 degrees What consistancy is a good ( or true ) 45/45/10 mix supposed to look like? Is it pourable? is it soft yet firm? Does it need to be heated to pour on to the boolits?

In the cooler times of the winter I heat my boolits & Have to Heat my mix until it gets liquid then pour and tumble. Now is this normal or is it supposed to be squirtable at room temps such as plain liquid alox from the bottle? Don't get me wrong my mixes work well but I'm just trying to locate the "norm" of consistancy on a summers day just to see if I'm close !

[SciFiJim]

This is a great recipe and I have been using it for a while now. I even have double duplexed many of my commercially bought casts ( Overly hard BHN 18+ with multi colored wax lubes... for revolvers) with this. I have made up a number of small batches and each is always slightly different no matter how I measure things. & I'm not sure why?
I have one big question for the "True 45/45/10 masters" out there..... At a normal summer room temp Lets say 72 -75 degrees What consistancy is a good ( or true ) 45/45/10 mix supposed to look like? Is it pourable? is it soft yet firm? Does it need to be heated to pour on to the boolits?

In the cooler times of the winter I heat my boolits & Have to Heat my mix until it gets liquid then pour and tumble. Now is this normal or is it supposed to be squirtable at room temps such as plain liquid alox from the bottle? Don't get me wrong my mixes work well but I'm just trying to locate the "norm" of consistancy on a summers day just to see if I'm close !

Don't know about others, but at that temp mine is like very soft yogurt. It will ooze along the bottle if I turn it sidewise. If I shake the bottle, it will turn to a runny liquid. It will set up again over night.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I can't speak for the 'norm'
Personally I like it a little thick, like creamy peanut butter,
even at room temp (72). I always add heat to the boolits/lube
in the bowl before swirling. then, it seems by the time the boolits
cool down the lube is dry (almost)...surely dry in 20 minutes.

[Recluse]

↑ ↑ Jon's pic looks exactly how my 45/45/10 looks.

[JWFilips]

↑ ↑ Jon's pic looks exactly how my 45/45/10 looks.

OK then.... That's how mine looks! Guess I'm doing it right Thanks for the insurance!

[Critr]

Finally finished reading the entire thread. Good stuff. Learned something each time I read a few pages! I see I am not the first to use hardware cloth for drying. Probably have never been the first to do anything, I just didn't know it at the time.

Different things work best for different folks. Most of my life I was concerned with accuracy, first and foremost. Used lots of Sinclair products, shooting groundhogs and prairie dogs at obscene distances. For coyotes and cats, velocity was king to get the shock needed for an instant kill. Accuracy and velocity first, reliability not a real concern.

Since discovering Cowboy Action, all that changed. Load now in bulk. Reliablity is everything. Targets are big and close, shooting fast. BUT, a bad load will cost you the match. Now it is reliability first, velocities are moderate, accuracy is not critical.

Interesting world, isn't it?

[MOcaster]

I am planning on making a batch of this tomorrow but I realized I don't have any Johnson's paste wax. Would Minwax Paste Finishing Wax work instead? Yes, I know, JPW is pretty cheap but I already have the Minwax. And sorry if it has been asked, but there are 678 replies to this thread and I don't have that much time. Okay, maybe I do, but it isn't as concentrated as it needs to be for me to read the whole thread and my attention span isn't long enou..... Oh, shiny! Also, I plan to use the lube mostly for 40 S&W and some 9mm.

Thanks,
MOcaster

[bsgp8ntball]

Thanks for the info guys! I guess I'm on the "wya to much lube" bus. I'll start trying to cut back.