Running them thru a lube sizer is so much easier and faster to me.
Tumble lube in a cool whip can is as easy just have to wait to dry.
Running them thru a lube sizer is so much easier and faster to me.
Tumble lube in a cool whip can is as easy just have to wait to dry.
Dipped for years --wasted the excess ALOX that settled in the drying plate... and took forever to dry.
Now just pick bullet up in left hand, lightly wipe undiluted ALOX on it with merely "greasy" thumb/forefinger in right hand, dry in warm(225) oven for 30 minutes/shoot next day,
seems like your making work ,why not tumble and lay them on grease proof paper?
Precision-work Rifle bullets w/ sharp-edged bases that I want to preserve -- warmed/dried in oven vertically for uniformity.
So's I got'sta pick`em up anyway.
I do the ranch dog dip on my rifle and HV pistol bullets.. After size and check, which Ive never had require pre-lubbing to accomplish.
I can do a tray with little effort and while watching the news or some other nonsense in the shop. Using a lube sizer still means handing each bullet, so I dont see much difference. Waste is simply scrapped up with a putty knife and dropped back in the mason jar with the rest for next time.. Easy Peasy.
I never had any trouble with tumble lubed bullets, I just dislike the "brown noses". Several years ago I got a Ranch Dog mole (mad by Lee at the time) and discovered dip lubing. Several thousand dip lubed bullets later, I still dip and use the method with 45-45-10 also...
My Anchor is holding fast!
Since becoming proficient with powder coat and hi-tek, I have not touched a grease lube in any form. I had buckshot make kake-cutters in 309 and 311. they are now unemployed. I also have a Lyman 4500 and RCBS luber that are idle.
Ain't nobody got time for that!
prs
I'm going in the opposite direction;
Only use the LLA on certain bore ride noses as a last op before sticking loaded rounds in a 10 round sleeve for field (an bench) use. Not dipping the whole bullet,just the nose. Instead of thinning......
Found an old Kiwi shoe polish tin that had dryed up polish. Discarded the chunks and cleaned it out. Squeezed in some LLA from literally,the 1980's(have new stock) to where it almost fills the Kiwi tin. I stuck it in the fridge last night just as a test.... wifey finds it this a.m. and was giving me the eye?
Told her it wasn't polish,alls good on the senility. To which she sorta a accepts.
So here's the deal,I want the stuff thick. Like Kiwi shoe polish thick. Will take a cloth and wipe the noses with just a quick turn and call it good.
I probably should start a thread but oh well,am researching graphite powder and Winchester Lubaloy.... which may or may not be even related. I'm thinking the old 22 rimfire,black'ish "coating" from years ago. Ordered the graphite,and am thinking, pixie dusting it on top of the LLA. All the dope on graphite KEEPS coming up as,"what a mess".... with good reason,am sure. We'll see.... but it's not for the main lube,it's just for bore ride noses.
Edit for clarity: the pixie dust will be put on(initially) the top of the hardened LLA in the tin. Not,as an added op on bullet.
Last edited by Shopdog; 10-23-2020 at 07:41 AM.
FWIW..Back when the 30-06 was introduced, it was common practice for target shooters to manually lube the cupro-nickle jackets by dipping just the bullets into small cans of grease before use. This practice was pretty much SOP up until the 20's.
Interesting article on this in Cartridges of the World #12
I used the dip lube method for some NOE version of the 312299 in a Mosin I used to have.
I would check and size, then dip in 45/45/10. I ran these up to 1800 fps with no problems. Even had a lube star on the end of that looong barrel.
Really, the only problem I had with the method was standing the boolits up. It takes a good bit of room.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |