Lee sizers

[BRIARPATCH]

A couple questions here from another newbie still assembling all the gear to actually cast my own:
I've acquired some Lee sizer dies (low budget startup) and am wondering if some of you have experience using them with other than the Lee lubes and Lee boolits.
I've got a couple Lyman molds for 44 and 45 and and the plan is to cast with those and use the Lee dies for sizing. I don't want to go the tumble lube route however and being a tinkerer am conceiving a way to apply something like the LBT blue soft by hand (hoping to avoid too much of a mess) then size.
Also, is there anyone who supplies the LBT lube other than the mfg. where I could get just a couple sticks to try rather than having to purchase 10 ?

[Cloudpeak]

I've loaded several thousand rounds of 45 non-TL bullets (Lyman 452630) using the Lee push through sizers and LLA (now using XLOX: http://www.lsstuff.com/lube/index.html ) with great success. 30 some years ago I had a Lyman lube/sizer and, after using the very reasonably priced Lee kit, see no reason to go back.

Before sizing, I spray my bullets with Hornady "One Shot" case lube. A very light "spritz". One can has done over 20,000 bullets and I spray my brass before re-sizing, as well. (Yep, I know. With carbide dies you don't need to but my Hornady progressive is much smoother in operation if I spray a very light coat of One Shot on the brass.)

After sizing, I tumble lube in a Cool Whip container with LLA thinned with low odor mineral spirits (10% of the LLA volume) and roll them out on wax paper to dry.

Cloudpeak

[JSnover]

I'll second that! My Lee sizer works great with Lee and Lyman boolits and three different lubes. I also use One Shot to prime the die and give it an occasional squirt if things feel like they're getting stiff. I pan lube. Never tried hand-lubing. I just pop the boolits out of the cake and size them. Drop the cake back in the pan, poke some fresh boolits into the holes and melt it again, so there's really no mess to speak of.

[Bret4207]

I believe LBT is the only source of LBT lubes, etc. As Cloudpeak said, our friend and member Lar sells excellent lubes through his link here.

There's nothing wrong with the Lee system at all. It may be "cheap" to buy, but it works exceedingly well, better in many cases than the more traditional lubricizer machines. But, lube is an issue. I have tumble lubed lots of boolits using Lee's Mule Snot (Lee Liquid Alox) and have had complete success as long as the boolit fit and the speeds weren't pushed past 14-1600 fps in rifles, 1100 or so in handguns. Try it before you dismiss it outright. I scorned the idea too till I tried it.

There are other lubes that work tumble lube style- Johnsons Paste Wax comes to mind and Lar and other's sell items that work in a liquid state. You can also melt lube and push the boolits out when it stiffens or cut them loose with a cake cutter type tool.

There are lots of options, use your imagination and try a few things. Try the Mule Snot too, it works for many folks. If the stickiness bothers you just dust the lubed boolits with graphite, powdered molly, cornstarch or talcum powder.

[Flash]

After sizing, I tumble lube in a Cool Whip container with LLA thinned with low odor mineral spirits (10% of the LLA volume) and roll them out on wax paper to dry.

Cloudpeak

The same as bar-b-q charcoal lighter, for those who can't find mineral spirits.