Ranch dog grooves vs conventional??

[Montana Ron]

I am curious as to weather the increase of lube bearing surface and grove design enhances lubrication versus conventional deep groves with less lube exposure is better.........and.........with ranch dog grooves there is less lead exposed to the bore maybe resulting in lower pressure/
heat generation??????? Here is some fuel for thought and discussion.....

[runfiverun]

you don't need that much lube.
i have a noe thats similar to the r/d boolits and it's saving grace is it fits my throats [or i wouldn't have ordered it]
i would rather have the bearing surface.
i can add lube to the g/c groove or make a slipperier/softer/more maleable/tougher lube but i can't add bearing surface.

[mdi]

FWIW; I only have the Ranchdog mold with TL grooves so I can't make a side to side comparison. I don't think you can compare a tumble lubed, tumble lube designed bullet to a conventional lubed, conventional lube groove bullet, except by the end results. My results with the TL bullet with tumble lube have been good; very little to no leading, depending on which .44 magnum I shoot them through, and as accurate as I can shoot (20" bbl lever gun, 7.5 Ruger SBH, 6" S&W 629).

Just a thought though, alox is used on the bearing surface of the bullet, so a bullet with more bearing surface will hold more lube and lessen lube problems. ??

[Eutectic]

i would rather have the bearing surface.


yep...

[imashooter2]

I have never gotten the same performance from micro band designs that I have gotten from conventional designs. I no longer buy them.

[btroj]

I have both the original RD 311165 and the NOE version with traditional grooves. I can't say that either is better or worse. The design is good as it has a taper into the body and the large amount of bearing surface. Those are two features I fell improve accuracy.
Either has plenty of lube.

[nanuk]

is the RD style lube/bearing surfaces really any different than the Loverin design that LYMAN says is usually the most accurate style?

[frankenfab]

I have never gotten the same performance from micro band designs that I have gotten from conventional designs.

I'll agree with that, but the Lee 6 cavity molds and Recluse's tumble lube make for lots of cheap practice boolits in very short order. They're great for short barreled autos.

[imashooter2]

I'll agree with that, but the Lee 6 cavity molds and Recluse's tumble lube make for lots of cheap practice boolits in very short order. They're great for short barreled autos.

Conventional designs film lube just the same as microband designs. I shoot 4 - 5,000 Lee 452-228-1R as cast and lubed with Rooster Jacket every year. My avatar shows some of those with my USPSA revolver. I do the same with the Lee 358-150-1R for my ICORE gun except the lube is LLA & JPW.

[btroj]

I'll agree with that, but the Lee 6 cavity molds and Recluse's tumble lube make for lots of cheap practice boolits in very short order. They're great for short barreled autos.

Great for short barreled autos? His 460425 in an auto?
I guess I assumed the original question was about the RD rifle bullets. I have experience with many of them and they work quite well. Not just for cheap practice either. Michael designed them to be good hunting bullets and that they are.
I prefer tractional lube grooves but that is my opinion. Michael gets excellent results from his guns using LLA so I don't think this question really has much merit. Either style lube grooves works well with this general style of bullet. All the bearing surface works.

[Doc Highwall]

One advantage with the tumble lube grooves besides carrying more lube is that from having more drive bands that are smaller, the displacement of metal has more places to go resulting in less bullet distortion. Just because they were designed for tumble lubing does not mean you cannot lube them in a conventional luber sizer or you have to lube all the grooves. Also having more drive bands think of them like being the compression rings on your cars engine pistons, with more rings making it harder for gas blow by, providing it fits the gun properly first.

[Greg G]

Good thread. I was going to ask this very same question as I'm getting a levergun soon. My first thought was to buy a Ranch Dog mould. I would be sizing and lubing them in a Saeco lubrisizer though.

Intuitively, the more lube held by the bullet the better for the long barrel, but the bullet needs enough bearing surface too. I've read posts made by handgun shooters that had leading towards the muzzle, and some here thought that possibly the lube groove on the bullet was too small. Wouldn't a longer barrel exaggerate this problem?

I'll be watching this thread for opinions from the experts.

[Cowboy5780]

Buy the Ranch Dog Molds you wont be disappointed there all excellant molds

[EDK]

Buy the RANCH DOG...I prefer TLC 432 265. I tumble lube, size and seat gas check, dip lube and size again to clean it up. These boolits shoot like a champ and remove residual lead from other loads in my assortment of VAQUEROS...I use six of them per revolver at the end of a shooting session when leading has raised its ugly head. Lots more fun than a Lewis Lead Remover; quicker too.

I also have the NOE clone of this one, but in plain base for my mid range loads. I like 7.0 of TITEGROUP or HP38, and recently have had good results from 7.5 of HERCO with several boolits in this weight range. No leading with brinnell hardness of 10 or 11 and B-A-C, sized to .432.

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[frankenfab]

I wasn't trying to be contrary to any of you guys that are having success with the TL boolits in longer barrels. It's just that I haven't tried it yet, but I can say from experience that with short barrels it's a gimme if they're sized right. I always try to speak from personal experience here.

I guess I also missed the emphasis on Ranch Dog. I got his 350 gr. .44 for my Lone Eagle and BFR, but I'm sure I will eventually get around to giving it a go in my levers.