Lube Star Not Present

[ColColt]

I have read at various places about a "lube star". I've only seen photos of this and never seen one in the three calibers I shoot. I mostly use BAC and have also used CR and neither have produced the lube star. Is there something I've missed? All boolits are sized per the cylinder throat dimension or .001" over in 357, 44 and groove diameter or .001 over in the 45ACP.

[btroj]

Don't fret over it. I have some guns that will produce one with a certain load, many of them never do.
I worry far more about the appearance of my target than I do the appearance of the crown.

I will also say that the best star was from a lube free load. My AR produced some awesome stars with jacketed loads. Has much to do with the crown on that barrel as much as anything.

[geargnasher]

I don't even bother to look unless I'm trying to sort out a problem that Mr. Target told me I had.

Gear

[williamwaco]

They are not always there and are not always visible if they are.

If you are not getting leading, it is a non-issue.

After a session with cast bullets, take a clean dry white patch. Center it on the muzzel, place your thumb on it directly over the muzzel. apply some pressure and twist it around about twice.

What do you see on the patch. Is it dry powder fouling? or is is sligltly greasy?

[ColColt]

What do you see on the patch. Is it dry powder fouling? or is is sligltly greasy?

I'll check that out this upcoming Friday-my usual day at the range. I have seen small bits of lube on the target-maybe one or two tiny spots and that's usually 10-15 yards away.

[williamwaco]

I'll check that out this upcoming Friday-my usual day at the range. I have seen small bits of lube on the target-maybe one or two tiny spots and that's usually 10-15 yards away.



It is my belief that those small bits on the targets are blown out of the lube grooves when the bullet leaves the muzzel. I base that belief on the fact that I only see them on close targets. Never on 25 or 50 yard targets. I don't think they would fly that far.

If they were coming out in flight, I would expect to see them at all ranges since I do find bullets in the 100 yard back stop with lube still in the grooves.

100 percent pure speculation. I wish I had the photographic equipment and a range where I could test those unexplained occurrences.

[btroj]

I have found bits of lube on 50 yard targets. Lube was Carnuba Red. Saw it often enough to know it wasn't a fluke.

[UtopiaTexasG19]

I sometimes shoot on a very low bench bag on my home made bench and I don't get any lube star on the barrel of my 336 in 30-30 but the bench area right in front of where the barrel ends has a huge oval of lube saturated in the wood.

[williamwaco]

I have found bits of lube on 50 yard targets. Lube was Carnuba Red. Saw it often enough to know it wasn't a fluke.

Interesting.

Carnuba red is much harder that the javelina/beeswax that I use. Could it be expected to fly further?

[btroj]

Tells me it isn't flying off the bullet at the muzzle. I have found CR on bullets in the berm too. Since I switched to MML I don't get those bits.

[geargnasher]

I've seen flecks of lube on 100-yard targets. Never on targets with the tightest groups, though. If the lube is carrying that far and coming off in bits as the boolit travels downrange, it can affect the balance and aerodynamics of the boolit enough to affect accuracy. A change to a softer formula with the same lubricity almost always improves groups and eliminates the lube on the targets.

I have the best luck with soft lubes, but that's only my experience. I know others shoot their best groups with hard lubes, but I gather those are the minority, and they know exactly how to use them.

One other thing, I usually do a "lube purge" test any time I'm fine-tuning a load within a certain velocity range for a rifle. This involves shooting through a piece of cardboard at 3' and 20'. If the stuff is still on the 20' target, it gets softened.

Gear

[44man]

I believe in soft, sticky lubes too.
I have bought boolits or were sent some to test and when I open the box, half the lube was out of the grooves in the bottom of the box. I hate to remove the rest and put new lube on them.
The only place I look for a lube star is with BP. Seeing one means all the fouling in the bore should be soft.

[Char-Gar]

Sometimes, I see a lube star, but most often not. If the target shows good accuracy and there is no lead in the barrel, I don't see an issue.

Far to often, somebody puts something in print, and it it repeated, and repeated until it is taken as an absolute. The reloading, shooting, bullet casting world is chock full of individual experiences and opinions passed off as absolute truth.

[btroj]

Well said Chargar. This is like BHN, it is "assumed" to be important as people mention it frequently. Just because it is mentioned doesn't mean it is important.

[MtGun44]

What chargar and btroj said.

+1 for soft and sticky.

Bill

[prs]

In teh berms, I find other folks booits with what appears to be all the lube still in the grooves. no lube star gonna be formed with that. Lube stars are more prevalent with softer lubes and those of us shooting black powder cartridges really need to have good stars. A good soft lube and a black powder friendly boolis, like my PRS design, will have no lube on it at target distance, the lube will be shed right out of the barrel.

prs

[243winxb]

The "new" Alox in 50/50 does not leave a star.