Lee Tumble Lube Style Bullets.....What Velocities Have You Achieved With Them???

[Southern Shooter]

I have two Lee Tuble Lube style bullet molds. Clip-on wheel weights are the choice of casting material. I will be using the Lee Liquid Alox. The TL430-240-SWC is for my sons' 6 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk Flat-top .44 Magnums. And, the TL358-158-SWC is for my collection of Ruger Speed-Sixes and my Security-Six.

1) For those who actually have these molds, how fast have you been able to successfully take these bullets?

2) What kind of accuracy have you achieved with these TL bullets?

I am NOT after high-end speed loads. Just wondering what others have done with these bullets.

Thank you............
40561

[45-70 Chevroner]

I'm not really sure that this will answer your question, but I think if the boolit is the proper hardness and of the proper fit for your guns and if you use a good lube (and I do beleive LLA is a good lube) you should be able to shoot mag velocity with tumble lube boolits. I see pros and cons on this web site about LLA. I personally do not shoot mag loads often enough to know if tumble lube are up to handeling mag velocity, but saying that my personnal feeling is that they should be.

I have shot tumble lube boolits up to 1000 to 1100 fps. As for accuracy I think thay shoot as good as my Lyman cast loads at the same fps.. I haven't shot any of the 44 TL in quite some time but I shoot the 38 TL boolits a lot.

[Rocky Raab]

I have both those moulds, but I seldom try to launch revolver bullets at more than 1000 fps - and usually only about 900. Both of these perform very well indeed under those conditions, however.

I follow Lee's directions: cast and lightly lube with LLA. I add a light dusting of mica or use the 45/45/10 lube recipe; either one reduces "stickiness" of the finished bullets. No sizing.

[Floydster]

I load for both of these bullets also in my Speed Six, Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk Bisley, I don't push them any harder then 950 FPS and the accuracy is very good.
Lube with Alox, size all my bullets to .002 over bore---no leading.

[quilbilly]

My 41 cal TL boolits are leaving my T/C Contender at 1250 with no problems.

[Junior1942]

I shoot the 358 in my Rossi rifle to 1620 fps with no leading.

[williamwaco]

I shoot the 358 in my Rossi rifle to 1620 fps with no leading.



Ditto except Winchester 92.
Same load around 1450fps in Thompson Contender.

I have pushed the Lee 311-170-F to 1950 in my .30-30 with no leading.

For extensive leading testing with LLA with multiple bullets.

http://www.reloadingtips.com/pages/exp_111201a_lla_test.htm

[Recluse]

I have the TL358SWC and I tumble-lube it with 45/45/10 and push it to excesses of 1400fps out of a Model 686 with an 8 3/8" barrel. Very good accuracy, no leading, shiny barrel.

:coffee:

[BAGTIC]

Reading that link and seeing very few bad loads made me think about why a few failed and they were not HV or fired from long barrels. Sure would like to know what the barrels slugged on those red loads. I suspect the problem may have been a bad barrel/bullet fit and not the lube. Could those barrels have been a bit oversized? I believe it has been known to happen with TC's.

[Jkallen83]

im doing 9mm 124gr tumble lube with lee alox.....im pushing just a little over between 1000-1100fps with ZERO leading.

[williamwaco]

Reading that link and seeing very few bad loads made me think about why a few failed and they were not HV or fired from long barrels. Sure would like to know what the barrels slugged on those red loads. I suspect the problem may have been a bad barrel/bullet fit and not the lube. Could those barrels have been a bit oversized? I believe it has been known to happen with TC's.

They were all fired in the same barrels/guns. All were essentially new guns with pristene barrels.

[Elkins45]

I have fired the .44 240 TL with full-power 44 magnum loads with no leading problems and really good accuracy. Estimated velocity would be around 1400 fps. I haven't tried to do the same with the .358 version. I usually try to keep it around 1000 fps.

I really love the 44 TL but the 38 is just average for me. There are a couple of conventional molds that shoot a bit better for me, but of course they do require the extra work of a conventional bullet vs tumble lubing.

[Boolseye]

I can comment on the TL358-158 SWC. Tumble lubed with 45-45-10, I get wonderful accuracy at speeds up to about 1100 fps out of my .357 mag. It might be great faster than that, I just have no need to push it harder. The loads at the high end leave a tiny bit of lead near the muzzle that comes out with one pass of a brush and hoppes #9.

[Coffeecup]

One fine spring day in 2010, we played with the TL bullets in a variety of .357 Max's. In the 8" Dan Wesson, we started having problems with leading at about 1500-1550 fps. In the 14" TC, no problems til about 1700 fps, but after that accuracy was gone. The converted HandiRifle was about the same as the TC. As I said, we were just "playing;" once we had the sights figured out, if you missed a pop can at 100 yards it was your own fault. (I've really got to get me a .357 Max.)

I use the .44 240 TL for 44 specials and plinking loads in my 44 Mag. Properly fitted to the gun, I haven't had problems up to about 250 rounds of 44 special (that's all the brass I've got on hand). My current 44 Mag (Dan Wesson) doesn't care for the bullet, but in the last few Rugers I've had I've pushed the bullet to about 1100 fps. Hundred yard accuracy was decent but not great, but inside 50 yards and plinking at rocks, cans, etc, it was OK.

[ku4hx]

Respectively: Ruger SRH 7.5" 1,550 fps; Ruger Blackhawk 6.5" 1,490 fps. But those were clocked in my more immortal younger days. I seldom load full power loads in anything now days.

Accuracy was always good. In fact, the load for the Blackhawk has always been my most accurate handgun load. Powders: 2400 in the 44; Bluedot in the 357

[Larry Gibson]

Southern Shooter

I also have both of those bullet and shoot them in identical guns (Ruger FTBH w/6 1/2" barrel and a Ruger Securtiy Six with 6" barrel) along with 3 other 44s and 2 other .357s and a .38 SPL.

I do not use them at magnum velocities but have and they worked fine. I also use 2 TL bullets in my .41 Magnum and they work fine also. Accuracy with the TL bullets is good at magnum velocities of 1200 - 1450 fps depending on barrels. I've used LLA (straight) on them and it works as well as any other lube for me. Most often I cast them of WWs + 2% tin if I'm pushing them fast.

However, most often these TL bullets are used for my 38/44 SPL loads or mid level magnum loads and are cast out of softer alloys (mostly recovered range lead with tin added). I size the TL358 at .360, the TL410 at .410 and the TL430 at .430 in a Lyman 450 and most often lube them with BAC or Javelina.

Larry Gibson

[DrCaveman]

Larry, do the TL358 drop at (or above) .360 for you? The boolits I have loaded as-cast, measured between .358-359. The ones sized with my .358 Lee sizer all measured .357 afterward. First, it sounds like my calipers may be mis calibrated. But also maybe my boolits are dropping small. The alloy has been a mix of my own recovered lead, and now wheel weights. Any ideas?

As for the thread topic, I have shot this boolit in front of both 13.3 gr 2400 and 16.1 gr Lil Gun. I do not have a chronograph but I am guessing velocities were at least 1100 fps maybe 1300 with Lil Gun. Ruger GP100 6". Followed LLA guidelines, sized to .358. No leading, better accuracy than any other rounds I shot that day.