Advantages of harder lubes?

[prickett]

I'm currently using BAC lube and am wondering if using canauba red would benefit me in any manner. What is the advantage of using a harder lube? Any disadvantages (other than needing to heat)?

[prickett]

I should also mention I'm shooting 9mm. Things I'm curious about are changes in accuracy (better, worse, or no change) when changing to a harder lube. Does one or the other tend to reduce leading? How about smoke?

I'm not unhappy with BAC, just curious as to whether I could get any improvement.

[runfiverun]

no....

[fredj338]

JUst handling the bullets. Softer lubes are sticky & smear, gumming things up sooner than later. The harder lubes may require a heater to run.

[drklynoon]

I would say your question is hard to answer. Different lubes have been known to have effects on accuracy. Whether this will effect yours, good or bad, is a matter best left to experimentation. The obvious advantage to harder lubes is handling. You can size/lube and store boolits with greater ease and success. I too am considering a move from to carnuba red; however, I am currently using Lyman moly. If you have a good estimate of your average group size than experiment and see what happens.

[Maven]

While harder lubes do stay put, they are sometimes too hard to do what they're supposed to. I.e., they are so hard, they fail to provide a film of lube in the bbl., which may result in a leaded bore and reduced accuracy. I often find commercial pistol CB's in our 25 yd. berm with the lube intact. That's also the case with rifle CB's @ 100 yds., but to a much lesser degree. In short, you have to [try to] match the lube's viscosity to velocity, bullet hardness, bullet diameter and bbl. fit, bore smoothness, etc.

[btroj]

CR isn't going to work better for you. In colder weather it may actually work worse, depending on what you are using it in.

If the BAC works, why change?

[fecmech]

I have been using hard lubes for years with excellent accuracy and no leading in the pistol calibers and pistol caliber rifles. I think there are a number of advantages particularly high volume pistol users. You do not have to box or separate bullets to keep lube from sticking all over other bullets. Simply size, lube and place 300-500 in a container. Your loading dies don't gunk up from the lube and the guns tend to be cleaner and less sticky after 50-100 rds fired. My accuracy standard for handguns is 50 yd bullseye 10 ring (3 1/4") capable and all my revolvers(.38,.357,.44 mag, .45acp) and my .45 wad gun are all well inside that standard with Magma, Rooster, or CR hard lubes. My lever gun standard is 3-4 moa@ 100 yds and I am able to do that with plain base bullets up to 1600 fps and hard lubes. I'm not talking 1 5 shot group here. I am talking mostly an average of a number of 6 and 10 shot groups at the ranges stated.
For a hard lube for your 9mm I would choose the Carnauba red commercial as the regular CR is sticky and IME does not allow bulk packing lubed bullets. Another good one is the Magma hard lube which is very economical if ordered in the 2' X 6" sticks. I have used both in 3 different 9MM's in the past with good results.

[prickett]

Thanks for the input everyone!

[randyrat]

With a hard lube you can find it working at 2 different levels of velocity/pressure LOW and HIGH but not in the mid range. I ran into this with the 40 cal. Kinda stumped me because i can't explain it, I'm sure someone can figure this out. I find more disadvantages to hard lubes than soft lubes, but I'm not shipping bullets either.

[bobthenailer]

I have been using hard lubes for years with excellent accuracy and no leading in the pistol calibers and pistol caliber rifles. I think there are a number of advantages particularly high volume pistol users. You do not have to box or separate bullets to keep lube from sticking all over other bullets. Simply size, lube and place 300-500 in a container. Your loading dies don't gunk up from the lube and the guns tend to be cleaner and less sticky after 50-100 rds fired. My accuracy standard for handguns is 50 yd bullseye 10 ring (3 1/4") capable and all my revolvers(.38,.357,.44 mag, .45acp) and my .45 wad gun are all well inside that standard with Magma, Rooster, or CR hard lubes. My lever gun standard is 3-4 moa@ 100 yds and I am able to do that with plain base bullets up to 1600 fps and hard lubes. I'm not talking 1 5 shot group here. I am talking mostly an average of a number of 6 and 10 shot groups at the ranges stated.
For a hard lube for your 9mm I would choose the Carnauba red commercial as the regular CR is sticky and IME does not allow bulk packing lubed bullets. Another good one is the Magma hard lube which is very economical if ordered in the 2' X 6" sticks. I have used both in 3 different 9MM's in the past with good results.

I have had the same results with hard lube ! and that is what ive been using for over 20 years .

[runfiverun]

:coffeecom