I need some help.

[Milton]

I am not able financially to buy the equipment to cast bullets so I buy them when I can.The problem I have is most of the bullets I buy,though excellent quality have the "blue crayon lube".What I want to do is buy the bullets un-sized and size/lube them myself.To see if this is feasible I would like to know the formula to a bullet lube that I can put in the place of the blue stuff by rubbing it in with my fingers.I only want to try this to see if the new lube will work.
I am loading 115 grain cast in .32 H&R magnum.
Can you guys help?

[35 shooter]

Simple lube should work and the recipe is under the thread on simple lube a few threads above yours on this forum.

[Thor's Daddy]

FWIW, that "blue crayon" is most likely LBT Blue, which is pretty highly regarded in certain circles. Unless you're having issues with it, I'd probably not bother with the added expense of making up a batch of lube.

If you really want to try a different lube though, and want to be cheap, just shoot an email to Lars (White Label Lube) and he'll send you a sample pack, which should give you a good idea of what different formulas will do. Lars' offerings are highly praised by many who use them. And for the most part, buying from White Label is as cheap, or cheaper, than making your own.

That being said, I'm just about ready to mix up a batch of Simple Lube. And its first test will be a side-by-side against some LBT Blue. Go figure!

[Milton]

Thank you both very much! I do have trouble with the blue lube and found out from another caster's bullets that the lube he uses,which is different from the blue ,works very well in my revolver.

[geargnasher]

"Blue Crayon" lube is typically NOT LBT Blue. Magma commercial lube is garbage, and very common on purchased boolits. Simple Lube can be a bit firm, but if you warm it to about body temperature it is easy to pack in the grooves with your fingers. I've "finger lubed" thousands of boolits over the past couple of years during some extensive lube tests.

Gear

[Milton]

Thanks Gear,I plan on trying that this weekend,if I can just find the time!!!!

[gwpercle]

Another thing to try is Lee Liquid Alox. Take the sized and lubed commerical bullets and give them a quick tumble lube with it, just might do the trick without having to remove the existing lube that's already on it.
What is the problem you are having with the "blue crayon lube " ? If it is leading the alox should work.

[Milton]

Yes the problem is leading.I think the bullets are too hard also and I was wanting to see if another ,softer lube would stop or slow the leading.I have used ALOX and I still get leading in the forcing cone.

[dverna]

Milton,

When I was poor, I could not afford to buy bullets so I do not understand your post. A mold is not expensive and you can melt lead inexpensively as well. You can save a lot by casting/lubing your own bullets even if you buy alloy. If you have the time and energy to mine range lead, casting bullets gets very economical.

I am not a big fan of Lee molds but a lot of people get decent performance from them and you cannot beat the price. Any "defects" you find in a Lee are usually fixed at low cost and without expensive machining. For pistol bullets you are not looking for MOA accuracy anyway.

Just a thought. Do not dismiss casting due to cost. You do not need a $400 pot, $400 sizer or $150 mold to feed you habit.

Any of the lubes from White Label or Randy Rat will perform well and they are very reasonably priced.

Don Verna

[leadman]

As Gear said most of the commercial casters use Magma lube, which comes in blue, red, and green. It is not beeswax based and garbage.
I did some testing of various lubes and Magma always leaded and had lower velocity and more recoil than other lubes. The good part is it is easily removed with mineral spirits. Then a good lube can be applied by hand or tumbled on. An easily applied by hand lube is Lyman moly and also works very well as a lube.

[gwpercle]

Check out Lee products for casting. With a $20.00 dbl. cavity mould, thier press mounted push thru sizer and tumble lube ( or you can pan/hand lube) . I melt lead in a discarded cast iorn pot and cast with a ladle...you can get casting very inexpensively if you have a mind too.
As for metal I just haunt some of the small privately owned tire shops and they give them to me when I show up with a 6-pack (or two)for the guys at quitting time.
Just get creative , when I started I was so poor I couldn't afford to pay attention.
Gary

[mdi]

If I purchase cast bullets I either state the diameter I need or measure the diameter before loading. As important as lube is, proper bullet size is more important. I like to use bullet diameters the same size as my cylinder throat diameters (.431" throats, bullets sized to .431").

As for finger lubing, I have warmed bees wax based lubes in my hands just to make it soft enough to mold with my fingers and stuff some in the lube grooves. Mebbe some warm water will work too. Then there's always 45-45-10 too...

BTW; I started casting very low budget; basically a used stainless steel pot, a Coleman stove, a modified tablespoon for a ladle, a slotted spoon from Ma's kitchen, and some old candles for flux. I found a used .44 cal. Lee mold and shot as cast. "Found" used wheel weights at work. Way under $50.00 for the whole shebang...

[Milton]

Ya know,yall are about to talk me into casting my own,I will have to give that some thought! Thanks!!

[mdi]

Basically, all you're doing is melting lead and pouring it into a mold (have you ever made fishing sinkers? I did on Ma's stove.). Now you could melt lead on a kitchen stove or Coleman stove or a $400.00 electric pot. You can use a modified tablespoon or a dedicated bullet ladle, or a bottom pour electric pot. You can scrounge lead (range lead or ebay stuff. Wheel weights are extinct.), or you can buy high quality bullet alloys. You can find used bullet molds or Lee molds, or buy custom $$$ molds (excellent tools BTW). You can shoot the bullets with alox or 45-45-10 as cast, or buy a lubersizer and nose punches and dies. It all depends on how deep you get into bullet casting and how much you wanna spend, and you certainly don't need to drop $200.00 just to start making boolits (the only thing I didn't have around the garage when I started was a mold). With my single burner Coleman stove, Lee ladle, Lee mold and alox I supplied my 629 with lead boolits for over a year until I was able to buy a bit more equipment (and I ain't stopped buying yet!).

You know you're a boolit caster when you walk around parking lots or down the curb looking for lost wheel weights...:bigsmyl2:

[dilly]

My advice is to try 45-45-10 before you get into all the work and mess of relubing with your fingers or pan lubing. If that works it will save you a LOT of trouble. It is IMHO better than straight alox in every way I can think of. This advice applies whether you decide to cast your own or not. If you are shooting high velocity rifle rounds it may not be the best, but I am not sure how it works in those applications.

[capt.hollis]

Yes, what the guys are saying. Just get you a Lee mold, and goto town. Also to save you some anguish save up $50 and get you a Lee bottom spout pour on EBay -"used". You can get you a Coleman stove with the screw on type cylinders for around $25 , that's how I started out, plus a stainless ladle at Walmart for $5-10$, and your in business . So basically for around $100 you can start making your own bullets, and that's with a sizer if you look, and shop in the right places. Precision has the best prices in the lee bullet sizers.

[Milton]

Thank you all for the gracious help! To be frank I will have to wait until after Christmas to even begin something.I have on hand some bullets I got from another caster and I wanted to experiment CHEAPLY with lube types.Maybe next year if the money is available I can actually make a move to do something!:|

[runfiverun]

cheap???
how's about some scented candle wax [the softer ones] from the second hand store and some atf.
a tsp of whatever you got on hand atf mixed into @ an ounce of candle wax will make a pretty passable soft lube you can apply by hand.
a little melted down johnsons paste wax [10-15%] wouldn't hurt the mix, and can be cooked off and used as a tumble lube as is.

[Milton]

I will give it a try!! Thank you !!!!