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View Full Version : Slugs lubed with liquid ALOX. Affect powder charge when cartridges stored in heat ?



Tallbald
10-21-2014, 01:35 PM
Good friend has advised me to wipe off the base of slugs I lube with liquid ALOX before loading. He relates that he uses it but that when he lived in the heat of the South, garage heat caused the ALOX to run into his powder charges. He explained that he disassembled the loads and found the powder was coming out in clumps, which he thought was the ALOX sticking the granules together. My liquid ALOX sized and lubed slugs have never gotten completely dry and retain a bit of gumminess. They are not brown so I don't feel I over lubed them.
I tried three advanced searches here for "ALOX powder contamination, "Liquid ALOX in powder" and "Liquid ALOX powder issues" but results were zero hits. Thanks. Don

Digital Dan
10-21-2014, 04:12 PM
You can kill the gumminess with motor mica or graphite dust.

Tatume
10-21-2014, 04:17 PM
No form of bullet lube has ever caused any problem of any sort with my loaded ammunition.

rsrocket1
10-21-2014, 04:25 PM
I know you are still learning. This is a great piece of knowledge if you are going to tumble lube. Look at this thread about using 45/45/10 for tumble lubing instead of straigt Lee Liquid Alox (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67654-Tumble-Lubing-Made-Easy-amp-Mess-Free). It dries to the consistency of wax and even if you roll your bullet in pistol powder, the flakes simply brush off. Once dry, it does not run off the bullet. Remember when tumble lubing, you don't need much, just a thin golden haze, not a dark brown coat.

Tallbald
10-21-2014, 08:29 PM
Excellent and thanks. Had I known of the recipe I'd have made some up before using straight liquid Alox. I like mixing my own leather holster finishes of beeswax, neatsfoot oil and stuff, so that would have been right up my alley. So....... I won't disagree with my friend because I was not there when his issues happened, and I don't know much as I'm so new to this hobby and all its details. I used straight liquid Alox, but just a little. Seem fine to load and shoot without worry about the powder being yucked up? Probably won't be in nstorage long anyhow.
And as to the tackiness feel. It's not as pronounced after sizing and lubing them a second time. A couple fell off the table and rolled under a cabinet, coming up with a dust bunny stuck to them. But I shot a lot of greasy .22LR back in the day that collected pocket lint too. Canuck brand at $5 a brick in 1973 comes to mind.....Don

35remington
10-21-2014, 10:39 PM
I find no real need for extra witchcraft in getting LLA to dry save for putting the lubed bullets in front of a fan for a few hours. The air movement makes the volatile mineral spirit thinner used in LLA evaporate much quicker and overnight drying always comes out sufficiently done.

LLA is better than most lubes in terms of resisting powder contamination......as in far better. The dried lube is not at all sensitive to heat, and in fact advertisements for the product and real life trials indicate very high heat can be applied without it running at all. For long term storage under potentially hot conditions it beats most lubes that are suited for lubrisizers. Assuming it's dried before it's loaded. Done as I describe this is not an issue.

Don't worry about it at all if you dry LLA first. Now that you know how, you're good.

Do dust them with motor mica. I do. Tackiness gone.

Pinsnscrews
10-22-2014, 03:43 AM
I can't speak to your friends plight, but, my bottle of Liquid Alox was on the patio long enough when my sizing die arrived that the bottle puked into the red bucket. It was very thin. We averaged about 115 every day that week, so, if it was dropped off before 11am, it is very possible the box got to over 125f

35remington
10-22-2014, 07:05 PM
Again...do not confuse what undried LLA does with what dried LLA is capable of. Dried, it is not at all heat sensitive and absolutely will not run.

Ever. No matter what level of heat is applied.

rsrocket1
10-22-2014, 09:35 PM
Use the witch brew (45/45/10), no motor mica needed. Half hour under a fan or ovenight and there is no tackiness to deal with.

Actually, the best thing to do is to try all these and see which method is best for you. I made a big batch of 45/45/10 a couple of years ago and haven't needed to make any more since. I have since gone to Powder Coating for 9mm and 40. My 45ACP and 357 bullets do not lead the barrel whatsoever with 45/45/10 so I stay with that stuff for those applications. Putting 500 bullets into a Ziplock bag, squirting some 45/45/10, massaging them for a minute, then pouring them into a wax paper lined box is about as easy as it gets.

Tallbald
10-22-2014, 09:53 PM
This evening I loaded up 150 rounds of my 125 grain slugs (my babies) in three separate weight loads of Trail Boss. Starting load, mid load and almost max load. Tomorrow I get to go to the range with my generous host, and at 50 yards will try out the three loads for accuracy. I'd hoped to get a fire lapping done on my Ruger 77/357 before my next range trip, but it didn't happen. Our adult son dropped by for a short visit this evening and was very interested in examining the loaded cartridges. Supposed to be a pretty day here in Southern Kentucky, but a chilly morning. Best to all here. Don