Can LLA be tumbled off?

[DaveSpud]

I just began using Lee Liquid Alox with a .300 Blackout load, gas checked. Good results. However, I tumbled the case lube off my last batch (in corn cob media for 2 hours) and it feels like the boolits have lost that LLA tackiness.

Could the LLA have been tumbled off? Still safe to shoot, or will I be spending hours cleaning lead from my bore?

[wlc]

No actual experience with you predicament, but, I would say they should be fine. The lube in the grooves that are inside the case will still be there. Conventionally lubed bullets aren't coated on the noses. Just my thoughts and I could be entirely wrong, but don't think I am.

[jonas302]

Shouldn't be a problem on hunting rounds I wipe all the exposed lube off with mineral spirits so they don't pick up dirt

[rhbrink]

I just began using Lee Liquid Alox with a .300 Blackout load, gas checked. Good results. However, I tumbled the case lube off my last batch (in corn cob media for 2 hours) and it feels like the boolits have lost that LLA tackiness.

Could the LLA have been tumbled off? Still safe to shoot, or will I be spending hours cleaning lead from my bore?
Are you tumbling loaded ammo? A very unwise thing to do in my opinion.

RB

[btroj]

Tumble the sized cases before priming and loading. Pretty standard reloading practice.

[timberhawk]

I've read a lot of pros and cons to tumbling loaded rounds.
Shouldn't be a problem, because the lube inside the case is where the friction is. If it is a nose riding bullet, you might want to leave the lube in place and not tumble after loading.

[fryboy]

i wont get into the tumbling loaded rounds argument except to state that two hours is fairly long for freshly loaded ammo - especially if the cases were clean to begin with , mineral spirits cleans off the nose in fine fashion and doesnt attract tumbling media grit to the edge of case mouth projectile ( always bad for a bore ) the real question begins with "are most of the driving bands inside or outside the case ? " that's what matters with tumble lube ( not the grooves like conventional lube ) if many bands are exposed ...yeah you just got rid of that much mojo erm lubricating properties , the rest also depends upon how much lube is left on the bands in the neck ( i'm thinking not much ) and at what velocity /pressure you loaded them too - the higher of either the more problematic [shrugz]

[dilly]

When I've done it, the dirt from the tumbling media kind of embedded into the tumble lubed bullets and they came out black and nasty. I will still tumble loaded jacketed rounds, maybe coated, but never again tumble lubed.

[DaveSpud]

Thanks for the comments. Lube grooves are all in the case, so I should be good.

FYI I remove case lube by hand for small batches. For big batches, I tumble for an hour. Unless I forget and tumble longer.

I'm familiar with the "tumbling loaded rounds" debates.

[wlc]

There is debate about whether tumbling loaded ammo will cause the powder to break down into smaller particles thus causing the burn rate to change and possibly increase pressures. I don't get into the argument, I just do what I do and keep my opinion to myself.

[btroj]

Why not just tumble the cases clean before you load them? Keeps the lube on the bullets. Keeps the grit and stuff in the media off the bullets.

[bangerjim]

Tumble pre-loading! Works for me. No live rounds bouncing around. No powder degraded.

banger

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I just began using Lee Liquid Alox with a .300 Blackout load, gas checked. Good results. However, I tumbled the case lube off my last batch (in corn cob media for 2 hours) and it feels like the boolits have lost that LLA tackiness.

Could the LLA have been tumbled off? Still safe to shoot, or will I be spending hours cleaning lead from my bore?
Safe ? Probably.

BUT, while I may not be an expert, I'd think tumbling ammo loaded with boolits, especially the long boolits typically used in 300 BO, would degrade accuracy ?
I tend to gently and carefully handle rifle ammo loaded with boolits.

[btroj]

Am I the only one who was taught that cases are lubed, sized, then the lube is cleaned off before loading?

If nothing else why handle a lubed case when dumping powder, priming, or searing bullets?

[ballistim]

Am I the only one who was taught that cases are lubed, sized, then the lube is cleaned off before loading?

If nothing else why handle a lubed case when dumping powder, priming, or searing bullets?

Dad's quality control over my reloading as a youth was to check that I'd cleaned cases before charging and priming, don't know how many times he mentioned case lube possibly contaminating powder & primers. I'm thankful that he drilled safety into my head when I started shooting and reloading, got me started off on the right foot.

[DaveSpud]

Tumble, lube, resize, tumble (to remove lube) then load--works great for single stage. Doesn't work so well for indexed turret or for progressives.

[bangerjim]

Am I the only one who was taught that cases are lubed, sized, then the lube is cleaned off before loading?

If nothing else why handle a lubed case when dumping powder, priming, or searing bullets?


Nope! At least 2 of us!!!!! [smilie=s:

banger

[btroj]

Tumble, lube, resize, tumble (to remove lube) then load--works great for single stage. Doesn't work so well for indexed turret or for progressives.

Why not resize on a single stage, clean the lube off, then use a universal Decapper in the sizing station to remove media from the flash hole?

That is how I do it on my Dillon

[rhbrink]

Nope! At least 2 of us!!!!! [smilie=s:

banger
Three of us!

RB