Add lube to manufactured bullets ?

[Atlast357]

Here is one for you all.Will adding lube be worth while ?
I'm in the throws of casting my own Boolits, and got started with black powder
and then reload brass, all with store bought projectiles.
Then the questions about barrel leading comes into play.What now ?
another concern? I'm not even sure I know how to recognize leading.
I have a few hundred , I guess hard lead 12 brinell .38 and 18 brinell 9mm , that I don't want to
shoot anymore. These have some blue colored lube in the cannelures. Here might be one step in the casting process , I could learn with what I got.
Tried to sell them off but nobody wants them or
at least what I think there worth..... even below the cost I paid Missouri Bullets.
I see Alox is talked about frequently here.

[RobS]

Some people have tumble lubed those commercial cast bullets in Alox tumble lube which helped with the leading etc. It might be worth a try or if you are going to start casting your own you could smelt these down and try again, maybe change the alloy a bit.

[Atlast357]

If the commercial bullets are melted down , what amount of pure lead should added ?

[ronz]

I wouldn't add any
they were made to be at a good hardness for there intended use
9mm was the hardest one for me to get not to lead I had good results with the lee 122tc mould lube sized and then tumbled with 45/45/10
but when I had to switch powders I started to get some leading again
a lot of people use a 358rn mould and size down to 357 I haven't tried it yet as im low on lead so just picked up a box of the expensive plated stuff

[mold maker]

Bens Liquid Lube (BLL) over the existent lube will solve any leading your likely to encounter. Its simple cheap, dry, and effective.

[goofyoldfart]

Plus 10 on Ben's LL. It works. God Bless to all and theirs.

Goofy[smilie=s:

[BenW]

Are you getting leading? When you strip your gun and look down the barrel it looks like smears along the grooves or slivers in the corners. Are you getting a drop in accuracy as you shoot? That is the main symptom of leading.

If you aren't getting leading with those commercial boolits, use them up as is. If the do lead your gun, it's most likely not a lube issue. I'd try tumble lubing before melting them down, but most likely it'd be because they are too hard and your barrel is widens at some point. My M&P throat is 0.4015 and the barrel is 0.402+. I cannot shoot hard boolits through it without leading. However, using just sbout any lube and a boolit of anywhere from 9-12 bhn, I get no leading and decent accuracy. I think too many people jump to harder alloys when many times a softer alloy will perform better.

But like I said, if you aren't having issues with the commercial bullets, I would't fix what isnt broken.

[Atlast357]

Nice advice / education from you all. I am planning on casting my own , so sold all the commercial stuff.
I was over reacting way to much on what I was reading. I didn't experience any leading in my guns,
just didn't want to get involved in problems that might happen.

[Horace]

Using Lee Liquid Alox on factory hardcast would stop the leading in my 44 mag.

Horace