H&G 50. WC How much lube?

[Bisbee]

I've been casting using this mold for awhile now and I have been wondering how much lube to use. Up to this point, I have been filling all three lube groves with BAC using my Lyman 4500 lube sizer. Do I need to lube all three groves? Or can I get by with just two? I don't load hot rounds and I fire these boolits in both 38spl & 357 mag cartridges.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter.

Thank you..

[PS Paul]

Some lube two, others have success with one groove lubed.

ive settled on two grooves lubed using the H&G 50 UNLESS I am shooting hotter loads in 357 mag, which I do frequently. I've played around with this mold and several other WC molds over the years but strangely I like it in 357 mag loads in med-warm loads.....
don't know if this helps, but it's how I do it after 30+ years of experimenting.

[GSM]

Just one groove - see if you can find Col. Harrison's write up about the #50 and NRA 50/50 lube. It's an older article where he/the NRA did some work on lubes and the #50 wadcutter (back when the Rifleman had actual technical articles).

[runfiverun]

just the bottom one.
I tested and tried a while back one lube groove is more accurate.
I even tried filling all 3 lube grooves with different lubes.

[Bisbee]

Thanks guys, as always for providing good solid information. I googled Col. Harrison. It gave me some interesting reading about the H&G 50. I'm going to lube the bottom band and see for myself how it shoots. Here's the link. http://forums.handloads.com/archive/forum_posts.asp?TID=17871

[mdi]

I don't cast an H&G 50 so this is just curiosity (but I believe I have a clone); what's the downside of filling all the lube grooves?

[bhn22]

As far as that goes, I used to simply spray wadcutters with mould prep and shoot them unsized. That also worked well. I really need to try Bens new liquid lube recipe though, I think it'll do everything I want. I do so hate plain old tumble lube.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

In the Col Harrison article on the H&G #50 he tried with all three groves filled and the accuracy was not as good as when he filled only one(the bottom) groove using the old NRA 50/50 lube. LLS

[Dale53]

I completely concur with Col. E.H. Harrison's machine rest test's with the H&G #50. I have an original four cavity H&G mould for that bullet. I have always lubed just the bottom groove. I get, from a rest, less than 1" groups at 25 yards. I have shot a number of very fine targets, standing, with that bullet. YOu might want to read Ed Harris' comments on the .38 Wadcutter cartridge:

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/forum/view_topic.php?id=6625&forum_id=4

http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/75f11fe4e235da7c69cabf94daa7dbd9-932.html

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/HG50BB-1402_900x1200.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/HG50BB-1402_900x1200.jpg.html)

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Dale53