Lyman Super Moly Lube

[Maven]

Several weeks ago I discovered the last of a dozen tubes of Lyman Super Moly bullet lube hidden among other lubes and stuff. Rather than pull out the hot plate and melt enough Felix Lube to fill my lube-sizer (Ly. #450), I simply inserted the newly found lube into the machine. While Super Moly has its virtues, e.g., it seems to prevent bore leading and flows pretty well at temps. as low as 52 deg. F., it also has certain weaknesses, which I was amply reminded of this afternoon. To wit, it fills the lube grooves of various bore riding, Loverin and Keith CB's rather easily and fully IF the CB's are slightly larger (i.e., they need to be sized to a given diameter) or the same size as the sizing die, but all bets are off if they are say .001" smaller*. If they're smaller, black goo will extrude up, around and under the CB, but little will actually find its way into the grooves. I know this because I basically wound up hand lubing 3 different types of CB's for my .44 mag. with extruded Super Moly (consistency was something like caulking, only messier if that's possible). And, the black stains on my [light colored] jeans were an added, if not entirely anticipated, benefit too. The odd thing is that as tenacious as that black mess is on CB's, after a few months, it shrinks and/or dries out and falls out of the lube grooves, even in the heat of summer. Ya think I'd try this stuff again? Only when pigs fly!!


*It's also difficult to regulate the amount of pressure needed to fill the lube grooves with CB's that are a bit smaller than the sizing die. Oh, joy!

[pincherpartner]

I made the mistake of purchasing some as well since I wanted something to flow easily that didn't need a heater. I can hardly wait until that stuff is finished. It's such a bear to clean off of everything. But hey now I get to polish my loaded rounds with terry cloth and mineral spirits. :(

[Bass Ackward]

I don't like it for the applications you describe either Paul. But for different reasons than you mentioned.

I do use and love it for lower pressure, larger bore rifle work. Which coincidentally occurs for me mostly in cold weather.

If you don't like LSM, I'd avoid Lithi-Bee then too.

[Maven]

From now on it will be strictly Felix Lube and/or some DGP Shay hard lube that I've got several loaves of!

[kir_kenix]

The Lyman moly is pretty terrible stuff. It makes a huge mess, and never seems to get cleaned out of the lube sizer. I've wrecked a couple of different towels getting the excess lube off of loaded rounds, which has made me real popular with the wife.

The plusses of not having to use a heater and the decent lube performance when fired do not outweigh what a mess they make and having to clean up you loaded rounds by hand.

[Doc Highwall]

You could always try mixing it in small amounts with another lube that you have that does not quite meet your expectations, who knows you might find the magic lube. I have been thinking of doing this, add just a little for coloring in known amounts just in case I want to duplicate it again. My thinking is just enough moly to prevent leading under extreme conditions of high temperatures and low humidity for black powder.

[MT Gianni]

I bought some in my pre-FWFL days. It was the best lube I had tried for speeds up to 2400 fps. I is messier than anything else but I find it the best high speed lube from the "big" makers. I have no doubt that Bullshot and LAR45 beat it to no end. I know my fwfl does. Gianni

[runfiverun]

it was the first lube i tried as it came with the lubrisizer.
after 5 rounds of "see it works" and they are free. i realized there was no way i was gonna deal with that lube.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I did a search and decided to wake this old thread.

I have a lyman 450 I bought last spring,
I finally got around to cleaning it up today
and swapping dies.
It seems to be full of Black lube,
I'm assuming it's Lyman's Super Moly Lube.

the question is...Do I use the lube (it could be 10 years old)
and deal with the potential messiness or clean it out and use Lar's BAC.
next on my "to Lube" list is 41 mag SWC.

to ask a better question,
How is this lube to deal with while handling boolits during the reloading process ?
Jon

[fryboy]

well unlike maven i loaded mine before the lube dried and fell out , if your's is ten years old perhaps it's already dried out ? :P actually the lube works and works well , it has it's own aroma ( that i dont care for - nasty soapy alox-ish ? ) and it's black and almost as messy as their lamp black lube ( i believe the lamp black lube to be messier and darker black ) which has been around forever , i could possibly deal with the mess if it smelled somewhat better ( it does work and for many years it was what i used for 30 caliber rifle ) IMHO once lubed the boolits are pretty much like any other soft lubed ones with a smudge of black thrown in ;)

[Hardcast416taylor]

JonB. Several years back I was given a 450 luber by a friend. It had belonged to an uncle that cast. The luber would not do anything as far as lever movement. Upon my tearing it down I found it full of old dried up Lyman black graphite lube that was from the `60`s or earlier. Took me a week of after work to get it cleaned and working again. I also tried Lyman super moly ONCE and have never been back.Robert

[Ziptar]

JonB. Several years back I was given a 450 luber by a friend. It had belonged to an uncle that cast. The luber would not do anything as far as lever movement. Upon my tearing it down I found it full of old dried up Lyman black graphite lube that was from the `60`s or earlier. Took me a week of after work to get it cleaned and working again. I also tried Lyman super moly ONCE and have never been back.Robert


I just bought a used Lyman 45 that had a bunch of old crusty SuperMoly in it. That stuff was terrible to get out. Tried a heat gun and a torch.

I finally boiled it out but, in the process bubbled and wrinkled the paint. Cleaning that junk off the pot I boiled it in was a chore also.

Upshot at least is the 45 now has a shiny new paint job. :D

[JIMinPHX]

JonB,
if that is old Super Moly lube, then I would suggest that you clean it out as best you can. Leaving a little fresh moly lube behind when you load another lube gives you swirled patterns & slightly inconsistent lube on the boolits, but if you are just loading for pistols or plinkers, it's not that big of a deal. On the other hand, old moly lube is a lot worse.

Lyman Super Moly lube dries out when left in open air & shrinks. I've seen visible changes in volume in less than a week when I've left lubed boolits sit on my loading bench here in Phoenix. Over a longer time, that stuff gets real crusty. I would not want chucks of it plugging up the lube passages in my press.

Lyman Super Moly Lube is messy to work with, but it performs very well. I've loaded cast .223 boolits to over 3,000fps with no leading of the barrel at all. Accuracy at that speed was not good though.

[CWME]

I have had good luck with the stuff. Only thing I have noticed is that using it in the 223 I need to get the barrel warmed up before shooting for groups. The colder weather of late is making it harder to get it to perfom like it was in June. Again this is only my experiences with it so far in 22 cal.
30 cals and up I have had good results from 0-80 degrees. Rifle or Pistol

I currently have a tube mixed 50-50 with a tube of the Lyman Orange Magic to get rid of some of the sticky mess and attempt to fight the temp sensitivity. Targets are showing no drop in accuracy or do I have leading issues.

[BossHoss]

I have a tube I will never use after reading this. My Order from White Label lubes just showed up.....never looking back. Now I gotta boil that damn Lyman Orange magic out of the sizer....damn stuff cost me 6.99 a tube . I bought three and regretted it after the first range tests of my 240gn CB Keiths in my .44 at 1000fps.

Scrap flux can here it comes. BTW...I used some Orange Magic runoff for flux in the pot......FFFFOOOOOOOOOMMMM,....cool flames. LOL.

[catmasher]

All you guys that have the Super Moly lube, please send it to me, I'll take it off your hands for free.
catmasher

[Iowa Fox]

A couple of years ago I was at the range all by myself until another gent arrived. Turns out he was a cast bullet shooter also, we both knew of each other but had never met. He was shooting a 7mm08 in a Savage he smithed himself. After a long conversation of information exchange the thing I remember the most is he used Lyman super moly. I stood there and watched him shoot almost bugholes at 200 yards. He sure had things going for him that day. We were the only two there that day all afternoon long, never did make me want to go out and buy some of the messy stuff.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

All you guys that have the Super Moly lube, please send it to me, I'll take it off your hands for free.
catmasher

You can have it !
I carefully cleaned out the super moly out of my 450 today.
plus another full stick.

PM sent

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/Lymansupermolylube.jpg

[fryboy]

umm the stick aint moly ... it's the original beeswax, sheep fat lamp black and ... ummm i'm not sure :P i think i have one of those ....and several hodgdon 50/50 's

[35remington]

Yep. The pictured stuff in the photo above isn't super moly. It's Lyman's old Ideal lubricant. Not the same thing.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

OH !
The unused stick came with a Lyman 45...a different purchase than the 450.

Well, I'm assuming the stuff in the bag (the lube I melted out of the lyman 450) is super moly ?
but maybe it isn't ?
is there anyway to tell the difference ?

[fryboy]

super moly is lighter colored , more of a grey than a black , has a soapy alox smell and my personal opinion is that it's softer and smudgier if that makes sense , what's in the bag could be moly ( cant see it real well )

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thanks fry.
the stuff in the bag is definately JET BLACK in color.
so it must not be super moly !
Jon

[whitewolf68]

Wonderful, I just read all the bad reviews here on the super moly and low and behold that is what I have in my 4500 right now. After it is gone what would you all suggest for .38 and .357 mag and/or possibly .45acp.

I've found a heatless NRA 50/50 on Ebay that sounds promising. Jake's 50/50 cast bullet lube.

I am mostly worried about leading and right now I do not have a heater.

Oh yeah and how the hell can I get the moly out of my 4500 now?

[fryboy]

lolz , i'd use it , it does work ,i used it for quite a few years until i started making my own , it and rooster HVR ( and i miss that lolz ) just run it until it's empty and then take it apart and clean it
no heater leaves me suggesting white label lube's " Bac " , for a soft lube lyman's moly is actually a decent lube , it's just a bit messy ( and has a soapy odor my nose doesnt like )

[whitewolf68]

I am gonna use what I have in there. I will have to take a look at White Label Lube's a little and see what BAC is like.

After it is gone is there a decent way to clean it out?? I cannot boil it I know that for sure. Should I just run a new tube in there and push it out? I am tired of the moly mess everywhere. Still get some on the very fine bevel on my Lyman 358665 mold.

[fryboy]

bummer boiling is perhaps one of the best ways to get it the cleanest , baking also works ( place on a large bake pan and ummm bake for a bit ) a heat source to warm the body also makes the lube flow , a lil hotter and it will run , a hair dryer or a heat gun will do it or even a heat lamp , make sure you place it where what will run out will be caught ,
eh i get lube on some bases even using other lube , i merely twist and wipe it off , but the moly is a bit messier , some lubes are tackier ( thankfully not as black tho )

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

First off,
+1 on the BAC for a heater-less lube for pistol boolits.

Cleaning out old Lube:
I use a heat gun to warm the lube-sizer body,
I remove the pressure nut and pressure screw once the Lube is warm enough to make
doing that easy, then I remove the Die too. Nothing is melted yet.

Then I just invert the sizer over a soup can or coffee can,
continue to heat til the partially melted lube slides out.

Then I used Ed's Red and a small brush on the warm
and mostly empty lubesizer body and a few shop rags
to get it clean as a whistle.

If you don't make Ed's Red,
any good gun cleaning solvent that cuts boolit lube will work.

I did this outside yesterday, I wouldn't do this in the house.
Jon

[whitewolf68]

Only reason I cannot boil it is because the wife would kill me. LOL Probably with my own boolits. I'll have to try a heat gun I have and see if that works.


bummer boiling is perhaps one of the best ways to get it the cleanest , baking also works ( place on a large bake pan and ummm bake for a bit ) a heat source to warm the body also makes the lube flow , a lil hotter and it will run , a hair dryer or a heat gun will do it or even a heat lamp , make sure you place it where what will run out will be caught ,
eh i get lube on some bases even using other lube , i merely twist and wipe it off , but the moly is a bit messier , some lubes are tackier ( thankfully not as black tho )

[whitewolf68]

I assume that the pressure screw drops out of the bottom?? Never heard of Ed's Red before, is that a gun cleaner?

I cleaned the die out before. I'v got an old paint can here and a heat gun. I guess after I've used up the Moly in there I'll have to clean it out and get some BAC. Seems to be the most recommended thus far.


First off,
+1 on the BAC for a heater-less lube for pistol boolits.

Cleaning out old Lube:
I use a heat gun to warm the lube-sizer body,
I remove the pressure nut and pressure screw once the Lube is warm enough to make
doing that easy, then I remove the Die too. Nothing is melted yet.

Then I just invert the sizer over a soup can or coffee can,
continue to heat til the partially melted lube slides out.

Then I used Ed's Red and a small brush on the warm
and mostly empty lubesizer body and a few shop rags
to get it clean as a whistle.

If you don't make Ed's Red,
any good gun cleaning solvent that cuts boolit lube will work.

I did this outside yesterday, I wouldn't do this in the house.
Jon

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Ed's red is a gun cleaner,
Recipes vary,
here is a link to what I made,
and there is a real good link in the first post explaining it better.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=109765&highlight=ed%27s+red
Jon

[35remington]

Whitewolf, if the Super Moly creeps against the base of the bullet in your lubrisizer, other lubes will, too.

It's the bullet design, not the lube.

How is the Super Moly shooting for you? One should evaluate this for oneself rather than taking someone else's word for it.

If the lube grooves on your pistol bullets are not overly generous it probably will work fine with little leading. On rifle velocity loads it should work quite well.

[fryboy]

pressure nut screws out of the top ( the rod comes out the bottom casting , the two together squeeze the lube and creates the pressure we use to lube ) i hear ya about SWMBO killin' ya , a camp stove or a hot plate would allow one to do it outside ( or even a burner on a BBQ ) but if momma aint happy the world is indeed a darker place , it's always best to invest in your own ummm kitchen type needed supplies as this keeps SWMBO happy lolz ( in case you dont know ... SWMBO = she who must be obeyed ;) ) boiling does work about best but one can actually boil the paint off if they arent careful , but it gets the lube out [shrugz]

[whitewolf68]

Good to know. I wondered how the screw came out of there.

Knowing my luck I would be the one person to boil the paint clean off of it as well. I think I best stick with a heat gun. LOL Also saves my own hide from SWMBO. =)


pressure nut screws out of the top ( the rod comes out the bottom casting , the two together squeeze the lube and creates the pressure we use to lube ) i hear ya about SWMBO killin' ya , a camp stove or a hot plate would allow one to do it outside ( or even a burner on a BBQ ) but if momma aint happy the world is indeed a darker place , it's always best to invest in your own ummm kitchen type needed supplies as this keeps SWMBO happy lolz ( in case you dont know ... SWMBO = she who must be obeyed ;) ) boiling does work about best but one can actually boil the paint off if they arent careful , but it gets the lube out [shrugz]

[whitewolf68]

I've not have the opportunity to shoot using the moly. I've got no place to shoot at the moment as I cannot afford the $50 for membership at my local club, at least until January.

The Lyman mold I have now has a larger lube groove but still just an ever so slight bevel in the base. I am just looking for something a little less messy as the moly is a nightmare to get off.

I've also noticed what others have said about it shrinking and not staying in the groove very well. I like to stock them lubed and ready to load so I am thinking a more wax based lube would be more to my advantage like BAC.



Whitewolf, if the Super Moly creeps against the base of the bullet in your lubrisizer, other lubes will, too.

It's the bullet design, not the lube.

How is the Super Moly shooting for you? One should evaluate this for oneself rather than taking someone else's word for it.

If the lube grooves on your pistol bullets are not overly generous it probably will work fine with little leading. On rifle velocity loads it should work quite well.

[35remington]

If there is a void like a bevel on the base of the bullet, any lube that flows through your lubrisizer, whether hard or soft, heated or unheated, will fill the bevel.

Lube goes where it can go.

[drklynoon]

I have used super moly for a while now and don't have that much trouble with it. My dad has tried many different types and in his garage they are all a mess. The Moly works well for me in my .32's and .45. With the .45 I have to hit the tensioner each stroke but just hit it don't actually torque on it.

[MGySgt]

For my plinking/general shooting I use what I have (right now I am working through my LBT Blue, I have 30 sticks of BAC next).

For my hunting loads I use super moly in my 45/70 and 45/90. I have tested it against other lubes (Red Rooster, LBT Blue, RCBS Green, 50/50 NRA, etc...

the Lyman Super moloy always came out on top for accuracy, velocity and lack of leading.

The reason I don't use it for my pistol rounds is that Lyman super Moloy is EXPENSIVE compared to Lars BAC. BAC is so cheep it really isn't worth the expense and effort to make my own.

One last thing - My hunting boolits are sized and lubed no mare than a few days until they are loaded. When in the hight country of CO for Elk where it gets mighty cold - it doesn't freeze either nor does it get hard and effect accuracy - I tested that too by freezing my ammo and letting my rifle out side (actually in the Shooting Shed) so it was cold. Very little difference in accuracy or trajectory between minus 0 and in the 40's or in the 80's.

[EMC45]

I use Moly because my 4500 came with a a stick of it and Midway had a good sale on it a while back, causing me to buy several sticks. I have since made some "Moly" lube with axle grease and beeswax as per a recipe I saw here (I believe it's 50/50). The stuff works good for me. I like the fact it doesn't require a heater. I do have a heater, but like the fact I don't need it. I just recently bought a new can of Moly grease and will pour some more sticks of lube when I get my huge hunk of beeswax down to a reasonable size.

[rexherring]

The Lyman sounds messy. I've been using this moly/beeswax lube and like it very much. My boolits stay clean and don't stick together. It does take low heat but I jus warm up my sizer with a heat shrink gun and go to it. I got it off of e-bay, here's what he writes about it.

Jake's Moly Ceresin Bullet Lube. 5 1" X 4" Hollow sticks. Fits all standard lubesizers,and works with all lube heaters. This is the good stuff!!! Clean wax, won't gum up in your seating die,causing short seats, will not shrink or crumble. It's good in all weather and not sticky or greasy. This contains Molybdenum disulfide in a base of beeswax and other ingredients. This reminds me of Thompsons Blue Angel (but is not $4.50 a stick!!!) Requires heat, around 110F to 120F. Great for all pistol and rifle rounds, gives great accuracy and leaves your barrel mirror clean!

[.22-10-45]

Hello, everyone. I have been using Lyman Super Moly from day one in working with a Shillen barreled Borchardt in .22 Hornet & Ruger No. 1 .222 Rem. The only other rifle I use it in is an early Mauser 7X57 sporter. I stiffen it up a bit with beeswax & lanolin.