Lube getting under boolit on Lyman 45

[nhyrum]

I've got an OLD Lyman 45 I use to lube. I've had it a few years, and I can't seem to get it adjusted right to where it ONLY greases the grooves. I either get lube under the base, or lube in the crimp Grove and on the ogive. Maybe I'm applying too much grease?

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[Rcmaveric]

Thumb nut on the bottom adjust the depth that the bullet goes into the die.

A trick I learned is to pressurize the lube reservoir. Push the bullet into the die firmly and hold. Then let the pressure of the lube reservoir and then eject the bullet.

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[tazman]

Something that will help in that regard and solved the problem for me. Buy RCBS brand sizing dies. They work interchangeably with the Lyman dies.,
The RCBS only has one ring of holes on the sizing dies for pistol calibers where the Lyman dies have holes on several levels.
With the RCBS dies, you can set the holes to line up with the lube groove and control exactly where the lube goes by controlling the pressure on the adjustment screw.
Only put enough pressure on the lube to flow just enough to fill the groove. It takes a little practice and touch but can be done.

[nhyrum]

Thumb nut on the bottom adjust the depth that the bullet goes into the die.

A trick I learned is to pressurize the lube reservoir. Push the bullet into the die firmly and hold. Then let the pressure of the lube reservoir and then eject the bullet.

Sent from my SM-G965U using TapatalkI have adjusted the depth "nut", like I said, I either get lube under the boolit out on the front ogive

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[onelight]

I have found that if the temperature of the tool and lube is wrong or if the tool is caked with old lube I wind up putting too much pressure on the lube to get it started then when it flows I get to much.
There are guys here that know way more than I do perhaps they will offer something better to help.

[poppy42]

To much pressure. It happens to me When I apply to much pressure I just back off the pressure a little bit wipe the bottom of the bullet clean out the die and keep on going

[Winger Ed.]

I have to tinker around with the depth adjustment, temperature, and pressure to avoid that.

And I still get a little lube under the boolit. I keep a Q-tip handy to wipe the top of the die once in awhile.

[poppy42]

I have to tinker around with the depth adjustment, temperature, and pressure to avoid that.

And I still get a little lube under the boolit. I keep a Q-tip handy to wipe the top of the die once in awhile.

^^^^ +1

[nhyrum]

I think I found my solution. I mostly lube big, heavy 45 caliber boolits for my 454(not quite 45-70 big and heavy though) with two big lube grooves, so they take a lot of grease. I was obviously was over doing it. Now, what I do is I lube in to strokes. First stroke with no added pressure, turn the bullet a little, the second with the slightest, say, 5 degree tweak, of the wrench. That's generally enough to fill them both.

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[Beagle333]

I do a lot of 45 boolits too, and that's how I do it.... tweak the wrench just a little in between each boolit, and sometimes they have to go down twice.

[1hole]

There are moving parts in Lyman's excellent lubrasizers so there is a moderate learning curve to correctly adjust and use them. A few tips:

Getting lube on the ogive? The bottom screw adjustment is too low; screw it up until the bullet's fully pressed ogive stops above the dies' upper lube hole.

Getting lube on the base? One or both of two things:
(1) You're not holding quite enough pressure on the sizing lever to seal the bullet's base onto the "I" die when you apply lube pressure. So, press the lever down bit harder ... but don't be a dumb ace gorilla about it, they can be broken!
(2) You're over torquing the lube pump lever so the bullets get hydraulically pushed above the die's lower lube holes by injecting over pressurized lube.

* Bullets leaving a clearly visible greasy "star" on the muzzle after firing just a few rounds means you're putting too much lube in the grooves. Contrary to popular myth, lube grooves rarely need to be more than about 80% full.


When the bottom adjustment screw of a 45-450-4500 luberasizer is set correctly (with Lyman dies) there will be no need to rotate a bullet and make a second pass.

[nhyrum]

I was also applying far too much pressure. I was giving each boolit about a quarter turn of the wrench

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[tazman]

I was also applying far too much pressure. I was giving each boolit about a quarter turn of the wrench

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Wow! That is more pressure than I ever try to use. I can't say how big a percentage of a rotation I use but it isn't anywhere near that. When I can feel pressure on the wrench, I stop. This is always enough to get the job done.
That said, it matters what lube you are using. I am using White Label 50-50, which flows pretty easily. I don't need to put much pressure on it to get it to move.
When I use Tac1, I use a heater to warm it somewhat. I don't like to use a lot of pressure to make it work.

[nhyrum]

Wow! That is more pressure than I ever try to use. I can't say how big a percentage of a rotation I use but it isn't anywhere near that. When I can feel pressure on the wrench, I stop. This is always enough to get the job done.
That said, it matters what lube you are using. I am using White Label 50-50, which flows pretty easily. I don't need to put much pressure on it to get it to move.
When I use Tac1, I use a heater to warm it somewhat. I don't like to use a lot of pressure to make it work.Yeah, now I use about 1/16 a turn and they're usually full. I just have a 1/4 inch nut driver on it, and I was cranking it till I couldn't turn it anymore, and even gave my palm a blister from the first batch. The lube I use is 50/50 beeswax and moly lube I believe. It's Glenn fryxell's moly lube. It's sort of stiff at 70 degrees, but a touch of heat helps it flow easier

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[Martin Luber]

I had that problem... grease seeped under bullet as l removed downward pressure on the ram..

solved by starting with no lube pressure, stroke down, grease the bullet then remove lube pressure.

The other issue was lube viscosity being too high when cold or settled. I put a low torch flame on the die region for 10 sec or so then I put it on the reservoir for equal time. Gets things moving better.

[1hole]

Warm stiff lubes cheap and easy. Find a used (ladies) hair dryer in a thrift shop for not much.

Lay it along side your lubrasizer and let it blow warm air at the reservoir.

[tazman]

Warm stiff lubes cheap and easy. Find a used (ladies) hair dryer in a thrift shop for not much.

Lay it along side your lubrasizer and let it blow warm air at the reservoir.

That is exactly what I did with my Lyman 45. My 4500 has a heater built in.

[Rockindaddy]

Look up Magma Mfg. Co. and buy a STAR luber sizer! The bullets get punched straight through into a can! Fast and easy!

[Rich/WIS]

Can have issues with some bevel base bullets, they don't seat tight on the "I" punch and the pressurized lube has a place to push up on the bullet. Uneven bullet bases can also cause this as lube has an entry point under the bullet. There was a mod shown in the old NRA reloading guide where the "I" punch was chucked in a lather and turned to leave a 1/32" shoulder and a deeper center on the punch to get a better seal to the bullet. When I had access to a lathe I did this and it definitely worked.