Pistol lube recommendations?

[Jtarm]

I’m nearing the end of a supply of RCBS sticks I bought in a closeout a couple years back. It works OK, but I’m wondering if there might be something a bit better for my purposes.

I cast mostly plain-base bullets from straight COWW+2 or alloyed with 50% pure lead and don’t push them past 1100 fps. Bullets are sized at or slightly under throat diameter. All used in revolvers.

I tumble lube my .38 wadcutters with either thinned LLA or Rooster Jacket.

I’ve got a few lbs of clean beeswax and am not averse to mixing my own. I mixed some Satan lube for pan lubing several years ago, but I’d like something with less or no paraffin. It gets messy in the hot Texas weather.

I’m also about to take up rifle casting for a Winchester 94 .30/30 and a custom Springfield sporter .30-06, probably starting out with the RCBS .30-180-FN.

Thanks!

[hc18flyer]

I have been using Randy Rat's 'Tac1' in my Lubersizer. He used to sell on this site, but I may have had to go to EBay last time I purchased. I use BLL in my low velocity pistol loads, and have started powder coating in the last year. Not using my RCBS Lubersizer nearly as much as I used to. My option is that the BLL should work in the 30-30, may not in the 30-06? YMMV, hc18flyer

[Sam Sackett]

Ben’s Red is working fine for me. There are many threads on how to make it.

Sam Sackett

[georgerkahn]

There are, without a doubt, better lubes than what I have/use. For most all pistol/revolvers, I have been using plain-Jane Lyman lube -- the hollow sticks in my 450 and the blue lube from Magma in my Star. (Exception is .221 Fireball -- I use Lyman Orange Magic) I use the Orange Magic for rifle, too.
geo

[ShooterAZ]

White Label's BAC for pistols, 2500+ for HV rifles is what I use.

[AlaskaMike]

White Label Lube carnauba red. Best lube I've ever used.

[Winger Ed.]

In slower speed and shorter barrel hand guns- compared to rifles, the lube has a easier job and
you can do fine with pretty much any of the well proven home brews using the beeswax you have.

Since I don't want the villagers coming after me with torches and pitch forks, chanting 'Burn the Witch':
I wouldn't specifically recommend it---- but in my under 900 fps loads for .38Spec & .45ACP handguns,
I use Mrs. Winger's old melted down fu-fu candles mixed with high temp disc wheel bearing grease.
I used to use the kid's broken crayons, but they grew up and left home.

For cast in rifles, I started out with Lyman's Orange Magic back in the old days,
I've tried a few others, but keep coming back to it.

[MarkP]

White Label Lube carnauba red. Best lube I've ever used.
Carnauba Red or BAC. Carnauba Red will need a little heat to flow BAC usually does not. (My reference is in a Star Sizer) cool basement year round. (58 - 60 winter 68 - 70 summer) Carnauba Red may be better in TX heat.

[poppy42]

Ben’s Red is working fine for me. There are many threads on how to make it.

Sam Sackett

Yep Ben’s Red is my go to for just about everything from 30-06 and 223 to 9x19, 9x18, 38 special, 357 magnum, and 358 maximum! And a whole lot in between!

[WRideout]

In slower speed and shorter barrel hand guns- compared to rifles, the lube has a easier job and
you can do fine with pretty much any of the well proven home brews using the beeswax you have.

Since I don't want the villagers coming after me with torches and pitch forks, chanting 'Burn the Witch':
I wouldn't specifically recommend it---- but in my under 900 fps loads for .38Spec & .45ACP handguns,
I use Mrs. Winger's old melted down fu-fu candles mixed with high temp disc wheel bearing grease.
I used to use the kid's broken crayons, but they grew up and left home.

For cast in rifles, I started out with Lyman's Orange Magic back in the old days,
I've tried a few others, but keep coming back to it.

I also use a miscellaneous mix of products including scented candles, high temp disc brake grease, Gulf Paraffin, and the red wax off a block of cheese. I don't even remember the proportions now, but it is all I have used for the past few years for pistol, and it seems to work ok. I actually have a can of water pump grease I inherited from my stepfather; anybody remember that stuff?

Wayne

[metricmonkeywrench]

Just for local availability i end up initially getting off the shelf Lyman products, eventually I got a bunch of sticks of various makes though the secondary market. So far all have worked for my purposes. My lube for caliber selection is more driven by what sizer is used and if i need heat. My Lyman 45's live the easy life with lubes that flow at room temp such as Alox or Super Moly lubing .38 and 9mm. The later models lube sizers with dedicated heaters gets the harder types of lube and cover both rifle and pistol. My last outing with .38 showed a nice muzzle star of lube showing that at least the lube seems to be holding out for the trip down the barrel.

My only tumble lube is on a Lee 148g soupcan Wadcutter, seems to work so not much i can add there.

For black powder i do mix my own simple beeswax, crisco and olive oil concoction that seems to work for the limited number of rounds i shoot each year.

[John Guedry]

+i on White Label BAC. Works for me.

[gwpercle]

You and I cast and shoot almost identically , same alloy's , mostly handgun with 30-30 and 30-06 . Over the last 50+ years I've tried many commerical lubes ...and keep coming back to Lithi-Bee . I used to buy NRA 50-50 beeswax-alox from a commerical maker . The original formulation for Alox was changed and the new NRA 50-50 was in his opinion not as good and he wanted me to try his
Lithium-Beeswax lube , he felt it was better than the "new alox-beeswax" ...
I tried it and did like it better , even better than the old alox-beeswax . I keep trying other lubes ... and keep coming back to Lithi-Bee .
The maker , Garth Choate , got out of the lube making business but gave me the recipe ...1 part Lithium Grease ( I use Lucas Red-N-Tacky) to 3 parts Beeswax .
The "parts" are measured by weight ... I mix a 1-pound can Lucas R-N-T with 3 pounds Beeswax in a old crock pot on high . The beeswax will melt the grease doesn't melt ... mix , blend and incorporate with a stiff steel whisk .
Turn off pot , let cool and harden . Repeat this twice more ... the heating and mixing and cooling 3 times fully incorporates / blemds the mix so no separation occurs even years later ...it stays a homogenous blend .
You can make hollow or solid sticks or like I do , heat and spoon it into my Lyman 450 lube reservoir , then let it cool / harden overnight ... not as messy as making those hollow sticks in my book !
This is a soft lube and doesn't need a heater . I have found this one to work just as well as any hard lube ... To date when used ... no leading in any handgun or rifle .
Some say Lithi-Bee is smokey ... but I don't mind a little gun smoke ... I do a lot of shooting on an indoor range and I don't see a problem with it !
Gary

[justindad]

Does lithi-bee work with pan lubing? I do FWFL pan lubing.

[Engineer1911]

Ben's Red with a splash of automatic transmission fluid. I have a 2 qt Teflon aluminum saucepan for melting lube components. Follow Ben's instructions and I add 1/4 cup ATF to pan full of lube. I use an old 9" x 13" aluminum cake pan, pour the saucepan full of lube into the cake pan, plan hot cake pan into the freezer section of "MY" refrigerator (old manual defrost, that is turned off). Wait 10 minutes, remove cake pan, wipe out water / melted frost, return everything to frig, turn frig back on.

If your block of lube doesn't fall out of the cake pan, put the pan bake in freezer section for an hour, lube contracts, whole block falls out with a couple of taps on the bottom of upside down pan.

[bruce381]

white lable carnuba red needs heat tho

[Divil]

Lyman Orange Magic

[Ed_Shot]

I use WL 2500+ for both pistol and rifle. Works perfect and I only have 1 450 sizer anyway.

[gwpercle]

Does lithi-bee work with pan lubing? I do FWFL pan lubing.
I don't know , never tried to pan lube with it .
It may not be stiff enough ...

Garth's instructions said if the lube was Too Soft , to add Gulf Wax Paraffin wax to harden , as Gulf Wax is a good hard paraffin .
Stuff like crayola's and some candles can be too soft .

I never could get pan lubing to work right ... I failed miserably with it and that prompted me to buy a Lyman 450 with sticks of lube !
That 450 was the best thing I ever bought ...
Gary

[Green Frog]

I’ve probably got 5 pr more pounds of the NRA classic 50-50 beeswax and ALOX. When that runs out, I’ll probably go to le Carnauba Red I got from Dale53, but it has the downside of needing to be heated to apply, but it doesn’t run in any but the hottest weather.
Froggie

[CastingFool]

I've been using emmerts for pan lubing. Seems to work ok for my loads. One thing I don't like about it is that the lube looks like it turns rancid after a while.

[pworley1]

White Label's BAC for pistols, 2500+ for HV rifles is what I use.

This.

[brophyn70]

Do you use it in your pistol loads too? If so how’s it seem to be working?

[Rich/WIS]

XLOX 2500 in everything, like to keep it simple.

[popper]

2 coats tumble with BLL for 40sw.

[Froogal]

SPG lube is what I use for my .358 RNFP, and also my .452 RNFP. Pistol and rifle. Never had a problem with leading of the bore or anything else.

[Kentucky146]

Constructed, Made, Mixed My own 1 pound lard/tallow/Crisco (your choice) I used Lard, 20 Ounces Bee`s wax, 2 Ounces Anhydrous Lanolin (sticky agent), 2 Ounces Ballistol, NOW to my amazement less smokey than most sizing lubes I have used, the huge bonus is black powder and smoke-less powder I do not need 2 lubes just the one.and yes like all initial down stroke was round $120 hot plate, wax, ballistol, lard, lanolin by the second or third batch I was back in the black. plus one can always add food coloring if ya need color, the white works for me...YUP Emmert`s recipe but I tweaked for my needs...

[BD]

Has Felix Lube gone out of style? I'm still using it for everything that's not powder coated.

[imashooter2]

Make your own Felix World Famous Lube or buy White Label Carnauba Blue (no heat required).

[imashooter2]

Has Felix Lube gone out of style? I'm still using it for everything that's not powder coated.

Not here. I suppose folks are put off by the time needed for polymerizing the oil. I miss Felix and his posts.

[Shiloh]

Larsen's BAC
Shiloh

[greenjoytj]

Emmert’s Improved recipe calls for Crisco, my lubed bullets that have been lube and stored developed an issue where the 20:1 lead:tin alloy was developing white powdery corrosion where the lube touched the metal. I think it’s the ingredients TBHQ And Citric Acid (Antioxidants) both of these are acids and are possibly attacking the tin or the lead in my alloy.
These lubed bullets had been in storage for over a year in a non air tight MTC bullet storage boxes. (The closes but it’s not airtight).
Also the ring of lube in the lube groove had shrunk to look concave in the middle of the rings width.
The Emmert’s was also creating a tar when fired with black powder that would collect on the out side of the cases and in the chambers that would glue the fired cases so firmly some cases had to be hammered out of their chamber.
I won’t use Crisco anymore in any bullet lube I make in the future.