New Guy Q's

[khamill2000]

I have been reading here for several months while getting all my supplies ready to begin. I started casting for the first time last weekend. I have had a few problems but was able to solve them here by reading but haven't found a solution to this one. I am casting 230 grain 45 acp with a tumble lube mold. My first attempt at lube was straight alox. I was just dipping the base of the bullet in a small cup of lube. This left an extremely thick coat of alox on the bullet. Second attempt was tumble lube with alox thinned with mineral spirits. This left the bullets sticky and messy. Third attempt was using melted Mothers carnuba wax and dipping the base of the bullets in it. This was much cleaner.

When I loaded the rounds, the Alox lubed bullets were extremely messy. I had to keep cleaning the press and had to wipe down the loaded rounds with mineral spirits. The carnuba lubed bullets wiped clean easily with a dry cloth after loading.

I then tested the rounds. My base for comparison was my standard load. Assorted brass, CCI primers, 5.3 grains of HP 38/Win 231, and 230 grain Rainier plated bullets. They all work perfectly in my 1911 and my buddy's XD. The only changes I made were the bullet and lube. The Alox lubed bullets worked fine in the 1911 but would not cycle the XD. The wax lubed bullets sounded like a weak cap gun in the 1911 and would not cycle the action. I did not try them in the XD because I didn't want to have a bullet stuck in the barrel.

What is causing this since the only thing to change was the bullet and lube?

[geargnasher]

First, are you letting the liquid Alox dry? Sounds like you're loading them dripping wet!

Check out the sticky here in the lube section for how to "Tumble lube easy and mess-free", it demonstrates a very effective tumble-lube method.

Gear

[khamill2000]

I tumble lubed on Tuesday and didn't load anything until Thursday. The wax dried a few hours. I don't have any JPW on hand so I made up a batch using Boelube (wax based aircraft drilling lubricant). I haven't tried it yet.

[Recluse]

The Alox lubed bullets worked fine in the 1911 but would not cycle the XD. The wax lubed bullets sounded like a weak cap gun in the 1911 and would not cycle the action. I did not try them in the XD because I didn't want to have a bullet stuck in the barrel.

What is causing this since the only thing to change was the bullet and lube?

First off, lube has no bearing on whether or not a boolit will "cycle" or not. Cycling is a function of power (powder, primer, crimp combination) not bullet lubrication.

As far as the "waxed" bullets sounding like a weak cap gun, it sounds like the lube contaminated the powder and you weren't getting full detonation. And THAT is what kept the action from cycling.

What did you size the boolits to?

What's your load?

Also, sounds like you are applying whichever lubes you are trying way too thick, which is inhibiting them from drying. Wet lubes, reloading presses and gunpowder rarely get along and play nicely together.

Check out the sticky up top "Tumble Lubing--Make Easy and Mess Free." That's a good formula that dries fairly fast (I once even lubed some boolits and set them out in the rain and they still dried at the end of the day), gives good accuracy and leaves your bore clean.

BUT, you have to do your part, which is properly sizing the boolit, correctly loading it (charge-wise) and crimping it correctly for the application/gun you are using.

Lead versus plated bullets is a bit of a different game. Not a lot of forgiveness with lead when it comes to sizing. Undersize and you'll get leading. Oversize and you'll get feed jams and cycle jams. Lube has nothing whatsoever to do with that.

:coffee:

[mdi]

Not cycling the action/weak loads would tell me perhaps the powder got contaminated.

[khamill2000]

First off, lube has no bearing on whether or not a boolit will "cycle" or not. Cycling is a function of power (powder, primer, crimp combination) not bullet lubrication.

As far as the "waxed" bullets sounding like a weak cap gun, it sounds like the lube contaminated the powder and you weren't getting full detonation. And THAT is what kept the action from cycling.

What did you size the boolits to?

What's your load?

Also, sounds like you are applying whichever lubes you are trying way too thick, which is inhibiting them from drying. Wet lubes, reloading presses and gunpowder rarely get along and play nicely together.

Check out the sticky up top "Tumble Lubing--Make Easy and Mess Free." That's a good formula that dries fairly fast (I once even lubed some boolits and set them out in the rain and they still dried at the end of the day), gives good accuracy and leaves your bore clean.

BUT, you have to do your part, which is properly sizing the boolit, correctly loading it (charge-wise) and crimping it correctly for the application/gun you are using.

Lead versus plated bullets is a bit of a different game. Not a lot of forgiveness with lead when it comes to sizing. Undersize and you'll get leading. Oversize and you'll get feed jams and cycle jams. Lube has nothing whatsoever to do with that.

:coffee:

The load was listed in the first post. The only thing that I changed was going from plated bullets to cast bullets. I only sized the first 20 or so (.452) because the sizing die was barely touching them and was getting all messy. I slugged the bore of the 1911 at .450. Barrel was clean before and after shooting 2 mags.

I am heading out to see if I can find some JPW.

[khamill2000]

Was able to find the JPW and make the lube. Lubed some 45's and some 9's. Let them dry a couple of hours and sized them. The 45's were sized at .452. There was almost no resistance going through the sizing die. The 9's went through a .356 die and felt what I would consider normal. The bands were bright and shiny. I then relubed all of the bullets and will let them dry overnight. I suspect my mold is dropping the 45's closer to .451

[Ferdinand]

After one go-round with the tumble lube, I switched to pan lubing. The results have been excellent, and it's not as messy.

[khamill2000]

Still not working out. I made up the new lube and tumbled the bullets,dried for 24 hrs, sized them and dried for another 24 hrs. Also increased the charge by .3 grains. Ran them through an XD and still had one fail to cycle. I was watching the shell casings eject and the first few fell right around the gun. 2 flew about 3 feet further. The powder charges are all consistent. Could this be caused by an undersized bullet? I still don't think that the sizing die is doing much.

[Bkid]

Did you re-lube after sizing?

[khamill2000]

Did you re-lube after sizing?

Yes. Tumble lubed again

[ghh3rd]

I'm no expect by any means, but it sure seems like a strange problem. Perhaps double check your load on a different scale. I doublt it's the powder itself.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Well, I have never "tumble" lubed any thing or pan lubed anything, as it just seemed to me to be a mess. That is JMHO of course, but that is what I saw.

Anyway, have used a sizer/luber for years, and always make it a practice to wipe the bottom of the bullet on a rag (laid on the bench) after the bullet comes from the sizer, ---------- And again before loading.

Is this over kill?

Well, I can't say, but it works for me and I have never had a blooper.

Lube can mess your powder, your gun and your day, so I just don't want any of it on the powder end of my boolets!

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[khamill2000]

After more searching, I found that I probably should not be using the FCD. I pulled a bullet that had been properly sized and lubed (.452) and found that it now measures .450-.451. I have a fresh batch drying and will load them without the FCD and see if that helps.

[Bkid]

I use the FCD and I do not see that being the problem. What mold are you using ? The back of the bullet is where you measure,not the case mouth. Just incase that is what you are doing. I size mine to .452 then re tumble. I am using the Lee 6 cavity 45 200 GR SWC mold. From what I understand , using to small a bullet wil cause leading. Some pics of your bullets may give some more insight. Show the measurement with caliper of the back of the bullet.