Lube gaps

[Yosemite Sam]

I have been getting gaps in the lube channels when lubing Keith-style 44 mags and 357 mags with my new Lyman 4500. This happens with both calibers and with both Lyman Orange Magic and Felix lube. The plunger depth is adjusted properly and I have tried adjusting it up and down, but this doesn't help. I think what is happening is that the driving bands form a seal against the sizing die and when the lube is forced in, there is nowhere for the air to go, so the compressed air bubbles come out as gaps in the lube ring. I know that I am using enough pressure because lube leaks out wherever it can. Is there any fix for this other than popping the bullet up, rotating it ~45 degrees and resizing/relubing?

[southpaw]

I have had this happen also. It seemed to me that it would happen when I used too much pressure. I would just push it back down and bring it back out and it was fine. Not sure if this is what is happening to you but thats what helped stop it for me.

Jerry Jr.

[fryboy]

the lyman directions
" http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/pdf/LyC_BC_LS_4500.pdf "

wont let me copy what i want too lolz but basically they state to use no more pressure than needed and when one gets voids in the lube to run it down again , i've sometimes spun the boolit a bit before doing so and have also found that if i offset the lube holes from the main body it helps ( think of them placed as a " x" vs. a "t" in the hole in relation to the reservoir )

[cajun shooter]

A lack of lube groove fillout is usually the sign of too little pressure or a lube in need of some heat to assist flow.

[462]

I agree with cajun shooter that the proper temperature, or lack of it, is the main cause.

[Doc Highwall]

I am using the Bull Shops NASA lube at room temperature and I get voids also but just adding more pressure can also force lube under the base of the bullet, so I just spin the bullet while it is still in the sizing die and lower it down into the die again as a matter in fact I do this several times and if your sizing die is out of round it will give you a bullet that is more concentric.

[Yosemite Sam]

Thanks, all. I guess I was hoping for a quick fix that would not involve pushing the bullet down more than once. I am surprised at the amount of force it takes to get the bullet back up out of the sizing die. It goes down much more easily than it comes back up even though it is getting sized on the way down. Is this normal?

[fryboy]

hmmm... i actually bought the 4500 and nope to me it doesnt ...when i think about it i cant help but wonder if perhaps it's just a weak spot in the leverage when that particular boolit hits bottom or the linkage binding perhaps ? i defarbbed mine before i ever used it , took it all apart killed the few burrs if any and flitzed the [summin] outta it , lubed it with a good oil and it's been rockin' since ( or at least when i use it ) i did have to tinker with the linkage to get it to feel the way i liked but no binding ....[shrugz] even with the heater i still prefer the 45 !!! [dratz]

[Yosemite Sam]

It doesn't feel like the linkage; the bullet seems to be stuck in there. The only thing I can think of is that the heat causes the bullet to expand slightly and get wedged in the sizer.

[fryboy]

that makes me think two ( more lolz ) things .... if ( hate that word ...) ur die is a lil eggshaped and ur bottom pull is hard enough and if a semi soft alloy ...could it actually be bumping it up in size a wee bit ? not sayin that heat wouldnt expand it but it shouldnt be in there for more than a pull or so , i also have to confess that my hard lubed boolits i preheat the boolits under a desk lamp in a tuna can before i size and lube them , IMHO it helps the lube adhere better ( but i have alot of rambling thoughts ) i didnt quite like how high it pushes my boolit up and out or rather how high it didnt so i installed a new stick on ww at the round part of the knockout link and it gave me about 1/8" more push up , doesnt affect the down pull tho ...

[lwknight]

Is it really harder to pull back out?
Maybe it seems that way because you are pulling down on the handle (easy to do) and when you lift its a different muscle set ( just seems harder) .

You might actually be mashing them down too hard. Just enough pressure to hit the stop is what you want.

[waksupi]

If you are water dropping, and the bullets are not completely dry, this will happen. Otherwise, Elmer Keith said, fuggedaboudit! No harm done.

[Yosemite Sam]

It's been a couple of weeks since I've gotten back to this, but I discovered that the problem was too much heat. With the heater on, the lube becomes so soft and mushy that it forms a seal on the forward band and prevents air from escaping. With the lube sizer and lube cool, the problem goes away and most bullets only need a single trip down the sizer. On the Orange Magic label, it says heat is required, but I'm using Felix lube now and it works great at room temp.

[Von Gruff]

Another area to look at is whether the sizing die is one of the older two lube rows (that is one verticle row on either side of the die) or the newer 4 row die.
I found the 2 row ide would often leave gaps in the lube but when I drilled another 2 rows of holes the problem dissapared. Was origionally mor evident when colder or harder lube was used.

Von Gruff.

[Yosemite Sam]

Good point. Mine is a new sizer die with four rows of holes.

Are sizer dies made of hard steel and difficult to drill?

[GP100man]

+1 for a little heat , OM is a stiff Lube in my opinion .

The warmer it gets the less pressure ya need !

When ya hit the rite temp & pressure ya can lube by bumping the handle everyother boolit & not get any lube on a bevel based boolits base !!