"thin" alox bullet lube

[rp85]

hello;

unable to find lee liquid alox in my area, only stick alox bullet lube.  is there a solvent i can use to "thin" stick alox bullet lube to become a tumble type bullet lube?   in short, stick lube becomes a liquid lube.

 thanks.

rp

[Veral]

  Rather than mess with alox at all, and get its poor results, order a couples sticks of my Commercial solid.  Warm your bullets in a kitchen oven to about 220 deg F, in an aluminum cake pan.  The type with rounded corners in the bottom.  Touch the stick of lube in the pan or on the bullets to melt off just enough lube to barely wet the bullet surfaces when you roll them around in the pan.  Re heat and play with it till you get them wetted.  Don't apply more than needed to wet the surfaces.   I developed this 'tumble lube' method when I designed the tumble lube bullet which Lee copied and marketed, before I got my mold making equipment going.  Then when I got the mold making machinery going, and did some very extensive testing of bullet design, discovered that the fine grooves are not an asset, but that normal bullets work just as well, when only the surface is wetted with lube.

  You'll get about 10,000 lubricated bullets with one stick of lube, and they will outperform liquid alox lubed bullets, by a broad margin.  However, it's a moderate load method of lubing.  One for high volume low cost shooting.
 
  Blue soft or Blue lube work just as well, if you happen to have either, but commercial is the least tacky, and performance is just as good, which is why I recommend purchasing commercial.  (I 'know' you haven't tried LBT bullet lube yet or your wouldn't be wanting to use alox.)

[antique]

Hi Veral. I always read your comments and your book. Could you elaborate on lubing regular bullets this way. Should we just stand them up in a pan and touch the lube stick to each one, but should we wipe off any lube on the bottom. I have a 460-350 wfn plain base that i love. I may never size again. thanks for the forum.

[shakey]

Veral,

I have been lubing with a "cookie-cutter" for years but your method of pan-lubing sounds pretty good. ...going to have to try it.

I do my sizing with a Lee push-through sizer.  Does it matter whether I size before or after lubing?

[Veral]

  Read my instructions a little more carefully.

  Bullets are only rolled around in a pan with a few drops of lube for the whole lot.  Just enough to make the bullet surfaces wet, no more.  There is no excess to wipe off, no cookie cutter, no mess.  What I hate most about it is it's cheap, cheap, cheap, and cuts into my lube sales like terror.  I calculated once that one stick would lubricate 10,000 38 bullets.

You could size after if you wish, but it might be wise to lube again after sizing.  Never tried it.  I only shot tumble lubed bullets that would chamber without sizing, so experiment, and let us know if sizing knocks off enough lube to detract performance.  I don't believe it will.

  Oh yes.  This is not for high power shooting.  Best hardness is air cooled WW, or around 12 bhn.  Harder will start leading at lower velocities than at 12 bhn.  Unlike bullets which have the grooves full of lube, we don't have hydrolic lubrication with this method, so keep pressures where they shoot without leading.  One should be able to get 1000 fps quite easy from revolvers, without leading, and in cool temps up to 1300-1400 fps with slow powders.

  DO NOT TRY IT WITH ANY OTHER LUBE BESIDE LBT!  What I'm writing applies only to our super strong bullet lubricants, any of the three, commercial, blue or blue soft.  All others that I'm aware of barely make it when used with heavy coatings or grooves filled.

[BruceP]

Veral do you think this method would work on 45/70 bullets at a bhn of around 10 and vel. in the mid 1300 fps range or do you think I would probably get leading with that combination?

Bruce

[Veral]

  It probably would, but barrel condition and barrel length will both be critical.  If rough, and or long velocity will be more limited.

  You an find out real inexpensively by simply trying it, and let us know.  I've used it only for revolvers, but a friend tried them in a 35 cal rifle with excellent results at speeds to 2000 fps, and this without gas checks.  He's the only person to tell me of any results in rifles.