cast smooth

[bearbeater]

Hi Veral
I was on  corbins sight and I saw a smooth swedged bullit. and a Knural device that knurals the smooth surface and then is lubed. I was wondering if it is possible to cast the same and then knural with the same results?? I was also wondering if knuraling was better for engaging the lands and grooves then the conventional lube groves. Please I value your opinion.
Thanks
Bearbeater

[Veral]

  Knurling will not hold enough lubricant nor keep enough lead off the barrel to allow more than low velocity use.

  The bullet molds sold by Lee for tumble lube have shallow narrow rings in their surface for lubricant.  --  I developed this exact design and wrote it up in the Cast Bulllet Association newsletter just before I got my mold making equipment going.  I promised to offer that desine, but after doing more through testing than I had done before writing the article, I dropped the idea because it was only good for low velocities.  Lee 'inovated' it immediately after I wrote it up, and still sells it, 27 years later.

  Hornady knurls their swaged pistol bullets to hold lubricant, and they work very well at low handgun velocities.

  I can still make the grooved bullets if anyone wants them, but don't catalog them.  They produce superb accuracy out of revolvers at velocities up to 1100 fps or so, if lubed with LBT lubricant, which is simply melted on in an aluminum cake tin with bullets laying on their side.  Add just enough lubricant to wet the bearing surface.  It works just as well with grooved bullets which also have the capability of being driven to much higher velocities if the grooves are filled.

[bearbeater]

Thanks for the input I shoot the 45-70 and this is what my intentional use would be
Bearbeater

[Veral]

  The 45-70 is capable of velocities far over what any tumble lubed bullet will stand.  Best to stick with gas checked, or Glue On Patch bullets.

  Digging lead out of a barrel is not fun, and especially when pondering the horrible targets you'll print if the bullet doesn't slide freely down the tube!

   I've read of several lubes over the years that were supposed to make smooth lead bullets shoot accurately without leading, have tried all I've heard about, and found none of them up to the advertisement.  Not even close in fact.

   I have this 'thing' about cast bullets since I've learned that one NEVER has to clean the barrel if the load is working right.  Gas checked bullets with LBT lube, or GOP bullets keep the barrel in perfectly clean condition and preserved from rust at the same time!  (GOP may be marginal in rust protection as very little lube is used and the barrel looks like a mirror inside.  I've never left a gun set in damp environment after using them, long enough to know about rust protection, but it would definately be superior to shoot jacketed bullets, in that respect.)

[ND Sharpshooter]

Veral is right on the mark in his last posting.  6-7 years ago I shot 700+ of his 170 grain flat nosed (made for 30-30 but worked excellently in 308) cb's lubed with hard LBT Blue at 1950 or so fps without cleaning the barrel at all.  I then cleaned it for the sole purpose of determining if the accuracy would be improved even though it was still shooting its regular sized groups.  There was no improvement.  I'm now in the 400's of shots with my Marlin 1895 45-70 using LBT soft blue and Veral's 330 grain WFN.  Shot 50 of them today.  Accuracy is fine.  Shot a doe with it last Saturday.  One shot, thru the front area of her left shoulder, took out top of heart, she staggered 50 or so feet and collapsed.  These bullets are 10-11 BHN.  Velocity is 1190 fps.  There's no sign of leading at all.  Use a good lube such as LBT blue and correctly fitted castings and you'll seldom have leading problems if your barrel is half way smooth.  I've had similar results (success) with my 336 in 35 Rem and 94 in 357 mag.

[Veral]

  Thank you ND shooter.  Your deer kill report is one of many thousands I've received in the 27 years I've been selling the LBT designs.  The kill speed you got is typical, which always amazes me, as it puts  better than rifle kill speed into handguns and low recoil soft report rifle loads.