Push-thru Lube

[res45]

I forgot to mention when tumble lubing or ranch dipping bullet if you warm the bullets up first by either placing them in the sunlight or on a heating pad the TL or dip coats them much more evenly as well as fills in all the grooves as apposed to the bullets being cold which mine usually are out in my reloading shack.

As far as ranch dipping I warm my lube up in one of those small potpourri crock pot,I partially fill it with water and use a stainless steel container that sits in the heated water to hold the lube.  I could put it right in the pot but it's lots less messy and I can use the pot for other things later.  After it dries over night I run the bullets back through the sizer and clean off the excess and fills the grooves nicely compressing the lube into them more firmly.  Since my Alox/JPW lube basically hardens when it dries it leave the excess lube on the base of the die which can be remove ever so often if it becomes a problem.  I just pit it back in my little stainless bowl.

This is basically how it's done,I just modified mine a little http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/Tips/Alox/

[Hairy Chest]

So if you don't size, then you will pan lube.  If sizing is needed, then ranch dip or dropper method.  Correct? 

[Lloyd Smale]

for all you guys trying to save a buck by not buying a lubsizer . Lymans can be found on ebay for around 50 bucks used. Im not a fan of tumble lube. Its not the greatest lube to begin with and if you store alot of ammo in a hot enviroment for any period of time it can and will contaminate your powder and youll end up with squib loads. As to pan lubing ive done it just enough to know that its way to much work and to messy and slow for me. I guess i allways valued my time. If a loading or casting job takes 4 times longer then it would otherwize its less time i have for other loading jobs and more importantly less time i have to shoot. A 100 bucks for a used sizer and a couple sizing dies is money WELL spent.

[Hairy Chest]

for all you guys trying to save a buck by not buying a lubsizer . Lymans can be found on ebay for around 50 bucks used. Im not a fan of tumble lube. Its not the greatest lube to begin with and if you store alot of ammo in a hot enviroment for any period of time it can and will contaminate your powder and youll end up with squib loads. As to pan lubing ive done it just enough to know that its way to much work and to messy and slow for me. I guess i allways valued my time. If a loading or casting job takes 4 times longer then it would otherwize its less time i have for other loading jobs and more importantly less time i have to shoot. A 100 bucks for a used sizer and a couple sizing dies is money WELL spent.

That's why we shoot fewer rounds, Lloyd.  Time is important and lead is precious.  Besides for many of us, quality is more important than quantity.  I have a Ranch Dog 2-cavity and 6-cavity mold exactly the same, but guess which one makes shooters and the other's a boat anchor?  It's beautiful, makes lots lead goblets that you can go bang, bang, bang, but for some reason there is a price:  loss of accuracy.  I say anytime time is shortened, there is more often than not a price paid.  Doing things slowly never reduces accuracy.  If it does, by doing it slowly you will catch it, while the other guy will still be all ecstatic about all the lead he's got.  We see that phenomena frequently when they show a picture of a pile of bullets.  Are they any good?  We'll never know, but they sure know how to make them.   

[Lloyd Smale]

speed or going slow has little to do with making quality bullets. Rythm is what matters. If i can do the exact same thing every time i make a bullet, same temp alloy mold pouring pressure ect. I will make my best bullets. If i can do it faster then you do it then im not making an inferior bullet. If i do it faster because im using better equiptment im not making inferior bullets. I had to chukle at your example. This isnt my first rodeo. I probably casted as many bullets in my life as anyone in the US that isnt a comercial caster. Ive got well over a 100 molds and have probably gotten rid of at least that many more. The hands down worse molds ive ever delt with are lee 2 cav molds. There 6 cav molds arent prised possesions of mine but are hands down better made and more conisistant that the 2 cav. versions. No, slowing down (unless your getting sloppy or have no dexterity or havent casted enough to really develope the skill) or doing things the hard way does not produce better bullets. It just uses more time. If i could get you here id bet a dime to a hundred bucks that i could take two or even three 4 cav ballistic cast or other quality molds and run them at the same time and use a bottom pour pot and cast bullets as close in weight as you can using a 2 cav lee mold and any pot of your choosing and id have a coffee can full before you had a 150 of them. Same goes for sizing. Flat out the only reason not to use a lube sizer is that you cant afford one! Theres not one advantage to pan lubing other then the fact you allready own a pan.
Ive been at this for a while and have tried and used about every technique and every brand of equitment there is. I kind of know what works and what doesnt. I know best how to spend my money to get the most bang for my buck and i know which stuff to buy to end up with a quality product. Like i said in my previous post it comes down the the major reason we all are loading and casting to begin with. Its so we can afford to shoot our guns more. A 100 shinny bullets sitting on a shelf arent what turns me on. A 100 holes in a target or a pile of dead animals do. I load and cast to shoot period! If i can make the same quality product using half the time  and could afford that product then in my opinion id be a fool for not buying it.
you also need to keep in mind with me that this is a bit more then a hobby. Its my life and has been for 30 years. I dont own a harley dont own snowmobiles anymore. Dont go out and buy new golf clubs or even know how to hold one. I load cast and shoot. Its a rare day that goes by that i dont at least do one of those things. I shake my head at a guy who wont buck up 200 bucks for a lubesizer but will spend that much on a little chrome trinket for his harley or the latest gulf club. But then everyone has there own ideas about how to spend there money. Me ill spend mine on quality shooting gear that makes my hobby more enjoyable.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Hairy Chest]

My LBT 4-cavity molds are very consistent on the target.  You can't go by the scale.  They can weigh exact and shoot patterns.  My 2-cavity Lee you can see light thru will out shoot 6-cavity, but the 6 cavity's bullets are close on weight.  The only way to figure that one out is shoot 100 yards or farther.  That is when another factor boils in:  balance.  And the ole Lee clickity, clackity 2-cavity you can see light through is the champion.  I have no use for a fancy mold that doesn't group.  It is a boat anchor. 

[Hairy Chest]

A 100 shinny bullets sitting on a shelf arent what turns me on. A 100 holes in a target or a pile of dead animals do.

I like one hole in a target.   

[budman46]

h.c.,
with to respect lloyd s. and not wishing wish to step on toes, but i have a different opinion:

i got rid of a lyman and rcbs sizer/luber in favor of lee's push-thru design; i saw no difference in the final outcome of my ammo when switching to liquid alox/push-thru after 30+ years of sizer/luber and traditional lube, except for the savings in time, effort and cost.

cost: dies and top punches are 3x the cost of lee's push-throughs...assuming you have the machine, which is  expensive.

time and effort: liquid alox, drying, sizing and re-aloxing takes less than 1/2 the effort/time a sizer/lubricator does.

results: for me, the results are indistinguishable...i've been doing this for over 40 years, and an iron-sight 2.5-3" group with iron sights the "old way" and an iron-sight 2.5-3" group this way are a big savings of time and effort.

[.22-5-40]

Pan lube your bullets, then run them thru the pushthru size die. Works like a champ.

Pan lube is the worst, slowest method!   Don't be offended.  I refuse to be a pan handler!   

I just continued on, ran them unclean through the lubsizer and wiped them off with alcohol rag.  Now they look like store-bought bullets, but mine are better because they are harder and a precise fit to my gun than what would be normally available.

   Pan Handler! LOL that made my day!
You kind of think like me.  I have been working with cast .22 bullets for Hornet & .222Rem.  I have Corbin bullet-reducing dies for reloading press..nose-first sizing ..here is what I do.  after hand seating g.c. on bullet base using flat-face punch and flat plate in Lyman 45, I run thru .227" sizer..this crimps g.c. & just kisses bullt dia.
   Bullets are then de-greased & impact moly-coated using Neco process.  They are then pushed thru Corbin .226 sizer..the moly provides some lubrication..but every so often, I rub a very thin film of swage lube on a bullet to ease sizing.
   Next, they are taper sized in a tapered sizer I made to size front band to chamber throat leade angle.
Then they take a trip thru a .226 Lyman sizer die in an original Ideal 1892 No.1 lube-sizer..grooves filled with Lyman Super Moly...and you thought pan lubing was a chore!
Never claimed to be a speed demon when it came to precision bullet production...(last weekend I tried some of these little pills with Vihtavuori N110..several 1/2" groups at 100yds.).

[Ranch13]

 I'm a bit curious about the lla being faster by 1/2 than lubrisizing. When I use the lla, you have to coat the bullets then let them dry, if you size after lubing, you need to coat again and let dry, that's 2 days before you can load, 1 day if shooting as cast.
 With the lubrisizer I quite often lube 50 bullets and seat them just as soon as the cases are primed and charged.
Don't quite know what to say about folks dissing panlubing, it's not that big of a deal and a lot less fuss than liquid alox.