anybody got an easy and inexpensive way to lube?i found some old cast 158gn 38's that are .359 dia and i was gonna use them in my old 38 s&w victory,thing is they are unlubed any suggestions

Lee makes a liquid lube (forgot the name) that you roll them around in and let dry.

The Lee lube is called Lee Liquid Alox.

You can also find some nice lubes at LsStuff Stuff - they have liquid (pan lubes) and solid lubes available.

Their version of liquid alox is less expensive than the Lee brand.

The liquid lubes are at Liquid Lube/ X-Lox 350 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

I have used the 45-45-10 lube, and it does dry harder (less sticky, messy) than the straight alox lubes.

I have no affiliation with the vendor - but I have used their liquid lubes and I do like them.

The Lee Liquid Alox works well also. There are many good descriptions of lube methods over at the castboolits forum.

EDIT - Whichever version you try, apply a small amount, too much can get messy, and really isn't necessary for good performance.

Get some lee liquid alox and follow directions is probably the easiest/cheapest way.

Alox is prolly the easiest way to go, but most new users use way too much and get messy, smoky bullets. I would thin the alox to the consistency of cream and use very little. All that is needed is a light, translucent tan coating. Also go to Castboolits.com for tons of info on casting, lubing, and nearly everything else about cast lead bullets. Cast Boolits

I agree the Alox is the easiest. If you want a different option, you can pan lube. You can either buy a wax lube, and use it as is, or make your own. Most recipes are a mixture of beeswax and something like lithium grease, and/or ATF. The advantage to this is the components are available locally. You may or may not have either Alox or a wax lube available at a local gun store.

If I want to thin Lee Alox, what do I use to thin it?

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Mineral Spirits.

50/50.

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Lee liquid alox is the best all-around lube I've used. I've done the 45/45/10-thing (alox/johnson paste wax/mineral spirits) but I don't think it matters that much. As a matter of course, when I buy lead fodder for the 44mag I immediately tumble lube them with 45/45/10 - I don't even hesitate.

LLA is cheap and easy. Give it a try. I think you'll like the results.

65% Beeswax/35% Vaseline/a dash of baby oil and a crayon of your choice of color melted in a double boiler. Pan lube and allow to cool.

I use a method that is less than orthodox when loading cast bullets for some of my old 19th Century rifles. These old timers frequently need bullets in odd diameters for which lubricator-sizer dies are not readily available, so I've learned to improvize.

Pure white lithium grease is actually an excellent cast bullet lubricant. It can be applied simply by wiping it into the lube grooves with a fingertip. I have used this method for years and kept several old Winchesters and an original Sharps shooting. Bore cleaning is usually very easy; even with black powder loads the bore seldom requires more than a couple of dry patches followed by some bore cleaner, then dry patches until they come out clean.

White lithium grease can be found in auto supply stores, either in grease cartridges or the easier to use squeeze tubes. A little goes a long way; I don't think I've used half a pound in over 20 years and many hundreds of rounds.

The generic or branded Liquid Alox works fine if used properly,i.e., very little. The bullet should have about the same amount of lube as a 22lr bullet. An old cottage cheese or margarine container with a layer or two of the bullets and about a teaspoon full or less works well.

Ditto... a teaspoon will do 200 easily. I use my own unsized cast 158 gn RN for all my 38 S&W revolvers and it works great. I also find that, when fired, the Alox lubed bullets leave an oily residue that cleans up easily. And yes, if you overdo it, it tends to be smokey.
John

I agree with the castboolits site. Any question you could possibly have about cast bullets you will find the answer there...Nick