.22 LR bullet lube

[Repeater]

I have 1000 rds of Federal .22LR, 40 grain round nose (blue and white box) that are causing a ridiculous amount of leading in two of my guns. One is a Walther/Colt 1911 and the other is a Browning Challenger II.
I've also had the same issue with Thunderbolt ammo...so much so that I stopped buying it.

Have any forum members used a spray like Hornady or Lyman? I've only used these lubes on larger calibers when re-loading...never on completed cartriges.
Is there something else you may suggest?



Someone at my LGS suggested high temperature PAM cooking spray but I'm hesitant on that one.


Thanks!

 

[weatherby]

I've had the issue with thunderbolts also.
Same as you won't touch them again.

I could be wrong but too soft of lead is still too soft of lead IMHO.

 

[Patrick L]

I wonder if using a liquid bullet lube like diluted Lee Liquid Alox would help? It might be a pain though. If it were me, I would try tumbling the entire round in it. Over on the Cast Boolits forum, we all thin it considerably with mineral spirits, like 50/50 at least. You end up with just the faintest coating, which believe it or not is enough on a conventional cast bullet. I know lubricant on a cartridge case is generally a no-no, but .22s being straight blowback, I can't imagine the dried lube on the cartridge case would be a problem. But I don't know if the initial wet tumble could creep in and kill the powder??? I'd be inclined to try it on like 25 or 50 rounds first.

Disclaimer: I have never tried this, I'm just thinking out loud!

 

[Nevada Ed]

If one had the plastic ammo holders with 100 holes in it........

dipping 100 at a time, might work but that is going to be very boring.

Federal must have two different quality standards.
The last ammo I shot was fine, but not int w&blue box.

 

[Repeater]

If one had the plastic ammo holders with 100 holes in it........

dipping 100 at a time, might work but that is going to be very boring.

Federal must have two different quality standards.
The last ammo I shot was fine, but not int w&blue box.

Well, I have the plastic ammo holders...guess I'll try with thinned lube...what have I got to lose? I have NEVER seen .22LR ammo cause this much leading!

 

[Tim Stapp]

What diameter do the bullets (the portion outside of the case, just above the case measure?

No matter the lubricant, if they're undersize: I suspect that they will lead.

 

[2152hq]

The Remington Thunderbolts in the past went through a time when they leaded so bad you couldn't get a cleaning rod and brush through the barrel after a dozen rds.

A hammer was necessary to tap the rod with brush through the bore. Out would come shards and long slivers of lead from the bore.
That was to get the majority of the leading out. The bore would still be leaded.
I resorted to using Mercury to clean out the K22 that was fouled with them.
My brother shooting with me at the time and using the same ammo but bought by him at a different store did the same to his Ruger MkII.

I never used the rest of them and many others reported the same problems.

Pure lead?,,I don't know.
Lots of complaints and theorys.
Bad batch and maybe they got thru the issue but I never bought any of them again.
What a mess.

I still had them when the Pres Obama era ammo shortage came around.
I sold what I had left of the stuff at a show even though I had them posted as the Rem T-Bolt ammo that leaded badly.

Some guy snatched them up quickly. Said he didn't care,,it was .22 ammo.
Mercury not included..

 

[Green Frog]

I think you will find that Federal has many more than just two standards. In some cases it's a matter of how well the ammo lot fares in QC and testing, but it would appear that other labels of Federal ammo are made to lower standards, perhaps to hit a price point.
The absolute apex of Federal 22 rim fire production occurred over 40 years ago when they copied the Russian ammo produced for the Olympics. The result was legendary, but very expensive and short lived in production.
I just go with the bulk boxes of Auto Match that shoot "pretty well" in all of my 22s, certainly up to the potential of the "loose nut on the butt" for most purposes!

Froggie

 

[Frank46]

Froggie, that Federal Auto match has been selling in our local wal mart for 19.99 a 350 round box. When they have it,I'll pickup a couple box's. My Ruger MKIII loves the stuff.Frank

 

[series guy]

I noticed that the premium .22 ammo has a greasy lube on it. I dumped my Federal Auto Match into a plastic container and gave it a few spritzes with Ballistol and then shook it around a bit. I think it made a big difference. Now I do the same thing with my CCI SV.

 

[Green Frog]

Froggie, that Federal Auto match has been selling in our local wal mart for 19.99 a 350 round box. When they have it,I'll pickup a couple box's. My Ruger MKIII loves the stuff.Frank

When we had a "panic" a couple of administrations ago, I got down to one or two bulk boxes. When they became more readily available once again, I followed the mantra of "Buy 'em cheap and stack 'em deep!" I don't plan to ever pay those exorbitant prices again if I can help it.
So as to not hijack the thread too badly, the A-M has a light wax coating on its bullets, but lacking that, the liquid Alox dip sounds like a great idea to me.
I remember from my Bullseye days, some shooters (semiauto) would just rub a dab of oil on the nose of the top round in their mag. This would do for the whole string.

Froggie