bullet lube question

[machinegunjohn]

I am new to reloading, I bought a 44 mag 629 classic from a buddy, I got 500 rounds of 240grn cast LSWC that were lubed.
Loaded and shot good.
I have now bought a 500 box of LSWC, not hard cast, do I have to lube these bullets like the hard cast were?
Also , does a guy need to lube jacketed bullets?
Thanks fellas

 

[OKFC05]

Lube lead, not jacketed or plated.
There are many kinds of lube, so the appearance from one lead bullet maker to another may be different. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer. Hornady and Remington are two examples of "different" appearing lube that come to mind.

 

[machinegunjohn]

Is there a difference between say a LSWC and a CLSWC? are they both "cast bullets"? Is there a difference with cast and hard cast? are they lubed the same? Thanks for the help

 

[Bib]

If these are lead and are not hard cast they're probably swaged, which are a lot softer. They probably already have a dry lube on them....but I wouldn't push them very fast or you may get a lot of lead fouling in the barrel. At .44 special velocities they will probably be fine.

 

[Bib]

Is there a difference between say a LSWC and a CLSWC? are they both "cast bullets"? Is there a difference with cast and hard cast? are they lubed the same? Thanks for the help

Are there any lube grooves in the bullets? Cast bullets are not pure lead, rather, they are made from an alloy (containing tin and antimony, I believe). If you vary the alloy, the weight and hardness of the bullet will vary.

 

[Fkimble]

Generally when you purchase cast lead bullets they have already been sized and lubed. LSWC= lead semi-wad cutter. I suspect CLSWC= cast lead semi-wad cutter. There are also swaged lead bullets, these are made from very soft lead and usually are used as target bullets with a very low velocity. Since the original bullets shot good, I would find out what they were and continue to shoot them with the same load. Bullet hardness is measured using the Brinel scale. Soft cast bullets are usually in the 10-12 range. Next up are usually found in the 16-18 range. Very hard cast bullets run 21-24. Pure lead is very soft and mostly used for muzzle loaders. The pressue of the load dictates the hardness of the bullet. Do some searches for cast bullets and read up on the info on the various bullet websites. And with cast bullets everything is a guide line. Each gun can be a little different.

 

[machinegunjohn]

So basically if I am buying bullets , if they have lube grooves, lube them, if they dont have lube grooves then they are "swaged" and probably dry lubed?

 

[jmcghee]

Most of the bullets I have purchased,cast or swaged were prelubed.If you dont see or feel lube check wth supplier to see if they are lubed.There are many kinds of lube some is hard to see or feel.

 

[Superflywimpy]

If you have any doubt,tumble lube with alox

In my 44 magnum and 44 special I load to keep them at or below 1000 fps and a coat of lee alox does the trick with no leading. Plated and jacketed get no lube.

 

[Bib]

So basically if I am buying bullets , if they have lube grooves, lube them, if they dont have lube grooves then they are "swaged" and probably dry lubed?

I don't think you'll find any commercially produced cast bullets that will need to be lubed. When you cast a bullet from molten alloy it needs be sized and lubed before it is used. A tool called a lubricator/sizer is used to do this. Thus, if you have a cast bullet with no lube in the groove, it probably hasn't been sized yet either.