What lube do you use for cast bullets?

[old tanker]

I keep a Lyman 450 lubrisizer filled with the NRA Alox for bullets destined to be used with gas checks and/or smokeless powder.

Black powder bullets are pan lubed using a homebrew mix of beeswax and canola oil with a bit of lanolin added and loaded as cast.

 

[mikld]

Beginning casters can use several different lubes that don't require an oven or heat source to melt lube. I started pan lubing with a hot plate. Just warming some beeswax and alox enough to melt it. I put bullets in and allowed the lube to cool and cut the bullets out with a home made "cookie cutter". I use a Lee push through sizing die, and this has worked quite well for me for many years even though I now use a toaster oven (it doubled as a curing oven for my PCing). Another very good lube not needing a lot of equipment is 45-45-10 dip (or tumble) lubing, Recipe is 45% Johnson's Paste wax, 45% alox and 10% mineral spirits. And not to forget liquid alox. I don't tumble lube with the liquid lube as I don't care for lube on the bullet noses, just me and maybe my OCD, so I dip lube.

For a new cast bullet user, and before getting into home made lubes, White Label Lubes has alox and 45-45-10. Very good bunch of folks and good prices, shipping and excellent products; 45-45-10/Deluxe Liquid Xlox – 32oz Bottle Liquid Alox tumble lube [] - $18.25 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

A very good source of info on bullet lube; Boolit Lube !!

 

[noshow]

I no longer cast my own. When I was an active caster, I used Carnuba Red in my Star Sizer/luber with an aftermarket(Lyman) heater. No leading and NO SMOKE! I used it for 38 & 45 and strongly recommend it if you shoot bullseye matches.

 

[reddog81]

I use White Label Lubes in a Lyman 450. I use a heat gun for about 30 seconds to get the machine warmed up. A hair dryer would also work. A dedicated heat source isn't necessary.

 

[buckshotshorty]

When I was casting some years back I used Lee Liquid Alox. Size all your bullets dry, put them into a small box ( I use the box that factory bulk bullets come in ) pour in about 500 bullets; squirt an " X " over the bullets of liquid Alox close up the box and shake it up real good. pour the bullets onto a sheet of wax paper and let them dry a day or two.
If properly done, each bullet will have a thin, dry coating of Alox, and you will have bullet's that aren't sticky, produce very little smoke when fired And won't lead your barrel.

 

[243winxb]

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Products-Bullet-Value-3-Pack/dp/B07KKZHL87/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Bullet+lube&qid=1606792819&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-4"]Amazon.com : Lyman Products Alox Bullet Lube (Value 3-Pack) : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

Lyman Products Alox Bullet Lube (Value 3-Pack)

 

[DanGee]

I just tumble lube with LLA and let them dry on wax paper. Don't size them at all. For rifle bullets with gas checks, I use a die with enough diameter that it doesn't size anything, just crimps the check. I let the barrel do the sizing.

 

[noylj]

DanGee has it.
I went from NRA 50/50 in Lubrisizer to pan-lubing (when I found that shooting as-cast bullets gave me smaller groups then sized bullets) with 50/50 to tumble lubing with LLA. LLA, being a undercoat material, adheres strongly and really prevents leading.
If I was still casting, I would look at 45/45/10 (oxidized Johnson Paste Wax/LLA/mineral spirits) or powder coating, but might just stay with LLA as it does such a good job. Still use it when I get some commercial bullets that lead (damn 18-22 BHN alloy, Stupid Blue Lube).
Do NOT use too much. If you see LLA on the bullet, you've used too much.

 

[Ruger 13]

I use SPG for everything!

 

[nbedford]

I tumble lube my 32's and 44's with a 50-50 mixture of Lee Liquid Alox and Mineral Spirits. Tumble in a plastic container with a lid, then leave it open for a few hours, and repeat a few times. Then lay them out on aluminum foil or wax paper to dry. Works fine for me. Fastest load I shoot is 44 Magnum - 240 grain SWC on 7 grains of Unique in my Rossi lever action which runs about 1050 fps. No leading. Bullets end up kind of bronze looking.

 

[Green Frog]

My main pistol lube is the old 50-50 beeswax and ALOX that's been out there for years. I also use homemade Emmert's lube for pan lubing when I shoot black powder. I also have a proprietary mix involving a way too expensive mix of anhydrous lanolin and beeswax that I used when I was shooting a lot of single shot (schuetzen) events. It was applied with a lubri-sizer or with a special pump that applied lube without sizing the bullet.

My buddy Dale53 introduced me to Carnauba Red which I used last time I was casting with him. I really like the results this lube gives on my high performance cast pistol bullets, but it requires a heater to apply so I haven't started using it here at home yet.

Froggie

 

[Kurusu]

Lee liquid alox. Absolutely no leading. Improves accuracy too.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

Powder coating now. Don't think I'll go back to lube. Was using homemade 45/45/10.

 

[gwpercle]

What lube do you use for cast bullets? Is there an option that does not have to be heated to be applied? Are an option that is less likely to be objected to by the Queen of the Kitchen?

Lithium - Beeswax , sometimes known commercially as LithiBee .

It consists of:
1 part Lithium Grease such as Lucas Red-N-Tacky
3 parts beeswax
The maker who gave me the recipe said they would mix
8 pounds of Lithium grease
24 pounds beeswax
for a commercial batch . Heat gently and stir untill completely blended . The grease doesn't realy melt just softens and beeswax will flash and burn at 450 degrees F .
Do this outside and keep a fire extinguisher handy ...

This is a simple and soft lube that requires no heated lube-sizer to apply. All lubes have a smell when you are heating and mixing ...as long as you don't scorch it with too much heat it doesn't smell bad at all .
A small batch can be made in a old slow cooker (crock pot) the danger of overheating is much less .
melting and blending with a metal whisk ... then letting cool .
Doing this 3 times, in the crock pot ,gets a completely homogenized blend of lithium and beeswax.

I have never had leading problems with Lithi-Bee...tried others but keep coming back .
Recipe is from Garth Choate , Choate Gunstocks and Accessories. He no longer is in the lube business ... I asked!
Gary