I purchased a Lee mold that casts a regular type bullet that has a lube groove in it rather than the tumble lube type. The mold casts a .358 125 grain flat point bullet. I'd like to work up some .357 magnum loads that run about 1100 fps. Can I lube this type bullet with Lee Liquid Alox? I don't have a lubri sizer. Will the liquid alox work okay with this bullet? All information will be appreciated. Thank you.

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There are few problems in life that can't be solved by the application of high speed lead projectiles.

I See No Reason Why It Would Not..i Have Used It With Bullets With Grease Grooves And With Great Success...

It'll probably work fine. Give it a try.

Another method of applying lube without a lubricizer is "pan lubing" -- stand bullets on their bases in a tin pan, pour in melted lube up to the appropriate level, let cool, and then "cookie-cutter" the bullets out.

The reason Lee stopped selling their old cookie cutter pan lube kits is the Liquid Alox works without all the muss and fuss. Lots of folks have dropped conventional lube in favor of it. Most of the lube in a conventional lube groove stays with the bullet. Recover some conventionally lubed bullets if you think that's an exaggeration. Most of it is wasted. Lots of guys with Star sizers used to block their vents so they only filled the bottom groove of two-groove pistol bullet because they got no additional leading reduction from filling both. Just more smoke and lube cost.

The conventional lube groove is squeezed by bullet upset pressure to force the lube up against the bore, so each bullet leaves a lube coating for the next one. The Liquid Alox approach coats the whole bullet so it doesn't need its predecessor's help. That seems to work well. The only trick to maximizing lubrication with it is to have a layer on the bullet when you seat it. If you run your bullets through a Lee sizer, it is a good idea to coat them before that operation and again afterward.

Surface lubing lead bullets is not new, by the way. Hornady and other makers of swaged bullets have done it for a long time. Hornady rolls a shallow pattern into their swaged bullets to hold wax, then rolls them in motor mica as a dry lube so they aren't sticky to handle. Works fine at swaged bullet velocities. I do something similar, but with Liquid Alox for higher velocities. I dilute the tumble lube with about 1/4 part by volume of mineral spirits (its normal solvent). I coat the bullets, let them dry, run them through a Lee sizer as needed, then give them a quick second lube coating. When that coating has dried tacky but not hard, I have an old cook's salt shaker full of motor mica that I sprinkle all over them, then roll them around a bit to flatten that, then let them finish drying for another day or so. They become less tacky and easier to handle. I think the bore likes the mica.

By the way, if you like Liquid Alox but find it a little pricey, the exact same compound may be purchased for around $10 a quart from White Label as their Xlox product. Sounds like a laxative for your gun, and I suppose it does help with its bullet movements.

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Nick

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"First contemplation of the problems of Interior Ballistics gives the impression that they should yield rather easily to relatively simple methods of analysis. Further study shows the subject to be of almost unbelievable complexity." Homer Powley

The Lee liquid alox is the same product as used in rustproofing aplications just thinned a bit. You can buy a 55 gallon drum for a decent price but it would take you about 50 lifetimes of heavy shooting to use it all. A little goes a long way.

The ALOX will work, but I use XLOX instead up to about 1,200 fps, but for my much faster bullets, I use my own synthetic bullet lube that is low smoke and ash.

Jerry

I use liquid alox on all bullets and have no problems at all.

As a test I fired some factory made and lubed lead bullets through my .357 magnum with a hot charge behind them and noted a resonable amount of lerading in the barrel.

I then tumble lubed some of the same bullets in liquid alox and fired them with the same charge.

The reduction in the amount of leading in the barrel was noticably reduced. Its a great product.

Liquid Alox is great stuff. Once it dries you can handle the bullet as if it wasn't lubed.

For my "hotter" rifle loads, I add a "dab" of lithium grease to the base of the bullet just before inserting it into the case. Shoot a bunch of these up to 2200FPS and you will be able to clean the bore with a couple of patches soaked in Hoppes No. 9. No leading, nice shiney bore.

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Interesting idea. Any trouble with the grease wetting the powder? I'm thinking a dab of Lubriplate or some such thing acting as a grease patch.

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Nick

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"First contemplation of the problems of Interior Ballistics gives the impression that they should yield rather easily to relatively simple methods of analysis. Further study shows the subject to be of almost unbelievable complexity." Homer Powley

As you already know, many fast burning powders work well for cast RIFLE bullets. C.E. Harris, in his excellent article "CAST BULLET LOADS FOR MILITARY RIFLES" recommends "Sixteen Grains of #2400 as the Universal Load." I have used Unique and other powders and found that the Hercules powders work fine, but are a bit smokey and dirty. Sixteen grains of Hodgen's H110 is a better powder for 170 to 200 grain 30 caliber cast bullets in the 30/30, .308 Win and 30-06 . . . . . and probably many other similar cartridges.

I tamp in a small piece of polyester fiber (pillow stuffing) over the powder with a 1/4" wood dowel, seat the bullet with Lithium Grease on the base and then store the loaded ammo BULLET DOWN in a plastic ammo box. The polyester holds the powder against the primer for better ignition and protects the powder from the grease. The polyester burns up with the powder. To be perfectly honest. . . I don't think the grease would melt or cause a problem unless you left the ammo out in the sun all day.

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I wish I could be half the man my dog thinks I am.

Thanks for the details.

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Nick

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"First contemplation of the problems of Interior Ballistics gives the impression that they should yield rather easily to relatively simple methods of analysis. Further study shows the subject to be of almost unbelievable complexity." Homer Powley

Nick, gentlemen,
I just started casting again as its finally not too cold to do it outdoors. I was casting some 500 grain bullets for the .45-70 and I was curious as to other's results with tumble lubing for bullets in this application.

Lyman #2 lead, 500 grain Lee flat nose and semi spitzer shape .458 grain were the two in question and Ill be shooting them through my Pedersoli 1874 Sharps Repro.

Thanks for the help.

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Michael, I have been using the tumble lube method on my 444 Marlin and 45-70 bullets with good results. My molds drop all bullets approx. .002 over size which is just right. I just tumble lube and shoot. The largest I cast for my 45-70 is the Lee 405 gr fn but I can't see any problem with the 500 gr.

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Thanks Jodum.

I was hoping to hear something like that. I really like the look of those big 500 grainers and in the Sharp's Repro I think they'll be THE ticket.

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Be popular? Heck, I have enough friends.
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"That way lies madness".