I was wondering what you fellow bullet casters are using for lube. Store bought or homemade? I read about felix lube & I want to try that one, unfortunately I cannot get the ingredients locally other than beeswax. Do any of you have any other recipes you would like to share? This would be used for cast rifle bullets in the range of 1500 fps.
Bullet lube??
- Thread starter glenliz87
- Start date
Glen: bar none the best price and the best commercial lube I have found is available from Glenn & Leah Larsen (LsStuff@aol.com) (www.LsStuff.com). Price per stick is about .95 cents U.S. when purchased in quantities of 25. That's about equivalent to the price of 5 or 6 sticks of RCBS or Lyman from Canadian sources. Or it can be bought in bricks if you are pan lubing. I think my last order was about 35.00 Canadian landed here for 25 sticks and he threw in a freebie of one of his other lubes. .
His Carnauba red lube holds up to at least 2300fps, perhaps higher, I haven't tried it there. Needs a bit of heat on the lube-sizer to flow well but not much.
Also has some other lubes suitable for no heat use.
Felix lube is very good stuff but since finding C-red I haven't bothered making any more FWFL.
His Carnauba red lube holds up to at least 2300fps, perhaps higher, I haven't tried it there. Needs a bit of heat on the lube-sizer to flow well but not much.
Also has some other lubes suitable for no heat use.
Felix lube is very good stuff but since finding C-red I haven't bothered making any more FWFL.
Glen:You can make the stuff yourself if you like, for a soft lube(a bit messy) use 2/3 bees wax and 1/3 moly grease. For a harder lube (need a heater) use equal parts(1 lb.) bees wax, and parrafin wax, add one container of STP. Lubes avail for purch. from MT Chambers Supply, smokeless and black powder.
You can just use moly grease applied by hand - I've been using Canadian Tire's moly for 15 yrs or so, it works as well as most. As an experiment, I got 2530fps with a 30 - 06 and lee's 150gr without leading, although the fine accuracy was gone. Hope this helps.
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
Bullets; I use LEE stick lube by hand , its got alox, and works great , just fill the grooves prior to loading ammo.
Patched Ball; I use a mix of bees wax , and crisco , 50/50 . Melt in a pan, toss every 2nd patch in, layer them to allow soaked patch to soak into dry one, before you know it you got a pile of lubed patches.
I also use #13 to clean the bore when firing aloth at the range.
Patched Ball; I use a mix of bees wax , and crisco , 50/50 . Melt in a pan, toss every 2nd patch in, layer them to allow soaked patch to soak into dry one, before you know it you got a pile of lubed patches.
I also use #13 to clean the bore when firing aloth at the range.
JUst a note on Felix lube. It works great both in rifle and pistol. What ingrediants can't you get? I got the lanolin from a drug store, Castor oil should not be a problem and Ivory soaps is common.
There are a number of threads on the Cast Bullet foum that contain various recipies that have proven to work but Felix Lube seems to be the best of the lot.
Use soft lubes for pistol. Here is a very good article on how lubes work.
http://www.lasc.us/FryxellLubeCastBullets.htm
Take Care
bob
There are a number of threads on the Cast Bullet foum that contain various recipies that have proven to work but Felix Lube seems to be the best of the lot.
Use soft lubes for pistol. Here is a very good article on how lubes work.
http://www.lasc.us/FryxellLubeCastBullets.htm
Take Care
bob
Thanks for all the replies. They were quite helpful. I got a hold of some beeswax today but had to be cleaned & strain the crud out of it. I finally got that done & poured it into molds for later use. I also got the local drugstore to order some lanolin for me. I had a hard time to find castor oil but managed to find that in the drugstore as well. So far, I cannot locate mineral oil, can I use baby oil instead?
I am hoping this lube works out for me. However, I would also like to try the lube recipes that you fellow CGNer's were kind enough to mention. I am always willing to try something new.
By the way, I cannot find any of that carnauba wax locally so I guess I will go without it. Apparently it isn't a requirement for the lube, it just makes the bore shiny, according to what I read about it.
I am hoping this lube works out for me. However, I would also like to try the lube recipes that you fellow CGNer's were kind enough to mention. I am always willing to try something new.
By the way, I cannot find any of that carnauba wax locally so I guess I will go without it. Apparently it isn't a requirement for the lube, it just makes the bore shiny, according to what I read about it.
I am a dedicated moly coater for my jacketed bullets, and I molycoat my 500 grain cast bullets after I size them in the lee sizer, and before I put the lee lube on them. I think it decreases the leading. I run them at about 1860 fps out of my 45/70, and whatever they hit falls down..
Al
Al
Mineral oil should be available in a drug store, sometimes used as a laxative. also maybe in a hardware or paint store sometimes used to thin paints and clean brushes now you know how it works as a laxative. At my local SHOPPERS DRUG MART , the mineral oil was right beside the castor oil in the laxative section. Beeswax in small quantities is available a fabric shops and leather working shops (Tandy Leather ), I think they use it to lubricate needles going through thick materials.
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- Location
- southern ontario
what about using straight STP? That's what was recommended to me
I have heard of using straight STP for case lube . But if you used straight STP as a bullet lube sooner or later it is going to migrate down through the powder and finally get to the primer. This may weaken the powder or deaden the primer, some thing you don't want happening to your loads.
I like home-brew bullet lube as it is cheaper per unit than the bought stuff, and it can work just as well. Making lube has the added benefit of keeping your wife thinking that you are truly “nutz”.
My favourite lube is made of white lithium grease, unbleached beeswax and canning wax. I use equal parts of the grease and bees wax and add enough canning wax to get it to the consistency I like. In the end I doubt that the canning wax makes up more than 5%. I have pushed this lube to over 2200 fps without problems, using a well-fitted bullet.
The trick to making this stuff is to melt the wax in a double boiler and add the grease a bit at a time into the wax until it "dissolves" into it. Don't try to melt the grease first as it melts at a much higher temperature and there is a danger of a flash fire. I made moulds out of plastic conduit pipe, scrap lumber and wood dowels. For those not wanting to go to the bother of moulding sticks of bullet lube you can just pour the molten stuff into the lube sizer and store extra in a glass jar. When you need to replenish your machine just put the jar in the microwave for a while to melt more out, but be careful not to start any fires in the microwave!
Not exactly home made but a handy and cheap bullet lube for pistol bullets can be made from those wax toilet seals. Just melt one, pour into your lube sizer machine and away you go! For a darker color (easier to see in the lube grooves) add a piece of crayon to the melted wax.
My favourite lube is made of white lithium grease, unbleached beeswax and canning wax. I use equal parts of the grease and bees wax and add enough canning wax to get it to the consistency I like. In the end I doubt that the canning wax makes up more than 5%. I have pushed this lube to over 2200 fps without problems, using a well-fitted bullet.
The trick to making this stuff is to melt the wax in a double boiler and add the grease a bit at a time into the wax until it "dissolves" into it. Don't try to melt the grease first as it melts at a much higher temperature and there is a danger of a flash fire. I made moulds out of plastic conduit pipe, scrap lumber and wood dowels. For those not wanting to go to the bother of moulding sticks of bullet lube you can just pour the molten stuff into the lube sizer and store extra in a glass jar. When you need to replenish your machine just put the jar in the microwave for a while to melt more out, but be careful not to start any fires in the microwave!
Not exactly home made but a handy and cheap bullet lube for pistol bullets can be made from those wax toilet seals. Just melt one, pour into your lube sizer machine and away you go! For a darker color (easier to see in the lube grooves) add a piece of crayon to the melted wax.
