I want to start casting my own but...
- Thread starter Antoine22
- Start date
PerversPépère
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Shawinigan (Quebec)
Lead and lube go along, it is a fact of life.
But you don't have to "mess around" with lubing presses if you keep your velocities modest. You can use Lee's bullet sizer and Lee's Liquid Alox.
It works well and makes very good shooting practice loads.
I tend to use a diluted Liquid Alox to tumble the bullets in before sizing (002" over bore size), then I do a second tumble lubing full strength and allow the bullets to dry on a sheet of waxed paper a few hours.
You can segregate the lubed bullets by weight before reloading rounds with them but it is seldom necessary if you have a good casting method.
Good luck!
PP.
But you don't have to "mess around" with lubing presses if you keep your velocities modest. You can use Lee's bullet sizer and Lee's Liquid Alox.
It works well and makes very good shooting practice loads.
I tend to use a diluted Liquid Alox to tumble the bullets in before sizing (002" over bore size), then I do a second tumble lubing full strength and allow the bullets to dry on a sheet of waxed paper a few hours.
You can segregate the lubed bullets by weight before reloading rounds with them but it is seldom necessary if you have a good casting method.
Good luck!
PP.
blacksmithden
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
What the other guys said.
Lead and lube go along, it is a fact of life.
But you don't have to "mess around" with lubing presses if you keep your velocities modest. You can use Lee's bullet sizer and Lee's Liquid Alox.
It works well and makes very good shooting practice loads.
I tend to use a diluted Liquid Alox to tumble the bullets in before sizing (002" over bore size), then I do a second tumble lubing full strength and allow the bullets to dry on a sheet of waxed paper a few hours.
You can segregate the lubed bullets by weight before reloading rounds with them but it is seldom necessary if you have a good casting method.
Good luck!
PP.
Thanks, but how come that Wolf sells hard casted bullets without any lube grooves?!?
I'm pretty sure that Wolf bullets have lube grooves just like any other cast bullet. I don't see anything on their website that would indicate otherwise.
There are some swaged lead bullets, like Speer or Hornady, that use a sort of graphite film that covers the whole bullet instead of a groove filled with lube.
With appropriate lube, alloy and sizing, cast bullets can be driven to over 2000 fps in some calibres with minimal leading and less bore wear than jacketed bullets.
There are some swaged lead bullets, like Speer or Hornady, that use a sort of graphite film that covers the whole bullet instead of a groove filled with lube.
With appropriate lube, alloy and sizing, cast bullets can be driven to over 2000 fps in some calibres with minimal leading and less bore wear than jacketed bullets.
As already mentioned, certain types of bullets can be made to be lubricated with a dry film. Most of these bullets are swaged, not cast, such as wadcutter bullets for .38 special. I cannot open up the WOLF bullet pictures, but the cast bullets will have lubrication grooves, while some swaged will not. He might be lubricating some of the cast bullets with the same dry film.
As already mentioned by others, any bullets that you might be casting will have lubrication grooves. You can buy a lube-sizer, use Lee Liquid Alox, or pan lubricate them. None of that is a big deal, and is actually the least difficult and cleanest part of casting bullets.
As already mentioned by others, any bullets that you might be casting will have lubrication grooves. You can buy a lube-sizer, use Lee Liquid Alox, or pan lubricate them. None of that is a big deal, and is actually the least difficult and cleanest part of casting bullets.
Only bullets that Wolf sells without lube groves are wad cutters for the .38 dry lubed and used at modest velocities. If you want to shoot cast some type of lube is required, the faster you shoot the bullets the more attention you need to pay to lube type and amount. Even when you paper patch a cast bullet the paper has lube on it...No such thing as a free lunch.
Andy
Andy
If you don't lube cast bullets, they'll give you no end of grief. Including key holing. Make you crazy.
Lubing isn't done with a paint brush. It's done with a die. Not as messy as it sounds.
"...cannot open up the WOLF bullet pictures..." Ditto. Something's wrong with that page on his site.
Lubing isn't done with a paint brush. It's done with a die. Not as messy as it sounds.
"...cannot open up the WOLF bullet pictures..." Ditto. Something's wrong with that page on his site.
Some bullet styles are available with either one or two lube grooves. They are listed the way they are to differentiate the two. The ones that don't have a number of lube grooves listed would have a single lube groove.
swaged vs cast
I am of the belief that running your cast bullets through a sizer is a form of swaging.
I have read reports by bullet casters who favor one company's mold over another due to roundness, precision, etc..
Run your bullet through a sizing die, which is perfectly round and sized, turns your cast into a perfectly round bullet that will slide through the barrel the exact way it was designed.
I love how the dull grey of the lube ridges come out shiny and mirror-like. No sense in making something more complicated than it really is
I am of the belief that running your cast bullets through a sizer is a form of swaging.
I have read reports by bullet casters who favor one company's mold over another due to roundness, precision, etc..
Run your bullet through a sizing die, which is perfectly round and sized, turns your cast into a perfectly round bullet that will slide through the barrel the exact way it was designed.
I love how the dull grey of the lube ridges come out shiny and mirror-like. No sense in making something more complicated than it really is
