Bullet sizing lube?

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 9:46 am Post subject: Bullet sizing lube?

I've got a question about lube for sizing lead bullets. I only need to do about 100 and may never need to do it again, so I'm trying to keep the cost down. I picked up the Lee Classic Bullet Sizing kit. They recommend using liquid Alox, which I don't have. The lube is ONLY for the sizing, not for the shooting, as the projectiles will be in a sabot. Has anyone tried something else that worked well? Thanks for any help!

Aloysius · Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:36 am Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

When it's not for shooting, I think you can use any lube. I might use tefflon-grease and degrease the bullets after sizing. Lee's liquid Alox is easy to use and not to expensive. But when you don't want or cannot buy it, I used to make my own grease with beewax, vaseline, a bit of motoroil and graphitpowder.
But as stated before: when you only need it for sizing, use anything you have or like and degrease afterwards (washing with soapy hot water might be enough)

gelandangan · Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 3:16 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

I have used a lot of different lubes for this purpose, from White Lithium grease to WD40 - whatever I have handy at the time.
They all seem to work Ok if the size difference is not too large - circa 0.002 - 3 or so.

Vince · Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 3:42 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

I’ve sized literally thousands of cast projectiles, from lead to linotype, and have never used a lube for sizing. I have an RCBS Lube Sizer that squeezes lube into the lube band when sizing, but that doesn’t happen until the very end of the stroke meaning the bullet is sized/swaged dry. Personally, I don’t believe cast lead bullets need lube to be sized because lead is soft enough to swage without use of lube.

The only time I use liquid ALOX is when I am putting cast projectiles through the LEE Push Through die prior to loading them. I apply LEE Liquid ALOX prior to sizing and fitting of a gas check, but only for convenience.

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 5:47 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

Thanks folks! Useful answers! I asked this on a couple of Facebook reloading pages and got to much nonsense that I just blocked commenting.

Bushmaster · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:40 am Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

I just bet you have some lube that you use to resize rifle cases...Or...I like Vince's method.

Elvis · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 6:24 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

wd40 is basically kerosene..... any lube is better than no lube...heck some of us use Vaseline for resizing cases...

Bushmaster · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 10:46 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

And I use lanolin for resizing brass. Must come from "Down Under".

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2022 8:52 am Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

Lee does say to use lube to avoid leading. Case lube it is!

Vince · Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2022 4:53 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

Okaaay…I’m getting a tad confused here. Scratch

Are we talking about:

1. sizing/swaging cast bullets in preparation for applying bullet lube then handloading…
2. applying lube to a sized/swaged cast bullet for handloading…
3. or, lubing cases for resizing after firing and preparing for reloading?

If it’s #1, I don’t lube cast bullets for sizing/swaging…it’s not needed.

If it’s #2, then lube (my own homemade lube, a mixture of beeswax and ATF) is applied by my Lube Sizer at the end of the stroke of the sizing action. If I choose to either put the bullets through the LEE Push Through sizing die or not to size the bullet, depending on cast quality and size, I use LEE ALOX prior to fitting a gascheck. Either method has lube applied in order to control/decrease leading in the barrel when the bullet is fired.

If it’s #3, I use Imperial Sizing Wax to size cases…best lube I’ve ever used.

“Punkin” wrote:

Lee does say to use lube to avoid leading. Case lube it is!

If I read your post correctly mate, it appears you are considering using case lube as a lube to prevent bore leading from cast bullets. Scratch

I strongly counsel against this as case lube is not designed to handle the heat or pressures of firing a bullet. I’d be extremely surprised if it didn’t “burn away” almost instantly on firing or not provide the necessary lubrication to control/stop bore leading (which is the most likely scenario).

Elvis · Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2022 9:33 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

I read it that he is squishing oversized projectiles down to skinnier diamentions to fit inside a sabot.... so lube in bore is irrelevant..... lube is purely to assist in the squishing.....

Vince · Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 3:34 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

Elvis wrote:

I read it that he is squishing oversized projectiles down to skinnier diamentions to fit inside a sabot.... so lube in bore is irrelevant..... lube is purely to assist in the squishing.....

Cast bullets do not require lube to “assist in the squishing” or swaging process mate…assuming of course you are not trying to swage a .38 bullet down to a .22 bullet, and even then I think you would be able to do it without lube, but it would be a God awful looooong bullet when done. Confused

Elvis · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 12:44 am Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

Ive seen the aftermath of a .308 jacketed projectile being swagged down to .277 at velocity!!!!!!! didnt see the projectile afterwards but yes it would be rather elongated ....

Vince · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 1:37 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

Elvis wrote:

Ive seen the aftermath of a .308 jacketed projectile being swagged down to .277 at velocity!!!!!!! didnt see the projectile afterwards but yes it would be rather elongated ....

OOOOh…that conjures up a really scary mental pic mate. Confused

Did the rifle survive? I hope no one was injured.

SingleShotLover · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 2:38 pm Post subject: Re: Bullet sizing lube?

I think we are making way too much of this. I am assuming Pumpkinslinger is using the correct sizing die for the mold he is using to merely true the bullet for size, or even size down a couple of thousandths, not to resize some grossly over-sized bullet to a smaller caliber. Plain old case lube would work just fine to assist the ease of this with a decent press and without needing the additional mechanical advantage of most lube/sizing presses.