casting - lube or powder coating

[juststarting]

I've been researching casting, my questions are specifically regarding lubricating bullets.

I understand the why, but the way some people carry on about it, it seems like powder coating is the bee's nuts over tumble lube (Alox) or using a lube sizer (though this seems like the easiest and probably the most expensive method). Anyway, why would someone chose to use one method over the other, with these three methods?

1. Tumbling projectiles in Alox or your custom lube (Noisydad shared some recipes in older threads - yeah I read before asking questions )
2. Lube sizer
3. Powder coating


Thanks.

[bladeracer]

I primarily cast bullets because it's so cheap it lets me shoot _a lot_ for very little cost.
I don't expect or need long-range accuracy or humane killing performance from them. There are plenty of excellent jacketed bullets available that exceed those requirements when I need them.
I just tumble lube with Alox, gas check, load them up and shoot them.
I have been considering the method of standing the bullets in a pan of melted lube, letting it set and then punching the bullets out with an unsized case with the head cut off. But when it comes time to do it I remember why I'm casting them and that even that is too much work to warrant on them
A lube sizer sounds good but I don't want to size the bullets just to be able to lube them.
Powder coating for me is way over the top. I've used powder coated pistol bullets and liked them, but it makes even less sense to put that much effort into very close-range, high-volume, low-velocity cardboard killing. If I wanted to consistently shoot them at 2500fps+ I'd probably consider powder-coating to further minimise leading, but I prefer to spend the money on jacketed bullets for that sort of performance.

[Noisydad]

Pan lubing is easy. You don't need to cut them out with anything if you time the job right. Let the wax based lube get to cold and it's harder.Do it when it's still a little warm and you can just tip the whole block out of the tray and just push the lubed bullets out with your thumb - easy as!

[Noisydad]

image.jpeg (1.26 MiB) Viewed 3667 times

Here's a pic of one of my pan lube trays and the bees wax, lard, paraffin wax lube after lubing a batch. I do all my cast bullets this way. These (before and after lubing) bullets are 450gn for .50-70, 150 GN SWC for .38 sp and .415 gn for .40-65

[bladeracer]

Pan lubing is easy. You don't need to cut them out with anything if you time the job right. Let the wax based lube get to cold and it's harder.Do it when it's still a little warm and you can just tip the whole block out of the tray and just push the lubed bullets out with your thumb - easy as!

I guess that is doable
What lube are you using for that?

[Noisydad]

Pan lubing is easy. You don't need to cut them out with anything if you time the job right. Let the wax based lube get to cold and it's harder.Do it when it's still a little warm and you can just tip the whole block out of the tray and just push the lubed bullets out with your thumb - easy as!

I guess that is doable
What lube are you using for that?

The recipe is:
1 part parrafin wax
1 part pure lard (I use bacon lard from the frying pan)
1/2 part bee's wax. Melt it all in a pyrex jug and pour it into the tray of standing bullets.

It's an old, old lube that seems to work in both smokeless and black powder loads. Lots of comments on cast bullet forums will say to never put anything petroleum based (parrafin wax) down your barrel but I've done 40 shot strings in a 200 - 600 yard gong shoot with this lube and black powder without putting a cleaning rod through the barrel or blow tubing and still won the last event.

[bladeracer]

The recipe is:
1 part parrafin wax
1 part pure lard (I use bacon lard from the frying pan)
1/2 part bee's wax. Melt it all in a pyrex jug and pour it into the tray of standing bullets.

It's an old, old lube that seems to work in both smokeless and black powder loads. Lots of comments on cast bullet forums will say to never put anything petroleum based (parrafin wax) down your barrel but I've done 40 shot strings in a 200 - 600 yard gong shoot with this lube and black powder without putting a cleaning rod through the barrel or blow tubing and still won the last event.

Thanks for that

[Oldbloke]

image.jpeg

Here's a pic of one of my pan lube trays and the bees wax, lard, paraffin wax lube after lubing a batch. I do all my cast bullets this way. These (before and after lubing) bullets are 450gn for .50-70, 150 GN SWC for .38 sp and .415 gn for .40-65

Thats how I used to do it.

[sandgroperbill]

Thanks, guys. With my .458wm hopefully coming home soon, I'm thinking about starting to cast, so this is helpful

[gunnerjacky]

Homemade bullet lubes allow 5-6 times the amount of lube for the same cost. You can check various ingredients to make bullets lube at home - here. I hope you will find this information useful.