dcmdon Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hi all. I'm just starting to reload .44 magnum. I'm never going to shoot a whole heck of a lot with it. I mainly just want to practice for deer season without spending $30/box for factory ammo. I've been given 2 sets of dies (Lyman and RCBS) and about 500 Keith style lead bullets. The problem is that most don't have any lube in them. Is there a simple way to lube them without spending much on equipment. Once I'm done with these bullets I'll probably never buy un lubed, lead bullets in my life. I'm 99% sure shooting them without lube would be a disaster. If anyone would care to confirm or correct, I'm good. I've got a Dillon 650 that I've been using for the last couple of years to reload 9mm and .45. I wouldn't mind buying a conversion kit and powder funnel. Like I said, this will not be a high volume operation. I'll probably set it up and reload enough for 3 years of shooting in one sitting. Thanks, Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwx40x40 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hi all. I'm just starting to reload .44 magnum. I'm never going to shoot a whole heck of a lot with it. I mainly just want to practice for deer season without spending $30/box for factory ammo. I've been given 2 sets of dies (Lyman and RCBS) and about 500 Keith style lead bullets. The problem is that most don't have any lube in them. Is there a simple way to lube them without spending much on equipment. Once I'm done with these bullets I'll probably never buy un lubed, lead bullets in my life. I'm 99% sure shooting them without lube would be a disaster. If anyone would care to confirm or correct, I'm good. I've got a Dillon 650 that I've been using for the last couple of years to reload 9mm and .45. I wouldn't mind buying a conversion kit and powder funnel. Like I said, this will not be a high volume operation. I'll probably set it up and reload enough for 3 years of shooting in one sitting. Thanks, Don Lee Liquid Alox. Pour in a bowl , put bullets in , shake around, put on a sheet of wax paper and let dry overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBB Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I agree the Liquid Alox is a good option. A second option would be to pan lube them. You basically stand the bullets up in a pan, melt the lube of your choice, and pour it in up to the height of lube grooves. Once it cools you cut them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Go to hardware store, buy a toilet bowl wax seal, they are beeswax. then use the above pan melt method. I use beeswax lubed bullets in blackpowder and in revolver loads. works fine for the low volume you are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmdon Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) Ok so both of those methods meet my need for cheap and easy. Which will be more effective in preventing bbl leading? Smoke is not a factor. I'm guessing the alox won't completely fill the grooves like the bees wax. $$$edit$$$ Holy crap. Look at the reviews of the a lox. All excellent I wouldn't think it could work so well because it's such a thin coating. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=466811 Edited October 9, 2011 by dcmdon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBB Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Either method would work fine for you. Ideally you should slug your bore and the chamber throats to make sure the bullets are large enough. A simple check you can perform is to drop a bullet into each chamber in the cylinder (when it is clean). The bullet should require a bit of pressure to get it through the throat. If the bullets already fit in this way you are on the right track. If the bullets fall out of the cylinder with no resistance they may be somewhat undersized for your gun. In this case they are more likely to lead regardless of lube. If the bullets pass the test and still lead the cylinder throats may be undersized, the bore may be rough or there may a restriction where the barrel is threaded into the frame. Taking the measurements would help you figure this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 When using the ALOX method use very little. It goes a long way. Put some mineral spirits in the bottle and mix it up. Put your bullets in a bowl. I use a tupperware with a top. Pour less than you think you need and swish the bullets around Don't try to drown them. Let them sit for 24 hour and they should be dry enough to shoot. You don't want them to be sticky. I use Lee Liquid Alox and am very happy with the way it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddrod Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 The LEE Alox is not suppose to fill the lube rings. Mix it 50/50 with mineral spirits, put a light coat on the bullets, let dry, repeat coating process, let dry and you are good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmdon Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 The LEE Alox is not suppose to fill the lube rings. Mix it 50/50 with mineral spirits, put a light coat on the bullets, let dry, repeat coating process, let dry and you are good to go. Thank you. I've done some reading, now I see that. Re your responses. The bullets will drop freely through the cylinder until about 1/4" of the nose is sticking out of the cylinder. Then i have to pound it through with a brass rod. The cylinder appears clean. I've never shot .44 special out of it. So I'd think that thats not the issue. Are the far ends of the cylinder tighter on purpose? Or is there just crap there that I haven't cleaned out. The bullets measure between .4300 and .4305. I've double checked this using both a Browne and Sharpe micrometer and a cheapie digital caliper . Any further advice based on this info is greatly appreciated. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 One question nobody has asked yet is have those bullets even been sized? Generally, cast bullets should be sized due to the variation in bullet molds and the fact that the slightest bit of debris between the mold halves can affect the size of the bullet as cast. Usually the bullets are lubed at the same time they are sized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmdon Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 One question nobody has asked yet is have those bullets even been sized? Generally, cast bullets should be sized due to the variation in bullet molds and the fact that the slightest bit of debris between the mold halves can affect the size of the bullet as cast. Usually the bullets are lubed at the same time they are sized. How would I tell if they were sized? Is it done by pushing them through a die? If so, would the high points have a burnished surface? Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBB Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) Yes. They are generally burnished looking perhaps on some spots as you suggest or perhaps uniformly if they were sized down more. If the bullets are not crazy large you may be able to get acceptable results without sizing. If you do decide to size Lee sells an inexpensive kit which will allow you to size them with your reloading press. This would not allow you to apply the lubricant at the same time but you would still be able to use the liquid alox or pan lubing afterwards. If it were me I would take the measurements on the gun first. If everything seemed in line there I would lube the bullets and try shooting them. If you aren't happy with the results you can then spend the time and money with the sizing. I'm not saying sizing is bad. I'm just saying if the results are acceptable without it, don't bother. Edited October 11, 2011 by BBBB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmdon Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 what should I be looking for when I measure the gun. The bullets measure a pretty consistent .4300 to .4305. Nobody has answered if its correct for the bullet to drop in the rear part of the cylinder then stick in the forward part. Which is what happens. Should the cylinder's bore be tapered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBB Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 A lead bullet that is properly fit will stop exactly as you have described. That's exactly what you want. The problem you sometimes run into is that the throats are too small so when the bullet gets to the barrel it is too small. A lead bullet that is too small for either the throats or the barrel will let combustion gas by it which generally causes leading. You should push a slug through the throats and compare that to the size of a slug pushed through the bore. Ideally the throat will be 0.0005" to 0.001" inches larger. In this configuration the bullets fill the throat and then fill the bore with no room for gas to get by. So, in other words the opening for the bullet should always get smaller as you approach the muzzle. If it ever gets bigger there will be a gap around the bullet which is not good for leading or accuracy. The bullets you have may be bit hard to use for sizing. However, if you've already pounded one through you could try measuring that. It would at least give you an idea of the throat diameter for one of the throats. You already know the bullets fit the throat ok. If all the other measuring seems like too much trouble lube some bullets and shoot them. If you're happy with the way they work great. If not take the next set of measurements and figure out what the problem is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBB Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 One more thing. The nominal diameter in 44 Mag. is 0.429. Most commercially cast bullets are sized 0.0001 over this or 0.430. If your gun is set up with ideal dimensions this would be about the ideal size. Your bullets are measuring 0.0000 to 0.0005 over this. It is doubtful that you need to size them down at all. The best result you can hope for with sizing is make them all a uniform size. That's why I suggested shooting them before sizing. If you are already happy with the way they perform there is no reason to size them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmdon Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) Thank you. All great info. Based on all of this I'm going to order the parts from dillon for my 650. Edited October 11, 2011 by dcmdon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmdon Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 Well, I ended up getting a Lee Classic Turret for these low volume calibers. I've loaded all of my available pre-lubed lead bullets and just went to the unlubed ones this afternoon to apply the allox. I'm surprised at how little there appears to be on the bullets. It sure doesn't seem like much. I'd guess I used a quarter teaspoon of Allox and a similar amount of mineral spirits for 50 bullets. When I dumped them, they were all wet. So I guess they're done. It just doesn't look like much. Does that sound about right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now