LLA - Two coats needed?

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Last Post 26 September 2019
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max503 posted this 24 September 2019

I cast up an ice cream bucket full of Lee 200 grain tumble 45 caliber swc's. I gave them a coat of LLA then ran them through the push die. Do they really need another coat of lube? Seems like with lube less is better. Probably the thing to do is ask the gun.

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CBA Member

BigMan54 posted this 25 September 2019

That's what I did the first time I TL'ed a N.O.E .44TL Bullet. After a while I tried Lubing 1 in 5, and then 1 in 10. I settled on 1 in 7.

Seems time consuming, but I had a old drink coaster. I'd dump 8 unlubed bullets on it and then put a lubed bullet through the sizer. Lubed 80-100 per 1,000, and just lubed all the bullets after sizing.

Rinse, repeat.

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 25 September 2019

when i was shooting 22lr bench, i rubbed off the factory lube and used almost none of moly grease. finally used on only each 3 and i thought that was better than each one.

so i bet that with real cartridges, lubing only every 3 ... 5 ... 7 ... would give results somewhere between lubing them all and lubing none .... as johna and others have played with, "probably" no difference, at least at the 3/4 moa level, and maybe under 2200 fps ...

ken

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Standard Member

sghart3578 posted this 26 September 2019

This is what works for me.

I size my cast bullets bare, no lube. If they are gas checked I seat the gas checks with no lube.

I then tumble lube them with 1 very light coat of LLA mixed 60/40 with mineral spirits. I'm talking a very light coat.

For 100 .38 cal bullets I use 1/2 teaspoon of lube.

I tumble them then air dry. They dry very fast. They don't gum up my dies. The bullets have a very, very slight color from the lube.

This works on 45 cal bullets at 750 fps on up. This morning I shot 150 357 mag bullets through my Marlin. 180 gr gas checked at 1700 fps. Super accurate, no leading, easy bore clean up. (Wipe the bore with a clean patch and a few drops of auto transmission fluid.)

Hope this helps,

Steve in N CA

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max503 posted this 26 September 2019

I ended up doing it in the usual manner; one light coat, let it dry, then size, then another light coat. I've tried sizing unlubed but the occasional over-sized bullet would jam up the die.