Sticky .38 Special lubes

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Thomasss

Thomasss

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I picked up an old Lyman resizer and lube machine at a rummage sale and have been using it a while. I got some alox sticks for it and have tried them and have also tried adding some additional Bore Butter to the alox.
The problem: Bore Butter or not, everything I've tried ends up with a sticky bullet when reloading. I load them and then wipe down the case.
I usually have to pre-heat the sizer with a heat gun. I'm loading a 158 grain, SWC .357 bullet from Lee. Any suggestions or maybe a better lube.
 
Hmmm... not sure about alox - it's a pretty good lube - but if it's a Lyman 450 lubrisizer I'd say maybe your sizing die is too large or you're pushing it down too deep. The lube really shouldn't be oozing past the lube rings. Maybe try Carnauba red or blue?
 
Not sure what you mean by "sticky bullet." A pic or 2 may clarify. If lube is getting outside the loaded case it may be the bullet is going in crooked, or there is insufficient flare, or there's way too much lube on the bullet, going in.
 
Pictures won't be any good for what I am describing. I see all sorts of pictures on the net of perfectly filled bullet grooves that appear lube to be hardened off like frosting on a wedding cake. My lubes fill the grooves just fine, but the lube never totally dries and so the bullets are always sticky to the touch. Or is that the way they should be?
 
Thomasss said:
Pictures won't be any good for what I am describing. I see all sorts of pictures on the net of perfectly filled bullet grooves that appear lube to be hardened off like frosting on a wedding cake. My lubes fill the grooves just fine, but the lube never totally dries and so the bullets are always sticky to the touch. Or is that the way they should be?
Click to expand...
Alox is gooyer than some of the hard waxes like carnauba wax, which is why it’s so smoky, but I never have had it be sticky. Gooey, yes; tacky, kinda; but sticky? Doesn’t ring a bell. Maybe clean the well out spic-n-span and start from scratch with fresh everything.
 
Thomasss said:
Pictures won't be any good for what I am describing. I see all sorts of pictures on the net of perfectly filled bullet grooves that appear lube to be hardened off like frosting on a wedding cake. My lubes fill the grooves just fine, but the lube never totally dries and so the bullets are always sticky to the touch. Or is that the way they should be?
Click to expand...
Those thin waxes are for low velosity pistol bullets and black powder shooting. The lyman orange is for faster pistol and rifle is even harder
 
I assume you are talking about a bullet sizer/lubricator. Lyman does make a heating plate that installs under the sizer. It warms the sizer and makes the lubricant flow easier.

Yes, the lubricant can be a bit sticky feeling once applied to the bullet. I've been known to store my lubricated bullets in the refrigerator. The chilled bullets were less sticky to the touch when seating them.

The act of seating will cause excess lubricant to flow up and around the bullet. It will get into the die and seating stem and needs to be cleared out periodically.
 
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cfullgraf said:
I assume you are talking about a bullet sizer/lubricator. Lyman does make a heating plate that installs under the sizer. It warms the sizer and makes the lubricant flow easier.

Yes, the lubricant can be a bit sticky feeling once applied to the bullet. I've been know to store my lubricated bullets in the refrigerator. The chilled bullets were less sticky to the touch when seating them.

The act of seating will cause excess lubricant to flow up and around the bullet. It will get into the die and seating stem and needs to be cleared out periodically.
Click to expand...
Do you get better neck tension from thermal expansion????
 
If you are used to buying commercial cast bullets that lube is harder than algebra so it will not chip or deform in shipping. That will not be soft. Most of my home lubed bullets are softer lubed and when it is hot might be a bit tacky to the touch then. Never paid much attention to them though.
 
In my early days of casting bullets, I used the pan/"cookie cutter" method of lubricating bullets. It was a reasonable, cheap way to lubricate the bullets.

But, I found the bullets sticky to handle. Tacky might be another term. The bullets shot well. I found if I chilled them, they were easier to handle.

I stopped casting for a while in the 1990's though 2010. More recently, I have purchased a proper lubri/sizer. The lubricants are not as sticky as from the pan lubricating system. I also have been doing some powder coating, which eliminates the lubricant altogether.

I do not try to drive my lubricated cast bullets too fast so I get away with variable sizing, variable lead hardness, and variable lubricating without leading my barrels. If I want high velocity rounds, I go to plated or jacketed bullets.

I'm not saying that you cannot get high velocities with cast bullets or cast bullets with gas checks, I'm just not interested in spending the time to find the combination that works without leading. My low power lead loads work fine for me for most of my shooting.

Fortunately, our hobby has lots of variability built into it. One can tailor the end result to what one whats
 
According to Webster "tacky" is a better term for my situation. Now the question remains: Is thermal inoculation the only remedy? Or might there be a chemical addition to Alox sticks?

I generally load around 750 fps mostly for target shooting in a Model 10-5.
 
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Thomass said:
...a chemical addition to Alox sticks?
Click to expand...

- First: The "ALOX" sticks generally described for the Lyman are NRA Lube -- 50/50 Alox/Beeswax
- Second: You don't want to 'harden' that 50/50 lube for any particular reason.

A big part of its function to to stay soft / compress in the grooves / flow ahead
of the bullet as a mist going down the barrel at low-to-moderate pressures
 
I've been lubing/sizing for probably 15 years now and have used a Lyman 45, an RCBS LAM and now a Star. Some lubes are just stickier, gooier or tackier than others. My favorite lube is (was, can't find it anymore)TAC-1 and it is a bit sticky and bullets get stuck together, and some of the lube gets on my fingers and in seating dies.

That said, I think you need to measure your bullets and make sure they're not smaller than the sizing die. It sounds like the lube may be outside of the lube grooves. If that's not the problem, then switch to a harder lube. I'm currently using White Label Lube Carnauba Red on everything from 750 fps handgun loads to 2000 fps rifle loads. The stuff works great.

35W
 
I strongly dislike alox. It gets everywhere and it stinks.

By the same token, I'm not a fan of really hard lubes either. They are mostly for the commercial caster, so that when the box of bullets arrives the purchaser doesn't complain about the mess. They work, sort of, but not as well as softer lubes.

My favorite is LBT Blue Soft, which is kind of expensive and kind of difficult to get. As far as I know it is only sold by LBT (which is Veral Smith) and the gentleman does not accept online orders. You have to mail in the order form with a check. I finally got tired of the process and ordered a lifetime supply, and I still do not regret it.
 
.38 Special said:
I strongly dislike alox. It gets everywhere and it stinks.

By the same token, I'm not a fan of really hard lubes either. They are mostly for the commercial caster, so that when the box of bullets arrives the purchaser doesn't complain about the mess. They work, sort of, but not as well as softer lubes.

My favorite is LBT Blue Soft, which is kind of expensive and kind of difficult to get. As far as I know it is only sold by LBT (which is Veral Smith) and the gentleman does not accept online orders. You have to mail in the order form with a check. I finally got tired of the process and ordered a lifetime supply, and I still do not regret it.
Click to expand...
If I recall right Meister bullets uses LBT Blue. Hunters cast uses something a lot like it but green. I use both in smokeless and black with no problem.
 
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