It has been a long time coming, but I finally bought a serious bullet lubrisizer, and I could not be happier. I’m kicking myself for not taking the plunge sooner.
I started lubing my own bullets back about 2014. I went the cheap route. I picked tumble lubing. That is, I’d put the cast bullets in an empty sherbet tube, squirt in some lube, and swish it around. That was fine while I was doing small batches with a single-stage press. However, when I started working with my Hornady LNL Auto-Progressive, I had to stop way too often, clean lube out of the bullet seating die, and go back and re-calibrate it each time. If I did not, the buildup of lube would quickly change the seating depth of the bullet. That could get dangerous with a short round like 9mm where a difference of a couple thousandths can radically alter pressure.
About a year or so ago, I started pan-lubing. That reduced but did not eliminate the problem. Some folks have an easy time popping bullets out of their waxy matrix. I made a mess of it on two attempts and put everything aside while I contemplated a solution.
The advent of the Rossi M92 in 44 Mag got me thinking again. I had a Lee C429-240-SWC mold and a pile of gas checks, but I was going to have to buy a different sizer die to fit the generous dimensions of the Rossi’s bore. I decided to look for something different. A used RCBS Lube-a-matic was on EBAY at a steal of price and I snagged it.
I collected up all the bullets I had from some of my previous lubing experiments. My biggest batch was over 300 from my Lee 358-125-RF mold that I use for 357 Mag and 9mm. Some were sized and lubed. Some were not. Some were still stuck in the matrix of lube while I figured out a new way to extract them. My solution was simple: boil the whole lot in water and free the bullets from the waxy lube. Once all the lube had floated to the top, let things cool. Once cool, peel the layer of lube off the top of the pan and retrieve the cleaned bullets.
This worked great. The lube I was using was a homebrew that was 50% Beeswax and 50% Paraffin. Once I had it collected, I could remelt it and pour it in the Lub-a-matic. What I ended up with was kind of a zebra-striped hybrid that took on the black stripes of the RCBS lube that was still in the barrel. Once that is used up, I bought some White Label 50/50 sticks. It is the original NRA formula in hollow 1-inch sticks , and I can order those cheaper on Ebay than I can make them myself.
I ordered a heater, which although not necessary, is handy. You can give the Lube-a-Matic a softer lube that will dispense without heat, but I wanted a wax that stayed hard at ambient temperature.
Tag Archives: reloading
Another Trip to Turkey Camp
I went back down to Turkey Camp yesterday. I had several projects that needed work, and I wanted to get out and listen to the turkeys. First off, let me describe yesterday morning’s scouting trip. Starting at 20 minutes before sunrise, a large flock started going off near the Honey … Continue reading →
Return to Turkey Camp
This is the earliest I’ve tried to return to camp in 20-some seasons. A good deal of it is because I’m retired now. In the past, I had to wait until the weekends. Last year, I was still feeling the chemo and had to wait until someone else could go … Continue reading →
The Shaman and the Buddist Mandala
Yikes. I went to visit here early in the week, just checking in. I’ve invested 19 years and 4 months into this booger, and it contains the sum total of not only the bulk of what I’ve written about the outdoors, but the details of every hunt we’ve had at … Continue reading →
The Auto-Charge– Two Years On
Two years ago, I got a Hornady Auto-Charge from Natchezss.com. At the time, I likened the transaction to dragging a topwater lure over a largemouth bass repeatedly. After repeatedly presenting it the bass, the fish strikes just because he’s sick and tired of seeing it. The question I want to … Continue reading →
GP100 — A Long Time Coming
This story really starts back in Regan’s first term. I got into shooting shortly after college. My main focus was hunting, but I also enjoyed plinking. To that end, my buddy Jerry offered me a 3-screw Ruger Blackhawk in 357 Mag. I went through gobs of 38 Special ammo with … Continue reading →
Homebrew Black Powder
This is a project that really started a year and a half ago, just before I started Chemo. I had just purchased a Pedersoli Brown Bess musket and went looking for some black powder to feed it. None of my usual sources had any, and I the outlook was bleak. … Continue reading →
Getting Caught Up
It has been a few weeks since I could post anything meaningful about the farm, and here it is, almost time to open Deer Camp. Let me get y’all caught up. Pre-Season This is the view from the stand at Hundred Acre Wood. As you know, I was feeling pretty … Continue reading →
Back in the Saddle
I have not felt much like writing for the past few weeks. There has been so much to do. However, I did finally manage to get back out to the farm and get some stuff done. I started off by building some shelves in the bedroom to take my hunting … Continue reading →
A Cartridge Box for ‘Bess
After I got my Pedersoli Brown Bess last year, I started realizing how different this was than any other firearm I owned. The ‘Bess was normally fed a diet of paper cartridges. A bore-sized roll of paper was created. The ball went down first. This was tied off on both … Continue reading →
Angus Scores! — Hello, My Honey!
I have been experiencing a complete dearth of huntable gobblers all through the first week of season. Oh, I’ve been hearing them, and hearing hens as well. It has just been one day after another of the gobs hopping off the roost and disappearing off the property. It has been … Continue reading →
Stone Cold Turkey Killer
Mooselette came down with Daddy Moose last night. She’s on Spring Break. We went out this morning with the recording equipment and spent the hour bracketing sunrise listening for birds. The birds did not cooperate, but she and I had a fun time nonetheless. Yute Season is in a couple … Continue reading →
Crawling out of the Basement
It’s been a little over a year now since my retirement. The Chemo kept me from reloading most of that time, and I just got back to it after New Year’s. Mostly it was about stamina and to a certain extent the neuropathy in my fingers, but I kept doing … Continue reading →