Cleaning the base after sizing/lubing

[glassparman]

So now that I have truly fallen headlong into this casting business, how do you guys clean the bases of your bullets after sizing . . . especially those with a beveled base?

I'm doing it by hand one by one but is there a better way?

Is it even necessary? I just thought I shouldn't leave any lube on the base as it might taint any powder that sticks to it . . .

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Adjust the sizer to not put as much where ya dont want it!!

 

[Ian]

Piece of recycled cardboard from cereal box, inside-up. Tape it to the table by the sizer and wipe the base. For BB bullets in an in/out sizer, the best solution is an ejector punch with a matching bevel machined into it. Failing that, some people use discs stamped from meat trays but I always found lube gets under them and hydraulics them out.

Best solution is forego the lube all together.

 

[462]

Best solution is forego the lube all together.

Since I'm not there . . . . . . yet, I used a reamer to remove the Lee 358-158 RF's bevel. Prior to that I wiped it off with a rag, but that became tedious real quick.

What size is/are the bullet/bullets?

 

[Brad]

STAR, that is the answer if you want to use traditional lube on bevel base bullets.

 

[Jeff H]

I've used every one of those suggestions, plus PC, which @Ian may have alluded to.

All worked well except @CWLONGSHOT 's idea, but that was only because my Lyman 450 is old, loose and sloppy, as are about half the dies. It suffers incontinence issues even if just left sitting without pressure.

 

[oscarflytyer]

gave up and wipe them with rag or drag across piece of cardboard or wood. Don't use many BB molds. Still occassionally get base lube.

 

[Michael]

I try to avoid BB molds whenever possible just for that and other reasons. I have heard some folks don't even worry about removing the lube if they are going shoot them fairly soon or they store the ammo case head down and bullet up, or... also take a soft rag, put some case lube, mineral oil, etc. on it, twirl the BB on it before running through the sizer, bullet lube "reportedly" will not stick to the BB, then just wipe the base off on a clean rag or paper towel after sizing. Have I tried these, nope, I stay with GC, plain base, or PC. Just passing along info I have been told or read.

Reading Jeff's remarks about the trials of a geriatric 450, followed by the above post has me thinking, would base lube be considered a skid mark?

 

[RicinYakima]

Don't worry about it! Lube on the bevel will not hurt anything other than your pride.

 

[Bret4207]

Part of the reason I don't like BB designs. But such issues are not confined to BB. I use the "wipe it on a rag" method.

 

[dale2242]

Being old school, I don`t and won`t powder coat.
I don`t have anything against it, I am just too old to change, I guess.
I started with an RCBS lube/sizer and NRA 50/50 Alox lube and that`s what I will stick with.
I ALWAYS wipe the bottom of my bullets when i pick them out of the lube/sizer.
There is a piece of course cloth lying on my knee to wipe on.

 

[Winelover]

When using the base first, RCBS LAM, I wipe every bullet base........... don't own any bevel bases molds. Paper towel on bench, next to sizer. No need when nose first sizing with the Star.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

It's all been said but I'm in the camp of avoid BB bullets.
A Star luber sizer is the answer but that's money for the sizer and more money for the dies.

 

[Jeff H]

Don't worry about it! Lube on the bevel will not hurt anything other than your pride.

Yeah, that.

And that's important to me, at least to some degree, but the one "real" problem I've had with the excess lube is that it ends up all over the cases, and then my hands, in the loading block and ammo box. This may not even be that important, but it bugs me to have bits of stuff stuck all over the cartridge. While I am careful and fastidious about handling my ammo, there always seems to be bits of stuff to stick to the sticky cartridges.

Never had a problem with BB bullets shooting well, so can't complain about that. PC'ing them, because I insist on standing them up presents a problem of what resembles mould flash, or "fins" at the top of the bevel and the sizer die does not wipe it off/smooth it over. Less powder on the bullet, less powder collecting on the parchment paper it stands on,... Many ways to resolve that too, I guess.

Sometimes, I'm too picky. Other times, I'm probably not picky enough. Depends on how finely we each decide to split which hair, it certainly never gets boring sorting out such picayune details we've each thought we've mastered, only to find out our means and methods are maybe less important than we'd convinced ourselves.

 

[Snakeoil]

To address the excess lube on the finished cartridge, I have a simple trick that I believe I've shared here before. I take an old sock and put it on the hand that grabs the bullet and puts it in the case before seating. After it is seated, I simply use that sock-covered hand to wipe the case/bullet clean before putting into the ammo box. The end result is my brass stays a lot cleaner after firing.

Pretty sure that .22RF bullets have lube all over them before being inserted into the case at the factory. Does not seem to affect anything. The TAC-22 I and others use in matches using a very light and greasy lube. The TAC shoots better than some of the Eley and Lapua expensive stuff.

 

[quicksylver]

GOT a piece of paper next to sizer and just wipe across that when necessary, make sure handle is down with some pressure on it before you crank in lube, go easier on the lube crank

 

[HHD WV]

So now that I have truly fallen headlong into this casting business, how do you guys clean the bases of your bullets after sizing . . . especially those with a beveled base?

I'm doing it by hand one by one but is there a better way?

Is it even necessary? I just thought I shouldn't leave any lube on the base as it might taint any powder that sticks to it . . .

I had that problem when using a RCBS LAM 2. I’ve gone to a Star lubrasizer now and have no problems at all. Seating gas checks is no problem either. Increase in speed of sizing and lubing are probably 4 or 5 to 1 comparatively! Harles

 

[glassparman]

So what do you guys think about just carefully removing the bevel on the mold?

 

[Charles Graff]

I hate, loath, dispise and abominate bevel based bullet and won't use them.

 

[shuz]

Now days for boolits that aren't powder coated, I just put the sized boolits that have gone thru a sizer from the bottom, into a plastic container and pour in a little of Ben's liquid lube, shake around and let dry. Don't have to wipe these at all!