How about we discuss using Lee Tumble Lube cast bullets?

[Ian]

A lot of lead fouling issues in automatics are due to.....believe it or not....trying to shoot bullets which are too large. You read that correctly. What happens is the throats are often short, small, and sharp and shave lead like crazy if the bullet is larger than the throat entrance and the brass has been sized to minimum in a carbide die so the brass rattles in the chamber like a BB in a boxcar. Gravity and/or extractor pressure cock the cartridge to one side, point the bullet at an angle to the bore center, and one whole side gets raked off on the abrupt edge at the end of the chamber and blown down the barrel behind the bullet.

 

[Wallyl]

I too tried a Lee 130 RN-TL in the 9mm Luger and it leaded up the barrel very badly. I got rid of that mold right quick. I now use Lee 120 TC/125 RN with no leading issues.

 

[Intheshop]

Wally,I just started re using the Lee liquid alox. Bought a bottle probably 40? years ago. Used it once or twice,then moved on. Never fully explored its use. Now I'm using it as the very last op on loaded rounds. Once the round is completed,wiped off with nail polish remover;

Take a soft rag that has some of the goop on it,which lives in a sealed bag.... wipe the bore ride section of bullet. Then after wiping the whole batch,come back with another soft rag and polish off excess. It "seems" to offer protection in the field. I use plastic open style cartridge holders and throw them in pockets,daypacks,and pretty much don't give a hoot.

Not into powder coating. Have and still do a metric crap ton of spray finishes from nitro lacquer to full on epoxy and everything in between. The LAST thing I want to do is paint bullets.... doh.

 

[Wallyl]

Intheshop,

IMHO the TL bullets are quick & easy to load/load/shoot. They shoot accurately in my pistols and I don't have to size them. Who could ask for more?

 

[telebasher]

A lot of lead fouling issues in automatics are due to.....believe it or not....trying to shoot bullets which are too large. You read that correctly. What happens is the throats are often short, small, and sharp and shave lead like crazy if the bullet is larger than the throat entrance and the brass has been sized to minimum in a carbide die so the brass rattles in the chamber like a BB in a boxcar. Gravity and/or extractor pressure cock the cartridge to one side, point the bullet at an angle to the bore center, and one whole side gets raked off on the abrupt edge at the end of the chamber and blown down the barrel behind the bullet.

 

[telebasher]

DougGuy can put a cast bullet throat in your auto loader barrels and totally fix that problem. Factory loads with hardball will still shoot just fine but cast loads will feed and shoot way better !

 

[fiver]

LOL....Ian can put his own throat in there.
you still have a square sharp edge at the end of the chamber.

 

[RBHarter]

I had the 356-124 first . It sure enough leaded ......... I did get it to shoot . The biggest fix was getting all the copper pried loose from the barrel . It took the best part of 45 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with Hoppes . I'd run it 10 min and push out flaks of crud with a brush and scrub it with Burchwood Casey's ........ Then back in the cleaner . It still traps a little on the push side of the lands . I got it up to where I could 2-300 rounds before the FEG HP9 would open up over 4.5" . It cleaned up a bunch easier , deep cleaning and copper solvent still pulls a little color . I used Darrs on them and the 401-175 TLSWC in an XD40 . I did have to step it up to straight WQWW to stop the tumbling . 175 gr , 940 fps , max jacketed load of Unique in Win brass . I think I have rifle bullet too ...... Don't know that I shot it much .

 

[ChestnutLouie]

"I think most of us just prefer to Buy N.O.E. or Accurate Molds. The Lee 2cav TL molds are for beginners. Most of us just prefer to Buy better quality that will last longer."

For beginners....I think not. Iv'e put about 1,000 200 grain TL bullets thru my 1911 with no leading and good accuracy. They simply work! why pay 4 times the price? Maybe there are some special purpose rifle bullets that justify the high cost of N.O.E. or Accurate Molds but I do not own that rifle.

thanks
Francis

 

[Walks]

C. L.
If you are casting fast & hard, then the Lee 2cav won't take it for very long. Especially with the new "cut down" Lee molds.

The GOOD Molds by N.O.E , Accurate & Arsenal will cast hard and fast and you'll never have to worry about wearing them out.

I have 3 old Lee 2cav Molds that I've been using for 30+ years. I cast slow and easy with them. That's why they still cast good bullets.

I have 3 newer Lee 2cav Molds that I was given for postage cost. They are beat to pieces.

Once most of us have Really learned to cast GOOD Bullets, We move on to better molds.

The faster you cast, the more bullets you get. The more bullets you got. The more you can SHOOT.

 

[Ian]

If you are casting fast & hard, then the Lee 2cav won't take it for very long. Especially with the new "cut down" Lee molds

I disagree. I feed mine a hot supper every time I cast and run pot after pot of alloy through them with no issues. I polish the sprue plates, cut the sprues by hand while still soft, and don't slam them closed. 4-5 pours per minute is pretty fast.

I own thousands of dollars worth of fine custom moulds from Accurate and MP, with a few second-hand custom moulds from other makers. NOE is and always has been below Lee on my list in both quality, cast size, and function. I'm finding these days that 3/4 of the bullets I've settled in on using the most for my pet loads cime from Lee moulds, both two and six cavity versions and the fine custom moulds largely just sit in the shelf. That would change considerably if Tom would make spire point or smallbore moulds, but there aemre other options available, many if them Lee, so I use those.

 

[fiver]

I never bought a LEE mold until I was waay past the point of several 100$ get what I want how I want it molds.
if I 'only' get enough quality bullets out of a 20$ mold to burn up 40$ worth of gas checks I'm pretty cool with that.

 

[freebullet]

I like Lee molds when they is what they were advertised to be. Haven't received out of round with Noe or MP. If you get a usable Lee it is undoubtedly high value. When decided to cast I order 12 Lee molds to learn on. Most are still serviceable, some with well past 50k poured through.

Can warp them all with one of our Lee 10lb pots.

When I say super hot I'm talking 900-1k°f.

 

[Walks]

I wrote this post over a hour ago. Then heard the Dinner Bell. Forgot to hit POST.
Getting old really stinks.


I cast from 4 2cav, 3 4cav or 3 5-6cav molds at a time. Every cycle takes about a minute. I toss the sprues back in the pot after each cycle. That some how keeps the temp stable as the pot level goes down. Not sure how it works but it does. I take a break when the pot goes about 1/2 - 2/3 down. RCBS or Lyman 20-22 lb pots.

I use the same size mold brand or block size when casting, keeps the rythem going.

I'll use Lee molds, but will always feel just about every mold I've ever used is better then Lee.

The only reason those 3 old Lee molds I have are still doing ok ? Is that I handle them with a great deal of care.I'm
Just like about every other tool, if you handle them with care they will last forever. I've got tools My Grandfather bought in the 1920's & 1930's.

 

[Walks]

Like "fiver" I came to Lee molds "late" in My Casting Life. As far as I can remember until My Dad bought those 3 used Lee molds at a Gun show, and gave them to me to cast for Cowboy Shooting.
The only Lee product I had ever used was the punch decappers that was made for .06 & .223

I grew up casting from H&G, Ohaus, Lachmiller, Lyman and Cramer.

And Lee is still cheap.

 

[JWFilips]

My shooting buddy Ed only uses Alox for his cast bullets ( shoots low & slow like me)
.221 fireball, 22 Hornet, 222, 222 Mag, 257 Rob, 250 sav and a few more 25 cals.
Gave him a precious container of Ben's liquid lube and a pound of Ben's Red! that was a few years ago!
He hasn't open either!........ It is either stubbornness or laziness but I'm sure it is the former!
The only tumble lube bullets I have used are for pistols

 

[Walks]

I've never even cast for anything smaller then 7mm.
Only have 2 molds, both Lyman. A #287405 Semi-Spitzer(Loverin) and the std style #287346 RN. Only loaded in 7x57 Mauser, a DWM 1893 & Win 70 FWT.
Over light charges of Unique.
Sized in a Lube-Sizer and Lubed with 50/50, everything else is .30cal, same Lube-Sizer & 50/50. Over Unigue, it's always worked for me.

But I'm not pushing very hard. And recently I've switched to WLL BAC. Works just as well.

 

[JWFilips]

Well I do the casting for him because he doesn't have a casting set up any more....
I can tell you it is a bit of a pain because he not only likes small calibers he likes small bullets! Even for his 25's he likes 63-65 grain bullets Got to run the alloy "hot" ! Like 750deg or so and cast as fast as you can!
Otherwise those little buggers do not fill out well! Thought I was back as an amateur caster again when he asked me to run his moulds for the first time!

 

[RBHarter]

I have a slew of 22,25,26 cal moulds , the 22s are the hardest to keep getting good bullets out of aluminum multi cavity moulds although that Herters 25-87 iron single made me work for every bullet . 26s are easy now , 100+gr 25s are a walk . 27s are as easy as 28s and 30s .

 

[Bret4207]

I think the incidence of people damaging a Lee mould is probably higher than with any other, but lets face it- They used to cost $11.00 when a Lyman was $45.00 and an RCBS was $55. Those are the moulds people bought, didn't read the instructions, poured in some filthy lead recovered from Uncle Ernies plumbing project and then they quenched the hot mould in water like they saw Daniel Boone do on TV back in '61. After that they took a claw hammer and beat the mould open. Is it any wonder they got damged?