Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Lee liquid alox and talcum powder?

Scored 2000 Nosler swaged 148 gr. HBWC bullets yesterday (story here) and since the old original lube on them is pretty much gone I was going to try tumble lubing them with Lee liquid alox.

Have tried tumble lubing in the past on a small batch of some other cast bullets and it's "okay" but it does leave the bullets sticky even when dry. Some youtubers report using some kind of fine powder to coat the bullets to make them less sticky, which sounds like a good idea but youtube being youtube I wanted to double check with the real experts here.

Has anyone done that and did you see any downside to it? My only concern is that even though talc is a soft mineral the powder might be a bit abrasive over the long run. The bullets will be used mostly in a mid-60's Colt Officer's Model Match and I'd hate to do anything that might damage the barrel.

Fine ground mica powder would be an option. Commonly used to lube case necks.

I think this would be a better solution: 45-45-10/Deluxe Liquid Xlox from White Label Lube. I like it because it dries hard and is not tacky.

I just looked it up...talc is as soft as it gets..1 on the Mohs scale. Mica across the grain is 4 Mohs. For reference most glass is 5.5 Mohs. Back before men started wearing earrings...starters and generators were assembled with 'motor mica' as a dry lube that did not conduct killywrinkles.

I use dilute ALOX and after about an hour dust it with a 75/25 motor mica/graphite mix. Works fine.

Sample prior to dusting...

This turned out to be a moot point. "...the old original lube on them is pretty much gone..." is true but apparently there is still enough there to get the job done.

Have made two tests on two different days with two different revolvers, shooting the bullets as they come out of the box vs. being lubed with the Lee liquid alox - 10 or 12 shot groups fired over a good pistol rest at 25 yards on windless days. Handguns were a recent production Smith Model 67 with a Burris Fastfire III and a Colt Officer's Model Match with the original Accro sight.

In each trial with both revolvers the out of the box bullets shot smaller groups, so I'll just load'em and shoot'em.

Those are pretty bullets. I dint think I'm getting my alloy clean enough because a lot of my bullets look cloudy and have spots and some pits on them. It's very superficial and they look great after powder coating but I never get that perfect shinny clean look. I think I'm not fluxing enough.

Bb

Those bullets have a 40:1 tin mix, and a couple pounds of wheel weights mixed with 18 pounds of pure lead. Casting temp is 750*.

They shoot ok.

100 yard groups? memtb

Show off!!!!! Try as I do no way I can make bullets as perfect and aesthetically pleasing. And the results….. damn man!!! Alway like seeing your results. Someday maybe I’ll get there.

I enjoy DDan's posts re cast bullets, and other topics. Judging from his posts, he has the process down. I'd like to see pics of the final result after dusting.

Target was shot at 50 yards as I recall.

👍 Thanks, just collecting data points! It’s always good to determine what my expectations, dreams, aspirations should be! 😉 memtb

Gorgeous boolits.

Shop for ultra gine hexagonal boron nitride. It’s the same as “MotorMica”

You sure about that?

Never had any problems with the cast bullets
I've Lee aloxed.
Always did it just like the Modern Reloading
book said

I use a plastic bowl and do 10-12 at a time with
just a small bit of the alox. Swirl em around
slowly until they're all coated and let em dry
completely on a sheet of wax paper.
Mostly done the R.E.A.L. muzzleloader bullets,
but a good many for 38/357- 44mag SWC cast
too. Nary a problem ( so far)
Might be too slow of a process for some