Is Bullet Lube Really Necessary?

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  • Last Post 09 July 2010
Joshua M. Smith posted this 27 June 2010

Hello,

I've run across a few places on the internet (I know... I know...) that say lubing isn't strictly necessary for lead bullets.

The reasoning is that, if the bullet is undersized, there will be leading regardless, and if the bullet is sized correctly, leading will not occur.

Cited on one page is “Norm Johnson,” whom I'm told posts here, and “is shooting un-lubricated revolver bullets, with good accuracy and no leading."

Given that lead is used as a lubricant in some non-shooting applications, this does sort of make sense.

What do you all make of this?

Thank you,

Josh

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RicinYakima posted this 27 June 2010

Well, I my opinion, it is possible. There can be no leakage of powder gasses around the sides of the bullet, from chamber to muzzle. There must be some sort of “anti-flux” on the metal to keep lead from sticking.

I once shot 10 shots from an '03 with unlubed and unsized bullets. Each cartridge was lowered bullet first into a little jar of Hoppe's #9 bore cleaner. The barrel had been cleaned with the same stuff. The 10 shots were fired in about 5 minutes, and accuracy was about average. There was no leading in the barrel. Since there was no accuracy advantage, I never followed up with more testing.

For me, that is not an advantage, since I don't want to make ammo for use in just one firearm.

Ric

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william iorg posted this 03 July 2010

I can assure it is possible ”€œ if everything fits right. Following some advice from Norm Johnson my father and I shot several hundred NEI #161A bullets in our Winchester 357 Magnum Model 94AE. This is an LBT style plain base bullet which casts about .3595” for us. This bullet fits the throat of the Winchester Model perfectly, sealing it and not allowing gas to escape past it. This bullet may be shot at any velocity you care to shoot them ”€œ in this rifle.

Best loads in the 16”barrel Trapper were:

14.0 grains of IMR 4227 ”€œ 1,279 fps

15.0 grains of IMR 4227 -  1,355 fps

16.0 grains of IMR 4227 ”€œ 1,387 fps

 

Similar loads using the 200-grain RCBS gas check bullet and the Keith 358429 leaded the barrel from throat to muzzle. It's all about bullet fit. With a set of bump dies or some thinking and the use of the Lyman 450 I believe I could shoot no-lube bullets in the revolvers. Someday it will be worth another look.

 

Yep, Norm's my hero. Norm has described the shooting of cast bullets with no lubricant on the CB-L forum on Yahoo Groups. This is Charles Hamilton's group.

Slim

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billwnr posted this 03 July 2010

Load up 100 bullets with 50/50 lube and 100 with no lube. Clean after each 100 rounds and see what's on the first patch used to clean.

Should give you a pretty good answer. Make sure the bullets are sized properly or you will get a misleading answer.

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DAMRON G posted this 04 July 2010

I just shot no lube in a 35 Whelen at 1900fps and results were pretty good.Alloy was straight WW and a GC was used.The bullet was a 200 ish SAECO  RNFP and the powder was a a surplus powder marketed as 4759 “clone"(and truth be told a bit of 1680 accidentally got poured in the can so it is a duplex load sort of)

Groups shot at 50 yards.Didn't go to 100 as i was just fooling around with a new barreled rifle and was working up load data for the surplus powder.

Shown on one target are a 5 shot and a 10 shot group at 50 yards with the SAECO sans lube with Hornady GC.Next one shows six “stringey"shots with a lubed plain base 200g Lyman 35875 @ 1900 fps that leaded very badly.The group to the right is the SAECO load again right after that group.The no lube GC load scraped out and cleaned the bore clean. I have shot cast 22's@ 1900 with GC and no lube and got very good grouping. i have also shot plain base 30's at 1200 fps with good accuracy as well.Sometimes the no lube groups were as good as the lubed groups.After about 15-30 shots accuracy seems to go a bit south on  the 30's and a wire scrub brought it back.Worth another try anyway.When i go to long time CBA member Bob Mill's house this is the kind of stuff he makes me do!

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DAMRON G posted this 04 July 2010

35875 lubed Plain base @ 1900 to the left. GC no lube on right(10 shots)

first shot was the wider right then it slowly progressed left and settled back down.

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DAMRON G posted this 04 July 2010

End of barrel after lubed plain base at 1900 before the no lube with GC load scrapd the leading out.Forgot to take an after picture (darn!)

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DAMRON G posted this 05 July 2010

"There must be some sort of “anti-flux” on the metal to keep lead from sticking."

friend Bob thinks a powder that leaves a good fouling/carbon layer is essential to shooting bullets with no lube for that reason.

Geo.

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tturner53 posted this 05 July 2010

Like black powder?! Nice shooting George

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billwnr posted this 05 July 2010

George and “friend Bob” need to be tied up at the stake and burned. No lube is the anti-christ. (meant to be funny)

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Paul Pollard posted this 05 July 2010

Judging from the camera date and time stamp, it looks like a “shot in the dark."

Nice shooting.

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[email protected] posted this 09 July 2010

I think it would be very helpful if cast bullet shooters indicated the lead alloy they were shooting. Would lynotype bullets give the same results as 1 part tin to 20 part lead bullets?

CBA MEMBER

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