Old Cast Bullet Question

[radford56]

I got three boxes of .38 caliber swaged 148 gr HBWC bullets (2 Bull-X and 1 Hornady) at an estate sale for next to nothing. I knew they were probably 30 years old or more, but figured they'd still be good. The lube on the Bull-X bullets seems very dry and the Hornady bullets are dry and powdery. Would it be worth it to lightly tumble lube these with some Lee Liquid Alox or should I just save the effort and try them as is?

 

[243winxb]

I would tumble with Lee Alox. Added insurance never hurts.

I follow Lee instructions.

Best results in applying liquid Alox are when the Alox is heated before applying, or thinned with mineral spirits to maximum of 1 part mineral spirits to 10 parts Alox. This makes it flow more easily, and results in a more even coat. One technique is to boil water and pour it into a coffee mug, and then drop the bottle of liquid Alox into the mug for about five minutes.

Place your freshly cast bullets into something about the size of a Cool Whip bowl and drop a few drops of liquid Alox on the bullets. Mix the bullets around until they are all coated. Lay the freshly coated bullets on some wax paper to dry. Liquid Alox will usually dry enough overnight to reload the next day, depending upon the humidity.

If you subscribe to the "more is better" line of thought, your coated bullets may never dry. Don't go for a "golden" color but rather just a light varnish. If you discover that your bullets are sticky the next day, you can get by with using a little less the next time. Keep reducing until the "stickiness" is gone by the next day. Tacky bullets can be dusted with powdered graphite.

If you are sizing your cast bullets, it is necessary to lube them first. Because the sizer will remove some of the surface of a larger diameter bullet, you may need to re-lubricate the bullets after they have been sized.

Only warm a small amount that you will use. Dont warm the large bottle. I put 10 drops in a old wd40 red plastic cap. Set it in almost boiling water. Then add to the bullets. After the container is coated, the 2nd batch may only need 3 or 4 drops of Alox.

 

[chkunz]

If you have some bullet lube like Alox you can put it on by hand getting some in the groves, then shoot a few and see if they lead, probably not.

 

[powderbrake]

Those swaged HBWC had a dry lube on them, use as is. They are a soft lead, and they are not made for high velocity, they are a target bullet. Try 2.7 gr of Bullseye, bullet seated flush with or slightly below the mouth of the case. Works in my Model 52 S&W my Model 28 357, and my Model 60 Chief's Special. Very accurate.

 

[dantiff2]

Powder coat them You'll get hooked!

Dan

 

[biggun2869]

Powderbrake's response is perfect. His load is right on the money too. I've shot about a million of these and those old soft hornadys were some of the best The ones I remember were knurled rather than having grooves and they had a dry white powder for lube. Pay attention to powderbrake, HE KNOWS!

 

[radford56]

Thanks for the replies. I've shot thousands of wadcutters - in fact, they're just about all I load for in .38 Special. I've just never loaded any quite this old before. I appreciate the responses, makes me feel a lot better about loading these straight from the box. I may use Alox on a few just as an experiment. It would be nice if I could actually go to the range and try them....but I'm guessing quite a few of you are in the same boat that I am. Can't wait to get back to the range!