New .44 mag question

[cbr]

Just got a new S&W 6 inch 629 .44 mag and have a question about lubing my boolits. I have always used LLA on everything I have cast with great results, and was wondering if it is sufficient for heavy .44 mag loads. I am shooting Lyman 429421 245 grain boolits cast from WW and am getting fairly heavy leading with 8.0 to 9.5 grains of unique and I tried 16 grains of 2400 with even worse leading. Barrel slugs .4295 and throats allow that slug to be pushed through all of them with heavy thumb pressure. Bullets are sized .431 and have two light coats of LLA. Mainly just wondering if anyone uses LLA with heavy .44 mag loads? Thanks in advance

[Ole]

Maybe try dipping it for a heavier coat since the bullet you mention is a regular lube groove design?

I use pan lube for my RCBS 250K. Something else you could try.

[carlsonwayne]

I have the same gun and use the Lee tumble lube as well. On higher velocity loads, I get leading pretty bad too. I have recently started using gas checks on my bullets, and have no more leading. Some guys seem to be sizing to a larger diameter and reducing or eliminating the leading. I haven't tried that yet though, and probably won't until my gas checks quit working. BTW I cast 240 grain SWC with the Lee six cavity mold. I can't believe how fast I can make a thousand bullets with that thing.

[MtGun44]

LLA and tumble lubing is a pretty marginal lubing system. OK in light applications, often
(usually?) fails at heavier loads and higher pressures and velocities.

Time to man up and buy a lubrisizer or start pan lubing. Pan lubing is super cheap but a
bit labor and time intensive, but works very well indeed. If the quantity of boolits loaded
is great, the lubrisizer is the ticket.

Bill

[cbrick]

LLA and tumble lubing is a pretty marginal lubing system. OK in light applications, often
(usually?) fails at heavier loads and higher pressures and velocities.

Time to man up and buy a lubrisizer or start pan lubing. Pan lubing is super cheap but a
bit labor and time intensive, but works very well indeed. If the quantity of boolits loaded
is great, the lubrisizer is the ticket. Bill

Very sound advice.

Pan lubing in adition to being a bit labor and time intensive (slow) it's also a bit messy but it does indeed work well.

Sounds like you have a decent bullet fit in the throats so any of the better lubes should serve you well.

Rick

[Three44s]

+1 on Bill's sound advice!

Everyone's results are different but for your gun and conditions, when you hit the limit of LLA .... you'll know it.

I was lucky, I found a Lyman 450 in a gunshop used for $15 about 20 years ago!


Three 44s

[cbr]

Ok, you guys are right. I pan lubed about 100 bullets last night, and about 20 came out with lube on them, but thats another topic. Anyway, I loaded the 20 up with 16 grains of 2400, shot them this morning, and zero leading. I guess I need to start looking for a lube sizer. Thanks

[Punisher422]

I shoot the Lee 240 gr RN out of my 629 with an 8 inch barrel. I pan lube with modified Billy Darr lube, don't size, and load Unique up to 8 grains. No signs of leading with the 8 grain load.

I also enjoy pan lubing, but most people prefer the speed and ease of a lubrisizer.