Missouri & Falcon cast bullets - are they lubed?

E

editingrv

New member
Just getting back to reloading after a long break & getting to using some MBC & Falcon cast lead bullets I ordered in 2013.

I'm trying to find out if these came lubed from vendors? MBC's current FAQs say they are lubed. But it's 10 years from when I bought 'em. Falcon went out of business in 2020.

Sent inquiries via their websites but thought could get an answer here. And may not get an answer from Falcon of course.

I guess a followup would be - would it cause any problem if I rolled them in Lee Alox anyway?
 
Are you saying that you know you have them on a shelf but you aren't able to look at them?

I have a good supply of Falcon 240gr .44cal LSWC and yes, they are lubed with the classic red lube in lube grooves.

I have never used the LLA, I think many folks have had good luck with it.
 
So it seems I somehow got the impression that it was good practice to use LLA on cast bullets, even if they came from factory with lubed grooves. Can't remember how I thought that was a proper procedure. When I was loading a few years back I'd coat all the cast I bought (with lube in grooves) with a very thin coating of LLA.

So lube in the grooves is all that's needed? Don't mind not doing the LLA step. :)
 
If the MBC & Falcon bullets are lubed , you will see it in the lube grooves , usually a hard red or blue lube filling the groove.
If the bullets are lubed you Do Not Need to add an additional thin coat of LLA (called tumble lubing ) It will not hurt to add LLA ... like wearing a belt and suspender's ...
The additional thin coat may help if you start having leading problems .
Shoot them as they come out the box and see how they perform . How hot the load is , barrel condition and powder , along with proper bullet fit , will determine if you need to add the thin coat of LLA .
Bullet size ( .001"-.002" over bore diameter) is way more important than bullet hardness and good lube is important also .
Good luck with your loads ,
Gary
 
Just curious, can't you tell if they are lubed just by looking at them??

Or, perhaps, by feeling them??

Old lube often isn't "sticky" but it does still feel different than bare lead. Or at least it does, to me. :rolleyes:
 
Yup, the lube in the grooves is obvious but I was under the impression that the entire bullet was better off if lubed in something as well, like Alox. But as I started loading again I started to wonder if they already came with some sort of Alox coating, and thus my question. Because the Alox lube result after I coated them was visually/tactile not really noticeable.

So I'll continue with the very light Alox coat, as the consensus is that pretty much won't hurt & might help. Besides, I enjoy a smoke screen when running IDPA. :)
 
Other than swaged wadcutters, the classic "Lube in the groove" is all I've ever run. Pretty sure an alox coating won't hurt, but I don't see where tis needed, so isn't it just a waste of time and materials??

Load and shoot some, without alox. IF no leading, you're good. If you do get some leading test again with the alox coating and see if leading goes away.

That's what I'd do, but that's just me...:D
 
Some folks just like to wear both a belt and suspenders ... gives you a feeling of confidence knowing you have done all you can do .

The problem I had with LLA was it never dried and stayed "tacky" ... but now I've learned several different ways to overcome that issue and ...
if something works for you ... then stick with it .
Gary
 
I only use lla in addition to factory lube if the bullet is leading. You can patch over fitment mistakes with alox.
 
MBC cast bullets have blue lube in the grooves. I haven't seen they use anything else. So if I don't see blue in the grooves, the bullets are not lubed.

-TL

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