Lee REAL Bullets

[Sixgun Symphony]

I was on ebay looking at the .50 caliber REAL bullet mold from Lee and am wondering if I can get those bullets lubricated with my Lyman 4500 lube/sizer.

What top punch will work?

[docone31]

Why would you do it that way.
It is a simple matter of rolling it in lube prior to loading.
Lee Prescision, Midway, and others also will probably have them less expensive.

[mooman76]

It would be much easier to lube with another way. It is harder to run through the sizer because it is allot larger than your normal 45 cal bullet. What were you wanting to put it through? I did some in the 45 acp once to see if it would work and it worked fine but I used liquid alox.

[John Boy]

Might just want to pan lube them

[Sixgun Symphony]

I suppose pan lube method will have to do.

[Sixgun Symphony]

It would be much easier to lube with another way. It is harder to run through the sizer because it is allot larger than your normal 45 cal bullet. What were you wanting to put it through? I did some in the 45 acp once to see if it would work and it worked fine but I used liquid alox.

I have a .50 caliber CVA percussion rifle. I was watching a commercial on the Outdoor Channel and it looked like Larry Potterfield was running Minie bullets through a conventional lube/sizer.

[Buckshot]

...............You can run a standard Minie' through a lube-size die (if it's 58 cal the die will have no 'O' ring groove, and excruciatingly THIN walls) as it has parallel sides. The design of the Lee REAL is such that the lower bands are supposed to ride the bore. The top band is supposed to exceed the bore diameter by several thousandths, and thus 'Engrave'. You COULD also do the REAL, but you'd be sizing that top band down to the other band's OD, so no REAL would take place

I have a Lee REAL mould for my 58's, and understand your wanting to lube'm in a die! They are without a doubt a mess to lube and then handle afterwards.

...............Buckshot

[MT Gianni]

Crisco on your fingertip works very well.

[Bosshaug]

Running the REAL boolit through a sizer die would defeat the purpose of the design. Like MT Gianni says, use crisco to lube them right before loading.

[mooman76]

T/C had a luber for MLs some time ago but discontinued it. There are some still around or one wouldn't be too hard to make. You pushed the bullets through a plastic tube and had a lube bottle you attached and squeezed the lube as they passes through. It would have to be a somewhat soft lube and I don't know how good REALs would do since they are somewhat larger but a tube that would work could be probably found. I just smeared the lube on with my fingers and kept a rag handy to wipe with. Yes it is a little messy but not too bad.

[turbo1889]

I really, really, really hate to contradict Buckshot of all people but with a two step push down and then pull up non-push-through sizer like the Lyman/RCBS lubra-sizers I would think that a special lube die could be made with a tapered bore that matched the taper of the band diameter on the REAL type muzzle loader boolits so that when the boolit was pushed into the sizer base first it would size the base band smaller then the upper bands and it would progressively size the boolits bands depending on how deeply one pushed the boolit down inside the sizing die. A simple length of 1/4" diameter aluminum rod stock cut to length would work just fine as a top punch and its length could be adjusted to give uniform sizing by setting the length of the top punch to push the boolit however deep inside the tapered die bore as one wanted when the top sizer ram was at full bottom and kissing the top of the sizer die retaining ring/nut.

One would have to back off the pressure on the lube between each boolit and manually crank down the lube pressure and then back it off while each boolit was seated in the die and in position to be lubed since with a tapered bore in the sizing die it wouldn't be sealed by the center rod but it could be done provided a custom tapered sizer die with strategically placed lube holes was made specifically for the purpose and the progressive band diameters with smaller diameter base bands and larger diameter top bands that makes the REAL boolits work correctly would be preserved.

[fj3fury]

I've mixed paraffin, petroleum wax, and olive oil in even parts to lube mine. you can pan lube or at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit plus temperature you can pack it in the grooves with your finger.

[Larry Gibson]

The drive bands on REALs are all different diameters. It's easy enough to just hand lube them. I use my own lube of 6 parts beeswax to 5 parts olive oil but SPG or with Bore Butter 1000+ lube. OR if you ever do find one of the old TC lubers of the right caliber get it!

Larry Gibson

[kenjuudo]

A cheap low temp glue pot from the craft store makes it painless, just dip 'em.

[mdr8088]

That's a great idea, Kenjuudo. What kind of lube are you useing?

[Dale53]

I would think a pair of tweezers and dipping them in any good melted black powder lube would work fine. I use Emmert's home mix for my Black Powder Cartridge Rifle as well as my black powder .45 Colt with excellent results. Either dipping or pan lubing should work just fine with the REAL bullets.

Emmert's melts at about 135 degrees and a simple coffee mug warmer works just fine.

Dale53

[Daddyfixit]

REAL= Rifle Engraved At Loading
Running this design through a luber would not be a good idea.
I have the CVA Kentucky in 45 cal and the R.E.A.L. Lee is VERY accurate
I hand lube and put in 5 round plastic tubes

[Buckshot]

[QUOTE=turbo1889;1518600]I really, really, really hate to contradict Buckshot of all people QUOTE]

...............Oh PUL-eeeeze, go ahead. After 36 years of marriage I'm totally immune
I do a agree a special die could be ginned up but I don't think the freight would have been met with wild "HUZZAHS" of excitement, ha!

BTW, if you notice your post said I edited it. I didn't I hit 'edit' instead of quote, goshdarnit.

..............Buckshot