LUBRICATING JACKETED BULLETS

[JimT]

All bullets need lubrication, some more than others. I know it is commonly taken that jacketed bullets do not need lube. If that were the case however we would not use oil in the bearings on our cars. Fire a few thousand jacketed bullets through your barrel and watch it turn copper-colored in the rifling and then tell me jacketed bullets don't need lube. They do, however, need it far less than lead bullets.
Some years ago I ran a test - lubricating jacketed bullets. I did this after I pulled some early Winchester .45 Silver Tip bullets and found that they had a grease groove in the jacket!! Hmm....does Winchester know something I don't? I thought. So I gave it try.

Fired in a Ruger .45 Colt Blackhawk 7 1/2" - using WW cases with CCI LP primers - 22 gr. H-110 and the Speer 300 gr. PSP bullet. The bullet was seated out of the case as far as possible, crimping into the bottom crimp groove.

NO LUBE
Load #1 - 974 fps
Load #2 - 815 fps
Load #3 - 1003 fps
Load #4 - 993 fps
Load #5 - 987 fps
Load #6 - 896 fps
Average of all shots - 944 fps

SAME LOAD AS ABOVE EXCEPT THE BULLETS WERE LUBED WITH LEE LIQUID ALOX AND ALLOWED TO DRY 24 HRS. BEFORE LOADING AND FIRING THEM.

Load #1 - 1027 fps
Load #2 - 1075 fps
Load #3 - 1063 fps
Load #4 - 1062 fps
Load #5 - 1055 fps
Load #6 - 1000 fps
Average of all shots - 1046 fps

Next I fired the 7 1/2" .454 Casull with the same bullet loaded over 30 gr. H-110, using CCI #400 Small Rifle Primers.

NO LUBE - average velocity 1698 fps
LUBED WITH LEE LIQUID ALOX (dried 24 hrs. before loading and firing) - average velocity 1775 fps
FIRED FOR ACCURACY AT 25 YARDS FROM A REST
Bullets without Lube - 2" average
Bullets with Lube - 1.75" average

What did it prove? Bullets going down a bore have friction. Something we all know. Often we do not think about jacketed bullets and barrel friction though. What little testing I have done leads me to believe that you can have too much of a good thing. Accuracy is not always enhanced by better lubrication. Bullets apparently need some "drag". But this is a subject that could use more testing. I just have never followed through with it because accuracy with jacketed bullets has always been more than “good enough.”

[Bill in Oregon]

Well dip me head to toe in sheep dip! Never occurred to me that you could enjoy a serious velocity gain by lubing a jacketed bullet! thanks for sharing this Jim.
Not quite apples to apples, but this reminds me that some friends in the Victorian Riflemen have found that dipping the noses of their already well-lubed and loaded .577-450 Martin and .577 Snider rounds in Udderly Smooth lanolin cream gets them more zip and much less black powder fouling.

[GunnyMack]

This was one of the reasons for moly coating back in the 90s. Of course that fell by the wayside.

[Rockrat]

I have taken thinned Lee Liquid Alox (LLA) for use with homogenous solids. Thin it about 10-1, mineral spirits to LLA. I do lots of cast boolits that way if I am going to run them thru a lubrisizer as it makes them go thru the lubrisizer so much easier if I have to size them down more than .001"

MIght have to go grab a box of XTP's and put a thin coat of LLA on them and go test them!!!

[Paul105]

Jim,

What, if any, bullet "jump" did you experience with lubed bullets?

Wonder how powder coating would work?

Paul

[JimT]

Jim,

What, if any, bullet "jump" did you experience with lubed bullets?

Wonder how powder coating would work?

Paul

None in the limited quantity I fired. I did not fire more than 25 of the heavy 454's .. don't remember how many .45's I fired but it was around the same number I believe. Of course, I do not use a case expander. I only "bell-mouth" the brass. That "stretches" the brass tightly on the bullet and the case tension helps hold it. I learned to do that early on with heavy loads.

[Drawdown]

Well I can honestly say, this always left me scratching my head! Not before I started reloading. But actually when I first found this site, IDK, 2000-2002, and my curiosity about, maybe I need start reloading? Because then, I knew nothing, except factory ammo. Then I saw, plainly, no one ever mentioned lube on jacketed bullets. But everyone said plainly, You gotta Lube Lead Bullets! But, this made no sense to me, cause my way thinking, lead is kinda self lubricating. So I naturally knew, "Well if that's true, I know a jacketed bullet needs it even more! But, time and research seemed to say different!
But I have no problem believing your results, and now I'm all ears!
I've got to think it'd cut way down on barrel wear!

[Rockrat]

Just a thought. Would the increase in velocity be accompanied with a decrease in pressures, or is max pressure occuring before the bullet even leaves the cylinder?

[JimT]

Just a thought. Would the increase in velocity be accompanied with a decrease in pressures, or is max pressure occuring before the bullet even leaves the cylinder?

I am no expert on such things but I believe the increase in velocity is due to increased pressure. As far as I know, the only way to speed up a bullet going down the bore is to increase pressure. If pressure were reduced, velocity would be lower. At least that is my understanding.

[Galloway]

I wonder if pressure might even be lower? Or allow some variance like free bore in a magnum rifle chamber.

[Griff]

Just a thought. Would the increase in velocity be accompanied with a decrease in pressures, or is max pressure occuring before the bullet even leaves the cylinder?

I am no expert on such things but I believe the increase in velocity is due to increased pressure. As far as I know, the only way to speed up a bullet going down the bore is to increase pressure. If pressure were reduced, velocity would be lower. At least that is my understanding.

And here is where I miss Terry's input on things.

Jim, I can finally admit, I've never before considered lubing a jacketed bullet. The thought of doing so never crossed my mind. Although once mentioned, it makes perfect sense to me. I've always been a "lighter bullet, flatter trajectory" kind of reloader, so this should be a boon, no? I think I'll put this into a test with the .32-40, since I shoot so few jacketed handgun rounds, and still very much in a testing phase with this rifle. My next scheduled home time is the 1st week in June, and want some range time with the Hi-Wall,

[JimT]

Excellent. Looking forward to your report!

[Drawdown]

Excellent. Looking forward to your report!

X2

[Rockrat]

Wonder if the pressure would be lower with a lightly lubed bullet making for a lowered coefficient of friction. Not as much resistance pushing the bullet down the bore giving a bit higher rate of acceleration. Higher velocities with lower pressures?