A friend has been swaging 22 CF bullets with 22 RF cases for jackets using Corbin equipment.  He swaged a good looking lead bullet wearing nothing but a gas check.  The idea is to load it to 11-1200 fps in a Hornet or .222 for a grouse, rabbit, plinking load.  What we are wondering is what kind of a lube can be used on a soft lead bullet with no lube grooves?  Have any of you tried this?  Is the idea worth pursuing?

JS

I'd at least knurl the sides and then lube with Lee Liquid Alox by the "bag method".  Knurling is easy, just roll them between a hard surface and a double-cut file.

Another thought is to roll them in powdered mica, which is a lube model used for decades on some commercial pistol bullets, notably hollow-base wadcutters.  There are other synthetic powder lubes today, like hexagonal boron nitride.  I know of no-one using them straight as bullet lube.  

Might ask on the Cast Boolits forum.  Somebody there has tried every strange and wonderful idea ever spawned.

FWIW, Lube on conventionally grooved bullets is said to act as a sealant against gas lancing.  A tight fit of the bullets in the throat might be advised when no grease lube is present. It might also be advisable to omit the gas check, so as to let the base obturate.

.22 rimfire bullets are waxed.  They are also swaged.  Looking at the base form of a .22LR bullet might give some ideas.  No-one can say they don't work exceptionally well.

Are there not some guys shooting .22 rimfire using breech seated bullets?  What do they know?

I've used Lee liquid alox for low velocity bullets, and worked good. On rifle slugs over 1,000 fps, it didn't prove to be enough lube to prevent leading in long barrels.

marlinguy wrote on Jan 6^th, 2016 at 9:48am:

Thanks for posting that.  I  won't bother trying it .

With the check, at that velocity, I'd try a few with no lube at all.