Cast 124 grain lead RN. Smoke belching round?

[Point&Shoot]

I have just a miner problem with how much smoke I'm sending down range. 4.1 W231 @ 1.?? with a cast 124 grain lead RN. That load puts out more smoke than I want to see. Is it the Alox I'm tumbling them in or do I have to up my charge a bit. 4.1grs seemed to be what most people like but there is room for a touch more powder. Would a different powder help?
OR DO YOU JUST LIVE WITH IT.

 

[mac1911]

Lubed bullets will smoke, alox or at least Lee Liquid Alox is easy to use to much.
The least smokey round I load I use white label lube 2500 plus.
You could do a little test and shoot one round with out lube and see how much it does or does not smoke

 

[DW357]

Coat your bullets?

 

[greencobra]

certain lubes will smoke.....and if you're shooting on a rainy, snowy or humid day, air moisture content seems to enhance that smoke. try coated bullets.

 

[Point&Shoot]

I have tried Bayou Bullets but it was awhile ago and I wasn't really conscious of how much smoke they produced. I haven't tried coating my own and dont know what it entails. Is the smoke from the powder or vaporizing lead. I did try checking 2500 Bayou's in with my baggage. TSA said no problem but Jet Blue called me back to ticketing from the gate and said they couldn't carry them because they would have to XRay each one. Morons!! I tried changing my story to say they were jig heads or stinkers. I was lucky enough that a pal in New Orleans picked them up and shipped them.
That did NOT cause as much panic as when I had a Glock Mag that was still in the package in my carry on. TSA was scurrying around like they had found a firearm and must have taken 1000 glossy pictures. I didnt say anything stupid and I should have known better but to me it was just a piece of plastic.

 

[DW357]

I only suggested coating your own since you cast your own. I don’t cast so I just buy coated Blue Bullets - hardly any smoke.

The smoke is mainly from the lube but the powder being used can also play a role in how much smoke is produced. Especially powders that burn really hot like titegroup.

 

[Lennypeters]

I would also recommend looking into coating. More specifically powder coating. It is applied either with a powder spray gun or by rolling the bullets in a plastic container such as a cool whip tub with some paint powder and then a quick bake in a toaster oven. No lube needed and almost no smoke. Lots of good info at castboolits.com

 

[mac1911]

I kinda like the smoke, I run a very light load of Clays in my 1911 and a old school lube of 50% beeswax 50% alox love the looks from others and I can tell the non lead crowd is thinking "WTF is wrong with that guy/gun/ammo"

I have a tumble lube design .358" it took me a while to trust how little LLA to use and the smoke went way down.
I have not jumped into the coated bullet camp yet. Maybe when I run out of lube.

 

[mac1911]

I would also recommend looking into coating. More specifically powder coating. It is applied either with a powder spray gun or by rolling the bullets in a plastic container such as a cool whip tub with some paint powder and then a quick bake in a toaster oven. No lube needed and almost no smoke. Lots of good info at castboolits.com

Have you done any testing ? Say you tumble lube some coated bullets and shoot them is there a sizable difference in the smoke.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

Alox is known to be smoky.
Look into Ben’s liquid lube or 45/45/10 lube which can be made easily at home and will cut down in the smoke.
Basically thinners and waxed added to alox to make it cost thinner and dry quicker and harder.

I would stay away from the powder coating. There’s a reason the big casting companies use Hi-Tek (bayou, SNS) way easier and less messy. Results are better in my opinion. They both seems to shoot well but Hi-Tek is bullet proof. I don’t like the idea of powder coat which can be re melted with heat or solvents.

Hi-Tek is super easy to use. There are some good videos (for now) on the YouTube.

All you need is and old plastic container. Some acetone. A perforated tray. A toaster oven.

You’ll never look back.

 

[Lennypeters]

Have you done any testing ? Say you tumble lube some coated bullets and shoot them is there a sizable difference in the smoke.

I have not shot any coated tumble lubed bullets. If they are coated they need no further lube. Coated cast bullets produce virtually no smoke. Even though he prefers hi-tek over powder coating Mike is correct - You'll never look back.

 

[TrashcanDan]

Coat your bullets?

This ^^^^

Surprisingly enough, its not that difficult.
Alox is a huge smoke generator, and it has to sit to cure. Some say a day or two, some say a few weeks. And its real easy to use too much.
Tried it once, never again. Just too much of a mess.

Have you done any testing ? Say you tumble lube some coated bullets and shoot them is there a sizable difference in the smoke.

Powder coating seems to be the new hot setup. I do powder coat my own, and the biggest difference I've seen is less smoke over traditionally wax lubed bullets. It does help to cover the whole projectile and not just the top and leave the bottom bare.
I'm not pushing record speeds with these, I'm generally between 800-1000 fps, according to book data.
That polymer coating when applied correctly can take a pounding. I've pulled some out of the lead catch after a pin shoot, coating doesn't come off where the rifling is, even stays on where it hits.
I have seen the coating come off if its not done right, or if case mouth flare/bell isn't enough.

Hi-tek seems to be another really popular method, but I haven't tried it yet. Seems like an awful lot of work, but theres also a lot of success with it.

Like anything else with lead, fit is king. I have seen undersized powder coated lead smoke just as bad. Push it too fast without a gas check, same thing, here comes ol' smokey.

Crimp dies, or improper crimps also seem to be a contributing factor in super smokey rounds.
A lot of reloaders seem to think the lee f.c.d. is the one and all cure all for any and every bullet problem, but those f.c.d.'s are also notorious for undersizing softer lead mixes when they crimp.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I'm guessing it's the lube burning not the powder. I tried shooting lead bullets indoors in the dark with a light and the smoke was so bad, I could hardly see the target. Shoot up all the lead and buy coated or plated.