Removing the lube from SK and Wolf ammunition

[Sa-tevo]

Since I have not been able to find any good info elsewhere on the internets or here I'm posting to ask the community about their thoughts and experiences with the lubricant on SK and Wolf 22lr ammunition.

The question is if rounds that have been wiped with a dry rag will feed better than slimy rounds. I've noticed other manufacturer's ammunition is a lot dryer. My goal is reliability of semi-automatic pistol action.

Which feeds better, dry or slimy? Which groups better? Will wiping off most of the lube cause a rip in the space-time continuum or hairlip my grandkids?

[Rover]

It's obvious that you've suffered a chrono-synclastic infundibulum. And yes, your kids will suffer from HARE-lip (if they haven't already).

And greasy fingers are always suspicious!

As far as the ammo goes....probably no difference.

[Sa-tevo]

As far as the ammo goes....probably no difference.

Ya hit the thread a lot faster than expected. Remind me to ask the flat5.net guy to dope-slap you when he runs into you next. For general purposes, and appreciation for talent.

No difference in reliability or in accuracy? Let's get something productive from you.

Thanks

[Brian G]

Wipe any excess lube from the tip of the bullet to prevent buildup in the magazine, (especially rotary mags where it is difficult to clean). I started doing this in my rapidfire pistol days (.22 short I.G.I. Domino) with ammo that was more waxy than slimy that left a frozen drip of lube on the tip. Manufacturer name witheld to protect their reputation :-)

[slofyr]

...Which feeds better, dry or slimy? Which groups better?....

Ammo with thick, hard wax will foul a magazine PDQ. The soft anti-corrosion film on Wolf and SK bullets has never created trouble for me. It feeds with the same reliability as the dry resin-coated 22lr.

Asking which groups better is like starting an oil thread in an automotive forum. But, fwiw, I've shot a lot of different brands and find Wolf/SK to very consistently produce tight groups, especially with a Free Pistol.

[Rover]

Since you were apparently not happy with my response, let me expound:

I've been shooting a LONG time and I've never had any problems with the lube except for the hard wax wads on some rounds (CCI Standard) as mentioned by other posters. A flick of the thumbnail remedied that.

Some shooters have been known to oil one or more rounds in a magazine to ensure reliable feeding. I don't buy this, but if you believe it then a greasy round is the one for you.

I have also found that powder residue from blowback .22s in the magazine is far more a problem than lube. Accuracy appears unrelated to the lube.

I was shooting RWS Target Rifle, which is pretty snotty, for the past few months in my auto and free pistols with not a bobble.

Be careful wiping, you may get a greasy finger.

[william]

Since the original poster failed to specify what semiauto pistol he's concerned about I'll merely mention that the late Don Nygord recommended RWS exclusively for the Pardinis he sold, and never a word about wiping off lube.

[dronning]

Lube on Wolf and SK is some of the best out there - leave it.

Dave

[Sa-tevo]

Rover, thanks for a straight answer. I knew you had it in you.

I'm going through a case of SK Standard Plus using a Ruger Mark III and a Hammerli X-esse. Both experience jams on the second to last rounds. Always with the Ruger, always if the Hammerli has stiff magazine springs, and after about 100 rounds if the Hammerli has stock magazine springs installed.

Both pistols and all their magazines get cleaned after each practice and match. Will soon test both with a collection of 22lr that I've horse traded for.

[john bickar]

except for the hard wax wads on some rounds (CCI Standard)

I recently bought a case of paraffin and got 5,000 rounds of CCI SV free with it.

True story.

[spektr]

The Engineer inside me thinks it thru like this... You don't know what you don't know. The market for performance 22 is horrifically competitive. If there was a lube that was markedly superior to what is on the bullets, it would be there. I also suspect that the amount applied to the ammo is highly controlled. If less was better, i seriously suspect that less would be present. Comparing the parrifin stuff on CCI to the liquid found on Wolf is an apples and oranges conversation at best because we are unable to define the leads properties between the 2 bullets.... They are different..

Personally I shoot it out of the box, because the guys making it know more about the process than I do. This is hard for an Engineer to accept, but , it is the way of the world.

[David M]

The only time I have had lube problems with .22 is in extreme heat.
Shooting outdoor range with the bay in sunshine on a very hot summers day, the lube goes liquid.
Keep the ammo cool and in the shade. It helps to wipe off the excess.

[topclass52]

My experience is the same as David M -- unless it is very warm/hot, or bright sunny, the lube is not a problem, and then only as it makes my magazine loading fingers greasy. When these conditions exist, I keep my ammo out of the sun, bullet down. Of course, shooting in the Pacific NW rarely presents a heat problem although there is that day here and there.

I shoot Wolf Match or SK Jagd pretty much exclusively in both my BE pistol (Hammerli 208) and Anschutz 1710 (silhouette) with no FTF or ejection issues. when cleaning, I make sure the breech and bolt faces are clean along with the chamber.

[montster]

Wolf and sk yellow dot feed so well in many of my firearms I was wondering the other day how can I get some of the slimy lube and put it on my 45acp rounds. Never noticed a buildup in my pardini sp when using wolf. Confident in saying Wolf is running cleaner than the cci I use to use.

[Sa-tevo]

Rover, thanks for a straight answer. I knew you had it in you.

I'm going through a case of SK Standard Plus using a Ruger Mark III and a Hammerli X-esse. Both experience jams on the second to last rounds. Always with the Ruger, always if the Hammerli has stiff magazine springs, and after about 100 rounds if the Hammerli has stock magazine springs installed.

Both pistols and all their magazines get cleaned after each practice and match. Will soon test both with a collection of 22lr that I've horse traded for.

The SK Standard Plus seems to have been the problem. Not enough recoil to cycle the slide and feed reliably.

CCI SV and RWS Rifle Target ran great today in the Ruger, and Eley Club, Aguilla SE, CCI SV and RWS Rifle Target went through the Hammerli with no problem.

The remaining SK Standard Plus found a home with a happy 3P rifle shooter.

[Rover]

I had the same experience with Wolf & SK; extraction/ejection problems.

[trinity]

I don't have any issues shooting the SK ammo in my Pardinis. I've used it in the bitter Canadian cold and the summer Georgia heat.

However, I will say that I certainly have to clean my gun more often since I switched to using the SK from the old days when Eley practice was cheap. All that lube seem to get the gun dirty faster.

One additional piece of info, I've seen many Chinese shooters cleaning the lube off their team provided Eley Tenex before a match with a small hand towel. I told them it was crazy, that it was unnecessary, that Eley Tenex was probably designed to function perfectly with the lube in place, and perhaps removing the lube could affect its reliability. They didn't listen, and they are doing pretty well.

-trinity

[bdutton]

I use Wolf Match Target for years in my pardini. I found the fastest and most effective way to remove the lube is by inserting 5 rounds into an empty magazine, inserting that into the pistol and rapidly firing them in the most accurate way I can onto the target.