I'm shooting Barnes solid copper bullets and 500 grain cast lead (~4% tin+WW) from my Ruger #1 in 458 Lott.

Shooting the copper solids is a mess. Always leaves copper fouling (who would have guessed ) and is a pain to clean out. Lead is a challenge, and lubing is a mess when trying to lube after using a Lee Sizer.

Can I paper patch some undersized bullets and control fouling without messing with grease grooves and lube?

It would be very easy for me to make a mold just for paper patching out of an old Lee single mold on my mill. A bullet with no grease grooves that I could size to 452 then patch?

I have never paper patched before, but if I can keep the bore cleaner, and still shoot lead at higher speeds (500 grains at 2000ish FPS?, 300 at 2700?) I'd be happy.

Any thoughts, am I crazy?

I kind of think you're crazy. If you're shooting Barnes bullets, it's obvious you're not going for absolute economy so why shoot lead fouling lead bullets in the first place?

As for Barnes bullets, if you are absolutely meticulous in cleaning the barrel and then shoot the pure copper bullets you may find copper fouling to be less. Thus far though, Barnes bullets have not been the most accurate bullet in any gun I've tried them in; I gave up on them for my 458 Lott. For 500 grain bullets, I now shoot Woodleigh (a very nice bullet) and Hornady brands. For 350 grainers, I shoot Speer Hotcores.

All that aside, you should be able to paper patch bullets. If I remember correctly, Mike Venturino did a Handloader article on paper patching several years ago. You might get a reprint if you contact Wolfe Publishing. It would be more time and trouble than I would bother with but each to his own. Whether or not it would solve your fouling problem, I don't know.

I'd like to shoot lead bullets because they are cheap, and I like casting. I don't mind the extra work involved. I'd like to get away from shooting bullets that are a dollar each (that is what I could find at our gunstore), and I like do-it-yourself if I can.

The rumor on paper patching is that if you do it right, the bore ends up cleaner than you could get with either lead or jacketed, and you can get jacketed velocity with lead. The idea sounds appealing, if indeed it is true.

jcadwell:
I've shot paper patched bullets in both my .45-120 & .45-70 using BP. I'd say your bullet dimension of .452 for a .45 cal rifle is correct. It's been sometime since I've done any paper patching, but one thing I recall is that it's important to cut the patches in relation to the water mark of the paper. Don't recall the direction offhand. I'd recommend that you get "The Paper Jacket" by Paul Matthews published by Wolfe Publishing. I think it's the primer of paper patching.
Good luck & have fun. I find it an interesting method of cartridge loading.
Bear in Fairbanks