Just got started reloading, Lee 4 Hole Turret, carbide dies. The 9mm seem to take more effort than the .38 special when using the first die, de-prime and sizing. There is a mention in the Lee book about SOMETIMES needing lube for 9mm. I do see some brass 'residue' after loading a few. Any recommendations?

A lot depends on your source of brass and how clean it is. If you are using range pickup brass shot in who-knows-what, you can get oversize brass that takes more sizing effort.

If the brass is not completely clean, well, clean it before sizing to protect your dies from grit.

I never have found a reason to use lube on clean 9mm brass using carbide dies. Just push a little harder on any oversize ones.

If you are decapping military brass, the primer could be crimped in.

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Science plus Art

I never lube 9mm but then I get it cleaned and polished in the tumbler prior to reloading. If you want you can but it is all relative. Wait till you are resizing 357Maximum's and then the 9mm seems like nothing. 30 carbine is one I actually use lube on because it even with carbide takes a lot of force.

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SWCA 1646

Jamie,

9mm is both heavier (thicker) than .38 Special and tapered. Both result in needing more force to size. Clean your brass before loading and everything will be fine. There is no need to to lube cases in any caliber when using carbide dies, although doing so will reduce sizing force. The down-side is you have to clean your cases after sizing or loading, which pretty well defeats the primary reason for using carbide in the first place!

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Gunsmithing since 1961

even though I don't need to, I use One Shot spray lube on my cases. As others have said, if you use range brass it's prbably dirty, and if it's been fired in a Glock, it's oversized to boot.

I use a little one shot now and then. Just a hint of Imperial sizing wax every so often might help as well.

I always tumble my 9mm brass in corn cob media with some NuFinish added. The NuFinish significantly reduces the sizing effort of the 9mm brass going through the carbide die.

When I size 9mm brass (tumbled but just not with NuFinish added) the effort is significantly higher. I also notice the carbide ring will start to pick up some brass. I clean the carbide with Flitz. It does a really nice job cleaning.