Case resizing lube.....

rwsmith

rwsmith

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Everybody has their preferences. I tried a thin lube for revolver cases and a thicker lube of rifle case. I was still having a lot of effort, chattering and some sticking when resizing. I heard people say that they use Imperial Sizing Wax, so I thought I would give it a spin. I'll never be without it again.

Besides a tiny amount going a long way, the stuff is amazing and has stopped any sizing problems that I had, cold.

The first thing I though was, "Who lubes anything with wax when there are specialized lubes available?"

Well, the difference is so dramatic that I'd suggest that anybody having sizing difficulties give a $6-8 can a try.
 
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I have not had any problems with the RCBS spray.
One just has to know how much to spray on.
Nickel revolver cases in a carbide die: not much at all.
Full length brass cases in a steel die: fully shoot both sides as they sit in a double row tray like the Sinclair.
Sinclair Lube Rack
 
I have some Imperial Sizing Wax, but it seems to me that the Lee Case Sizing Lube works with less force. Dry or "wet".

Either mostly gets used for case IDs. Avoids shoulder stretch with bottleneck cases and scratches/galling with my various custom turned expanders for revolvers.
 
Imperial wax is the best for when you swage .338 bullets down to .330! It is great for almost every low temp friction application. (Only 318 Wesley Richards & 8x56R Hungarian use this size bullet!)

However, I love the aerosol "One Shot" by Hornady, I seldom use it on reloading anymore, BUT I love it for making vinyl windows slide easier!

Breakfree CLP is fantastic for progressive press rifle resizing with non-carbide dies. Put two to three hundred 223's in a bucket and squirt in a blast of Breakfree and swirl around for a few minutes. If you put a little too much on, just use an unlubed case every other, or every third one. When I did a 20,000 round batch in the 80's this is what kept my sanity! Breakfree won't foul primers, while several similar products will! I still have ammo sized this way from 1984 and it fires fine.

Ivan
 
For lubing bottle neck rifle brass in lots under 100 Imperial Wax was my former love. I left her to move up in the world to (drum roll please) Chapstick lip balm. Yup. In use the only difference is that you do not have to touch the wax. Working with clean fingers is definitely a step up.

With either, after a few lubed cases have been run in and out of a clean FL die it only takes a band of wax down low around every second or third case. The lube works upward on its own and too much wax dents case shoulders.
 
The only time I've ever had really brutal resizing problems was factory-fresh Starling .44 Mag brass, in brand-new carbide Lee dies. As in, it took all of my effort on one arm to raise the ram, and two hands to lower it. And it didn't get much better through the rest of the dies.

I spritzed a paper towel with some Frankford Arsenal case lube, wiped down 25 cases, and let it dry. So lubed, I only needed to feed one lubed case in every 3rd or 4th time around.

Note that I haven't played around with rifle cartridges (yet).
 
Wise A,
Either there is old brass stuck to the sides of your carbide sizing ring or is not smooth enough. If the ring is clean I would call Lee expecting an O.K. to mail the die back for a free replacement. I have no doubt that Lee will replace it for free.

P.S. Is it even possible to comment on Ivan's choice of lube without being dinged?
 
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Lyman quick lube spray

Works great for my .308 's and .223's used to use Lee paste but too messy dries hard causes powder to stick in the neck if you don't clean the cases. long usage too have done about 200 and have much left in the can.
 
I use either Dillon or Midways spay lube. Both seem to be the same formulation. Works great and have never had a stuck case.
 
I am still using an old bottle of rcbs, but for tough case forming, imperial is great. You can make your own with lanolin & castor oil, works as well if not better. It is what i use for bullet swaging. Lanolin & 90% alcohol makes a great general sizing lube.
 
I use Hornady One Shot Case lube on straight wall pistol cases and Imperial on bottle neck cases. Imperial takes too long on pistol cases but I'm sure it would work great.
 
Brand new brass, especially from Starline usually needs very little in the way of sizing.
They can be completely oil free however, probably for the only time in their lives unless you wash them with some kind of degreaser.
I have found there is enough natural oil on my fingers that just rubbing the cases with nothing else will noticeably decrease the tension in a carbide die.
Agree about that Lee die. Get a new one. Their service is usually very good.
That was my first 44 mag die.
Still have it and it works but I don't like the profile it gives to the case near the web.
The Redding carbide dies give a much gentler slope to the web at the bottom of a full size.
The only real tension I get from any of these is with nickel cases.
That's when I whisper "lube" over them like adding vermouth to a martini.
I would bet just about anything greasy has been used in a pinch to resize cases.
Just look at some of the things that have been used to lube bullets over the centuries.
 
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Metal forming or drawing in dies generally requires a lubricant with what is described as a "High Film Strength," basically the characteristic of a lubricant to maintain an unbroken film over a metal surface under high pressure, i.e., it sticks to the metal surface very tightly. There is a standard test to determine lubricant film strength, but I don't know the details. It's also important in high pressure applications such as gear lubrication. Gear oil and synthetic motor oils have high film strength. STP is essentially a synthetic oil (polyisobutylene plus some additives) having very high shear strength. Regular motor oils, not so much.
 
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I don't need to lube cases too often with the small number of handgun calibers I reload, but when I do, I use an old bottle of RCBS gel case lube. It came with the setup which I bought second hand which was completely RCBS equipment. So I think it might have came with the setup if that is how the guy bought it. Works good.

Sounds like a lot of good options here for when I run out.
 
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