Let's talk about case lube....

[zeke]

Imperial sizing wax on cases that need lubed. dump a batch of cases into large pan, little lube on fingers hands and dive in. After sizing a large soft rag over the pan and knead them.

Even with carbide dies on some pistol cases, an occasional case gets lightly lubed, which makes things so much easier.

 

[dave1918a2]

I've used Hornaday One Shot since it came out. Never experienced any problems loading 22 Jet thru 460 Weatherby.

 

[chief38]

I noticed QUICK that it was a harder job than usual. I'm sure that the exercise is great but reloading shouldn't be like using a Nautilus machine, though.

I would suggest doing a thorough cleaning of your Dies. Could be they are just dirty. Sometimes it's just a simple fix.

 

[chief38]

If you shoot and reload a lot, Carbide dies make your reloading sessions so much more enjoyable - no lube needed. Not trying to spend your money - just stating what I have come to experience over the years.

 

[Kinman]

First off I think its important to work with a system that has proven to give the results your looking for. I'm a fan of working with cases that have been thoroughly cleaned, I usually run mine through a tumbler for at least an hour and some friends think I'm a bit anal. I have tried everything and have switched over to Hornady Case Lube almost exclusively, lately I've been loading cases for 218 Bee and like the idea that there is just a schotsche that makes its way to the case mouth. I still roll some cases on a pad and when I do I use Redding Imperial. I also use Redding Wax when forming cases for wildcats, usually one at a time with a bit of wax on my fingers and rubbing the case prior to forming in a die, this also is used in conjunction with case annealing prior to the resizing or reforming die. I was working with 32-20 cases necking them down to .22 for the Bee, too much wax was denting cases or worse...takes the right touch.
Experiment to see what works for you, someone dropped off a bunch of Cabela's Case Lube at the club and after giving it a try can see why. I do like their Case polish when its on a donation price, a couple capfuls in the media produces a very nice polish.

 

[max503]

Anyone who rebuilds engines will tell you that RCBS lube is STP.

 

[hoytx10]

Hornady One Shot has worked very well for me over the past 11 years I’ve been reloading. I like how easy it sprays on and really doesn’t need to be wiped off after sizing. I’ve noticed that less is more when it comes to sizing lube.

 

[venomballistics]

Anyone who rebuilds engines will tell you that RCBS lube is STP.

if it's not that ... it's castor oil, which I've used as well with good results.

 

[derek45auto]

CHEAP and works really well

Home-brew DILLON style lube

Discussion Forum Community Information And Statistics - AR15.COM

 

[rwsmith]

Do you use....

I don't lube any handgun brass, just tumble and size. With rifle brass, if the cases have not landed on the ground, I lube, size, and then put it in a vibratory cleaner. This easily and quickly removes all lube. If brass has hit the ground, I wipe the brass with a cloth to remove any dirt particles, then lube, size, and put in the vibratory machine.

This process has worked very well for me and prevents scratched case sizing dies. No ritualistic case cleaning, dry media is fine.

Do you use carbide dies? I use steel dies and my cases would be stuck for sure if I didn't lube them well.

 

[rwsmith]

I just did...

I would suggest doing a thorough cleaning of your Dies. Could be they are just dirty. Sometimes it's just a simple fix.

I cleaned them before starting this batch.

 

[stu1ritter]

Anyone who rebuilds engines will tell you that RCBS lube is STP.

The MSDS for the RCBS Case Lube and for STP show totally different materials.

Stu

 

[rwsmith]

I tumble mine....

First off I think its important to work with a system that has proven to give the results your looking for. I'm a fan of working with cases that have been thoroughly cleaned, I usually run mine through a tumbler for at least an hour and some friends think I'm a bit anal. I have tried everything and have switched over to Hornady Case Lube almost exclusively, lately I've been loading cases for 218 Bee and like the idea that there is just a schotsche that makes its way to the case mouth. I still roll some cases on a pad and when I do I use Redding Imperial. I also use Redding Wax when forming cases for wildcats, usually one at a time with a bit of wax on my fingers and rubbing the case prior to forming in a die, this also is used in conjunction with case annealing prior to the resizing or reforming die. I was working with 32-20 cases necking them down to .22 for the Bee, too much wax was denting cases or worse...takes the right touch.
Experiment to see what works for you, someone dropped off a bunch of Cabela's Case Lube at the club and after giving it a try can see why. I do like their Case polish when its on a donation price, a couple capfuls in the media produces a very nice polish.

...for about 3 hours. One time I forget to stop the tumbler for about a day and half and expected to see nothing but but maybe the case heads left in the bin when I remembered to check it.

Yeah, it's easy to get lube dents on the shoulders of cases. And you right. Rather than just grabbing what is available I should find the best way and stick to it. I just assumed (wrongly) that any good type of case lube would work just fine.

 

[Rule3]

Lets not!
I would tell you the best one to use, but it is a secret.
Now look what you've done!

 

[A10]

I use the RCBS greasy stuff.

 

[rwsmith]

Now that you mention it...

Anyone who rebuilds engines will tell you that RCBS lube is STP.

...yeah, thick and sticky and SLICK!

 

[GypsmJim]

Lets not!
I would tell you the best one to use, but it is a secret.
Now look what you've done!

I have a secret too. Oh, OK, I'll tell you.
NONE...

I have to lube rifle cases and it is always a PITA. But since I don't load that many I live with it. Have used Lee Case Lube for 30 years and after previously using some of the others I think I'll stick with it.

So, what is the advantage of using steel handgun dies? I have always bought carbide dies and can't imagine having to go thru the hassle of lubing.

 

[BE Mike]

I have a secret too. Oh, OK, I'll tell you.
NONE...

I have to lube rifle cases and it is always a PITA. But since I don't load that many I live with it. Have used Lee Case Lube for 30 years and after previously using some of the others I think I'll stick with it.

So, what is the advantage of using steel handgun dies? I have always bought carbide dies and can't imagine having to go thru the hassle of lubing.

What hassle? I spray an old t-shirt with lube, pour in a bunch (hundreds) of cases, massage them and pour them into my Dillon case feeder.

 

[aphelion]

Hornady one shot works fine. The key is to let the carrier solvent to evaporate for a few minutes before sizing. If you don’t, it is too thin and it won’t work. Thus all the complaints.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Lanolin, petroleum jelly, Johnson's Paste Wax, a dab of automatic transmission fluid. Probably a dozen other candidates for the task. Major difference will be the level of difficulty in cleaning off the brass after sizing. Residual lube on the case walls can prevent the needed expansion of the case to seal the chamber without excessive thrust applied at the breech block.

Lube should be avoided on the shoulder and neck areas of bottle-neck cases otherwise there can be dimpling at the shoulders caused by lube build-up. If serious enough this can affect headspace of the chambered cartridge.

A light wax-based lube on the inside of case mouths will ease passage of the neck expander, reducing stress on the cases and probably extending case life. The dried wax will not affect propellant powders.

Carbide dies are great for straight-wall cartridge cases. Even with the carbide sizer ring there can be a noticeable reduction in required effort with a bit of lube applied. I use a wax lube very lightly on every 10th case in the loading block.

A note on carbide dies: Many cases (9X19, .45 ACP, others) are actually tapered so the carbide sizer ring will typically resize the case walls down to necessary neck dimensions. After mouth flaring and bullet seating the cartridges can have a wasp-waist shape. Resizing in carbide dies causes greater stress on the cases, potentially reducing the useful life of the cases. Most of us use carbide, but it doesn't hurt to know the downside as well as the benefit.