To Lube or not to Lube

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GyMac

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I've been watching some entertaining reloading videos on youtube and some of the hosts recommend that pistol cases be lubed before resizing, even in carbide dies. The case lube is one of those spray-on types that dry. I know that I don't need to lube, but should I? What do you think?
 
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When using carbide dies I lube about every 10th case. Not necessary, but it does make things go smoother.
Dave
SWCA #2778
 
Likewise. About every 10th or 15th case. Keeping your dies clean helps too. Problem with lubes that don't dry, is they attract dirt, inside your dies.
 
I've got some brass that I washed instead of using my tumbler and a bit of lube made a big difference when I resized them.The dust from walnut or cob acts like a lube otherwise.
 
I think the question is why not lube. It is noticeably easier to de-prime, especially 9mm since it is not a straight wall case. I don't get the idea for every tenth round or so. Spray lube them however you want (I use a plastic zip lock bag) and go to town. Just throw them back in your tumbler for a few minutes and you're ready for the next step. Actually, I initially tumble for a while before I spray lube so my brass is a little cleaner when it goes in the die and then after de-priming I'll let it go for an hour or so until it as clean and shiny as I want it to be.
 
As I posted earlier, just as a test, I lubed some .38 Special cases with Johnson's paste wax, followed by resizing in a carbide RCBS die after the wax dried. I found that they resized much more easily, and not nearly as messy as using the normal case lubes (I normally use STP). I have not gone beyond that first test yet, but I will later this week.

Incidentally, Johnson's paste wax is miracle stuff. Wax your guns to keep them from rusting. It also works as a bullet lube.
 
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No you don't have to do it. It does makes sizing easier, so I do it. I mix up some Lee case sizing lube with alcohol and spritz some on the cases, a quick roll around on towel and they are done and not greasy.
Why make things harder than they have to be.
Gary
 
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gwpercle said:
No you don't have to do it. It does makes sizing easier, so I do it. I mix up some Lee case sizing lube with alcohol and spritz some on the cases, a quick roll around on towel and they are done and not greasy.
Why make things harder than they have to be.
Gary
Click to expand...

I do the same only do not roll in a towel. I use a plastic tray and just let them dry for a few minutes. I do not remove it. The LEE lube is water based, and even inside a case if dry will not mess up the powder or primer.

Very dilute mix and a light spritz. Makes a big difference in sizing,
 
Even if you are using carbide dies, lubing the cases is easier on everything, including your shoulder. The latter point is important to me if I'm loading more than a couple hundred rounds.
 
SMSgt said:
I don't lube straight-walled cases. Resizing is not that difficult. Much easier than a 12 oz curl.
Click to expand...

Say that for someone like me with a failed rotator cuff surgery. It doesn't take much exertion to cause me pain. That's why I tried the Johnson's paste wax treatment.
 
I've done it both ways, but using a small amount of lube sure makes my SDB run really smooth. I use a home made lanolin and alcohol lube. I spray a small amount into a ziplock bag then add my brass. Roll the brass around until they all have lube on them. Works great for me.
 
I do like a couple of the others. Take about 10% of the cases out of the pile, lube them, run a couple of them thru the press and then run a lubed case about every 10 or so. Makes things run much smoother. Easier on my shoulder too.
 
As noted, with carbide pistol dies, no lube is needed, but, It does make sizing easier. I will spray a handful of cases with Hornady one shot. I either toss them into the case feeder on the 650 with the rest, or feed one every 4-5 if loading on my 550. It just makes pulling the handle easier.
 
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I lube, especially nickel plated cases.
I have found that the nickel can gall onto the carbide and start scratching the cases.
If needed, I run a tight patch with some JB or lead cloth using a drill into the carbide ring(s) to get the fouling off.
Even the slightest lube keeps this from happening.
I use the RCBS spray but even the normal oil and sweat on your fingers will work :)

===
Nemo
 
I'm pretty new to loading but I do not use lube with the carbide I have. I only have 38/357 guns so I only load for them. This is also done on a lee classic turret so it's only doing one operation at a time. Sizing requires very little force. I even shortened the pull handle...I'm such a rebel. ;)


But now that I see everyone seems to use at least some sort of lube, even occasionally, I'm going to try some out.
 
moxie said:
Try it. If it makes life easier for you, do it.

I've reloaded over 50,000 handgun rounds and have never used lube, except once as a test. I didn't see any difference.
Click to expand...

Then you used the wrong lube. It will vary with caliber, smaller will have less friction, but lubing case with something does make a diff in the effort needed. For decades I never bothered, running a progressive, you really feel the diff with most any case lube. I prefer OneShot, doesn't have to be removed, easy to batch apply.
 
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Thanks for the input! I'll give it a try to see if it makes the reloading smoother. Sometimes it does feel kind of sticky in .38. I've heard that it might make the dies last longer, but I've already been using 2 sets for over 20 years without a problem.
 
Ok I went and ordered a can of Oneshot. Think I will just spray the cases while they are in the 550s case bin. That way they all will get a little and I don't need to count every 5th one. That would be hard as it takes both hands to run a 550 so I would loose track of what finger I was on. Sorry guys I just had my big toenail pulled out and I might just be a little not right.
 
The only time I've seen lubing pistol cases with a carbide die be needed is if you wet clean them prior to sizing and decapping 9 MM. I actually had a couple of cases pull out of the shell plate on my Dillon in that scenario. But if I give them a preliminary cleaning with dry media in a vibratory tumbler I have no problems and is what I do nowadays. If I do any wet cleaning, I do it after resizing and decapping. Wet cleaning will pull any and all grease or oil out of the inside and outside of the cases and makes them want to stick and hang up even in carbide dies. Like was stated above, the residual dust from vibratory cleaning will act as a lube and I have no problems resizing dry cleaned cases.
 
Naturally, reloading dies for bottleneck rifle rounds are not carbide and I always found full length sizing a bit of a pain. As I was experimenting with different methods of preparing 9mm and .45 ACP for reloading, I took my 7mm-08 brass, soaked them in Lemishine and hot water, tumbled them, then lubed them as I had always done. It was a complete revelation: the brass entered the non-carbide dies so easily that I thought I was doing something wrong.

I use carbide pistol dies. After washing and tumbling my brass, sizing is so easy that I don't see a need to add lube to the process.
 
Ah the nay sayers.:) Yes, it is easy with carbide dies.No you don't need it.
But it is easier with a little spritz. If you have not tried it you will never know.

A little lube is usually a good thing;)
 
Nemo288 said:
I lube, especially nickel plated cases.
I have found that the nickel can gall onto the carbide and start scratching the cases.
If needed, I run a tight patch with some JB or lead cloth using a drill into the carbide ring(s) to get the fouling off.
Click to expand...

I have to say, this is very timely. I'll give a little background to my situation...

I stainless tumble cases. I like how clean they get, but they are tight to resize because they are squeaky clean. Similarly, they tend to tarnish a bit over time because they have nothing protecting them. But I don't want to add hassle to the routine, like another tumbling in wax-impregnated media or something. Anyway, I had some automotive wax-as-you-dry stuff and figured I'd spray that on the sides (Meguiar's NXT if you are interested). I then rolled them around a lot in a towel and left them to dry.

They didn't seem overly slick when I went to resize them, but whatever. I started with nickel .38 Special cases. The first two were kinda normalish, the third took more effort. I thought maybe it was just oversized or something. By the fourth case, it was super hard to resize. It came out of the die covered in linear/vertical scratches. The die itself clearly has some stuff stuck on it. I tried a .375 bore brush with brake cleaner to no avail. I was thinking of trying steel wool next.

What is "JB"? A lead remover cloth sounds great, except I don't have one. I could pick one up though and give that a try. It's a Lee die so it's not like there is a ton of money tied up in it, but it would be nice to fix it.

Needless to say I'll be re-tumbling the cases before continuing with them... I think the idea isn't terrible, maybe a carnauba-based wax product would work better than a polymer one.
 
A lead removal cloth is just a cloth impregnated with a polish like Flitz or Mothers Mag Wheel polish. Both of which are cheaper and do a better job of clean lead or stainless steel guns.

As to the type of lube for cases, it is not regular carnuba wax. It is more of a silicone, The LEE lube is Wire Pulling lube which can be purchased in large quantities at Homers or Lowes.

It is water soluble.

A spritz of Pledge Multi Surface would work better than true car wax,
 
Nemo288 said:
JB non-embedding bore compound is a very fine abrasive in an oil base.

j-b-non-embedding-bore-cleaning-compound

===
Nemo
Click to expand...
Thanks! I ended up stumbling onto this FAQ from Redding:
Scratched Cases: Causes and Cures - Redding Reloading Equipment: reloading equipment for rifles, handguns, pistols, revolvers and SAECO bullet casting equipment

I didn't have 800 grit, but have some 2000 grit wet/dry. I cut a square piece, put it on a .375 jag and wet it with mineral spirits, and spun it back and forth by hand. The lines in the carbine ring are gone, and running a case through yields an unscratched case.

However, it's great to have more than one way to do this, and if I ever need bore paste for anything, it's great to know it has some secondary uses as well.
 
Toothpaste has been used in a pinch :)
(As a bore paste and die polish).

===
Nemo
 
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