To Lube or not to Lube

[federali]

Another Wrinkle

I just remembered one of my uncle's friends who used to reload and shoot 8mm-06. He said he only used Spry cooking grease as lube and he never had a problem full-length sizing his brass. I think Spry is still on the shelves and is probably identical to Crisco.

 

[arjay]

I've used wd-40 and 3in one oil in a pinch-whatever works [emoji1]

 

[dmar]

I don't usually bother with lube on straight-walled pistol cases. However, it does make 9mm sizing a little easier. It is not "necessary," but does make it a little smoother. I just spray a little One Shot on the cases that I lay flat on an old cookie sheet baking tray and roll them around a little.

Also, for all calibers, I add a shot of NuFinish liquid car wax to the corn cob media when I tumble my brass. Gets them nice and clean and shiny, and helps to keep the dust down. I'm not sure if it helps any in terms of lube when sizing the cases, but it may...?

 

[DWalt]

"...soaked them in Lemishine"

Lemishine is the high-priced form of Citric Acid. I buy it off eBay in 15# lots very cheaply. I use it for brass cleaning, and also the kitchen dishwasher (which is what Lemishine is sold for). As a case lube, a lubricant with high film strength is needed. I have always used STP oil additive. A can of it will last you a lifetine. A thick solution of Ivory bar soap in water works. So does Lanolin. And as I hve recently discovered, so does Johnson's Paste Wax. A pound of that will set you back about $7.00 and should last you a lifetime. Great for use on guns also. Forget the "Ren Wax." JPW is just as good and much cheaper.

 

[rwsmith]

When I got that 'hard' batch....

When I got that 'hard' batch of .357 Starline that we discussed here on another thread, I sprayed all of the cases good and it made the resizing job doable. Then I had to contend with the primer pockets. Wow.

 

[old 1911 fan]

I lube them all! I switched to spray on dry when it came out. I find if I make 20 .375 H&H Mags. 100 .38 specials are a breeze! When they came out with carbide dies, that was great!

old 1911 fan

 

[sw282]

l dont lube strait wall cases sized with carbide dies. However, l tumble polish all cases before sizing..lt is much easier to size a clean case while keeping my dies dirt free too.

 

[yeti]

Carbide sizing dies and a wee bit of Hornady One Shot.
Smooths out operation nicely. Perhaps not necessary, but helpful.

 

[leathermech]

Nope. I've never found a 38 case that gave me any attitude. I'll rub 44 mag cases on the lube pad, but I don't squish gazillions of those like I do 38.

Everyone has a different goal in mind.

Semper Fi, Guns!

 

[andyo5]

The only straight walled pistol cases that I find need lubing are 45 Colt. I never lube .357, .38, or 45 ACP cases.
I don't spray lube onto the cases. I spray it onto a foam pad and roll each case over the pad just before I resize it. A little goes a long way.

 

[fredj338]

l dont lube strait wall cases sized with carbide dies. However, l tumble polish all cases before sizing..lt is much easier to size a clean case while keeping my dies dirt free too.

If you use a little polish like nu-finish, it slicks the cases up nicely. Almost like oneshot, but not quite. New brass & ss pin/wet cleaned are the worst for stickyness.

 

[rwsmith]

A little lube.....

A little lube reduces effort. It just makes it easier. Now, I had some Starline brass that was as hard as brickbats that I had to lube like rifle cases to keep from pushing my single stage Rockchucker RCBS press to the edge of its limits, as well as my bench.

 

[kbm6893]

I'm guessing you shouldn't lube after inserting the primers into the case? I batch load. Tumble a bunch. Resize and deprime. Expand. Then prime them. I have over 1000 9MM and 1500 38 cases ready for powder and bullets.

 

[MN2944]

I'm guessing you shouldn't lube after inserting the primers into the case? I batch load. Tumble a bunch. Resize and deprime. Expand. Then prime them. I have over 1000 9MM and 1500 38 cases ready for powder and bullets.

There's no need to lube at that point. The seating die only makes tight contact at the crimp. It won't stick.

 

[fla_gun]

9mm is the only case I lube before sizing.

 

[just plain joe]

I've been reloading pistol/revolver cartridges since 1972.

When using carbide dies I see no need to use any type of lubricant. That being said, I always make certain that the cases, be they brass or nickel, are tumbled and cleaned. This minimizes wear on the die as well as the case of the cartridge.

JPJ