Of Case Lube

[JohnH]

Over the years I've been reloading, case lube and lubing cases has been the single greatest source of "ain't there something better" than any other single issue. I've tried Lee case lube, RCBS lube (applied with pad and with fingers) I've tried spray lubes I've tried lanolin, I've even used Johnson's wood Floor Soap (a soap made from flax, very slippery, good viscosity) Nothing I've tried is 100% satisfactory. I like taking a Q-Tip, wetting the swab with Lee case lube to wipe the inside of the neck, works great. But all else, each in it's own way leaves something to be desired. Is there something that doesn't have to be laboriously cleaned after sizing, is a smooth in the die as RCBS case lube, needs as little as lanolin? Is this too much to ask or am I just being too nitpicky. What say ye?

[Beagle333]

I like Mink Oil for the outside. I just keep a tub of it beside the press and touch it before I handle the case. I still use Lee for the inside, as you said.

[Tatume]

I use Lee inside and out, for most of my sizing needs. For extra heavy-duty sizing (as in forming wildcat cases or resizing large cases that were fired at very high pressure), I use Imperial Sizing Die Wax on the outside. It's easy to apply with the fingers, and can be wiped off with a rag after the cartridges are loaded.

[waco]

Hornady One Shot is what I use. Wipes off with a rag or just toss back in the tumbler for an hour.

[KYCaster]

Wire pulling lube. Get it at the big box stores, electric wholesaler or hit up your electrician buddy for a mostly empty bottle. Get a quart for the same price as 6 oz. of case lube.

Squirt a little bit in a zip top baggie, smoosh it around (a technical term) to coat the inside of the bag, dump in some brass, shake and knead till the brass is evenly coated.

VIOLA! Cheap and easy.

Jerry

[Bullwolf]

For dry inside neck lubing, try some powdered lock graphite (messy but cheap) or motor mica.

Put a couple of inches of #8 shot in a pill bottle, like as an aspirin container. Sprinkle graphite or motor mica into the container. Snap the lid on and shake it up, then dip case mouths into it. (up to the neck, into the graphite or mica'd shot).

I used to use the RCBS lube pad, and white lube bottle, but I have since moved up to Bag Balm as an outside case lube. It works great for me, keeps my hands soft, and my resized brass doesn't turn green.


- Bullwolf

[06ackley]

I have switched from the rcbs lube and pad to the Dillon spray and so far I am very happy with it.

[country gent]

I use the Imperial sizing die wax also but apply it with a bath towel. Place the towel on a bench table or even floor an flat surface is needed. Place cases on towel and add a small amount of Imperial sizing die wax gather 2 corner of each towel in each hand and agitate cases raisning and lower each hand to roll cases in towel. A minite of this and cases are lightly evenly lubed and ready to go. ( when starting out towel will absorb also so need to be vigilant about coating cases and checking) Store towel in large zip lock bag and use same towel and same side everytime. I have done 2000 223 or 308 cases at a time like this. I picked this up from an old bullet swager ( he swaged his jackets like this.) and its worked quick and easy for me for years. Once towel becomes impregnatted its even easier and faster,

[Sticky]

Imperial sizing wax is my go to.. I have used RCBS sticky pad lube, liquid sprays, tried Imperial and never looked back. A little mica as mentioned earlier is what I use for the expander and neck lube.

[whisler]

I have tried both mica and graphite for inside neck lube and prefer graphite.

[bgokk]

I just got an H&R Handi in 35 Whelen and I am using 30-06 brass (which I have lots of) will the Lee case lube be good for the inside of the neck?
Is Kiwi Mink Oil for leather what is being refered to here?

[oldfart1956]

Like many here I've only ever used Imperial. That was before I started loading for the self-feeders on the Lee 1000. When I'm running 500/1000 at a time I don't have time to lube then un-lube. So while reading Lees' reloading book for the umteenth time a while back I noted where he said..."furniture polish." Duh. A quick spritz with the cheap stuff from Walmart in a big plastic bag and dump 500 empties in the bag an slosh around for a minute and dump on a towel. It works great for handgun brass...not so sure about rifle though. No sign of build-up or problems so far. No wiping after loading. Audie...the Oldfart..

[JohnH]

I just got an H&R Handi in 35 Whelen and I am using 30-06 brass (which I have lots of) will the Lee case lube be good for the inside of the neck?
Is Kiwi Mink Oil for leather what is being refered to here?

The Lee case lube applied as described will work quite well for your case forming, you are basically just opening the case mouth by .040 this is no problem.

[JohnH]

Like many here I've only ever used Imperial. That was before I started loading for the self-feeders on the Lee 1000. When I'm running 500/1000 at a time I don't have time to lube then un-lube. So while reading Lees' reloading book for the umteenth time a while back I noted where he said..."furniture polish." Duh. A quick spritz with the cheap stuff from Walmart in a big plastic bag and dump 500 empties in the bag an slosh around for a minute and dump on a towel. It works great for handgun brass...not so sure about rifle though. No sign of build-up or problems so far. No wiping after loading. Audie...the Oldfart.. My arthritis kills me when I'm reloading. Even on a single stage that might be the answer I need for pistol cases. I will try that. Thanks.

[EMC45]

Imperial. Done.

[leeggen]

After several yrs. of using my case lube pad and some lyman case lube I now just add alittle Ed's red ro the pad. I roll the cases as before but end up with a very lite coating of lube on the case. It doesn't take much Ed's red to work either. I also have a swab that does the inside of the case with just a dab of Ed's red on it.
CD

[bhn22]

Geez... Throw the clean cases in a baggie, spray a couple pumps of Dillon Case Lube in the bag and seal it. Play hacky sack with the base of cases for a minute, then open the bag and let it sit open for a couple of minutes so the alcohol evaporates off. Wipe of the case necks and shoulders before sizing. Enough case lube will get in enough case necks so that won't be an issue. Wash the cases after sizing, or simply tumble them to remove the case lube, inside and out. I've done tens of thousands of 223 cases this way.

[Blackwater]

Back when I was shooting a lot more than I have in the past 15 years or so, I used the RCBS, but didn't like the way it was so hard to get off the cases after sizing. Solution? I got a big metal can with tight fitting top (don't recollect what kind now) and filled it with mineral spirits. I'd size in batches of several hundred at a time, throw into the solvent, leave it a day or so, take 'em out and swished clean in a rolled up towel. Then I got clean, dry cases with NO LUBE on them to increase the backthrust on the bolt. That worked really well with minimal effort, and all it called for was a little patience for soak time and a little effort (not much, really) in swishing the cases in the rolled up towel.

Nowadays, I mostly use Lee, but still use RCBS on occasion where I want to be SURE I don't get a case stuck in a die. Tried Hornady One Shot once years ago, but didn't like it. Got a case stuck in my die. It'd been pretty thoroughly coated with RCBS lube, and a I saw recently where a poster said I needed to have cleaned the old lube out of the die. I need to try that. Still have a bunch of the Hornady stuff, 'cause it was never used. Hope it doesn't deteriorate with time, but I plan to find out.

The mixing of lubes is something I knew about. I just didn't do what I knew I ought to have done. Anybody ever do dumb stuff like that?

I'm pretty ambivalent about case lube. Learning to lube cases properly - getting a very thin film evenly on the cases - is a talent that I had to learn many years ago, and I've become a stickler about that, and other than cleaning the dies of old lube before trying a new one, I'm still pretty ambivalent except when I want to do a very large quantity of ammo. Right now, I'm not sure just what I'd do in that case, so if anybody has any suggestions, I'd like to hear that, too. It'll be for .223, .45 ACP, .44 mag, .357 & .38 Special, with maybe some '06's and some others as well. Too much empty brass laying around unloaded. Thanks for any suggestions about large volume lubing. Don't mean to hijack the thread, but thought this was also a part of the subject?

[Frank46]

I have one of those plastic bases with nylon brushes that has motor mica in it or Imperial die or case lube. Much prefer the imperial lube. A little dab will do ya. Frank

[mongoose33]

Imperial sizing wax. I've tried One-Shot, the RCBS case lube (which isn't bad), but the wax is the nuts.

[webfoot10]

STP oil treatment, same as RCBS case lube just cheaper. Pint lasts forever.

[dkf]

I take a full tube of Lee lube and mix it with 16-20 oz of rubbing alcohol.(over 90% alcohol works best) Spray it on the cases, let dry and done.

[wcandres]

I've been using RCBS lube and pad for many years. Works for me!

[groovy mike]

I used the RCBS lube and pad for a decade or so, thought I'd get fancy and try One Shot but ruined a die with it. Threw it out and went back to RCBS lube and pad.

[trixter]

http://www.hornady.com/store/images/T/393299.jpg

I've been using this stuff since 1983 and it has never let me down, it is very inexpensive and goes a long way. I use it on all of my bottle neck rifle cases.

[chumly2071]

1 oz liquid lanolin in 12 oz of 99% isopropyl alcohol in a spritzer bottle has worked very well for me on 5.56 cases for sizing.

[milrifle]

I used RCBS for years. Recently, I bought some Hornady One Shot. However, this is NOT the One Shot SPRAY. It is a WAX that comes in a flat can like shoe polish. I've never seen the Imperial Sizing Wax that I hear people talk about, but I'm thinking it is similar. Just a touch on my fingers is all it takes. I make no special effort to coat the entire case or even make sure I get it all the way around. I just kinda pinch the case between my fingers just below the shoulder as I slide it into the shell holder. Works slicker than goose snot.

I DO wipe it back off. I don't know that you HAVE to, but I do. It's not hard to wipe off and I don't use any kind of solvent or anything when I do it. Just a shop rag. It doesn't leave a sticky residue like RCBS does.

[weasel 21]

Unique case lube is what I like

[captaint]

No trick. Imperial Sizing Die Wax. Put it on with your fingers, take it off with a paper towel - easily. Consistency of shoe polish.

[bbqncigars]

For normal full length resizing, Dillon spray and Hornady One Shot work fine. You have to let the lube dry completely on the cases before sizing. For extreme resizing (M2 brass to fit a tight single shot chamber), nothing I tried worked as well as Imperial wax, and I tried six different lubes in a freshly cleaned sizing die for each attempt.

[Hamish]

http://www.hornady.com/store/images/T/393299.jpg

I've been using this stuff since 1983 and it has never let me down, it is very inexpensive and goes a long way. I use it on all of my bottle neck rifle cases.


Doesnt turn into a sticky, gummy mess, doesn't seem to build up in the die like many others, is better at reducing friction, (ESPECIALLY when forming cases) and is guarenteed to reduce rpm anxiety,,,,,

[Le Loup Solitaire]

RCBS case lube is ok...gets the job done as several others do. I once bought a pound of lanolin anhydrous 20 years ago and many thousands of cases later a half of the jar is still around. Its always been a pain to clean off, but I never had a stuck case. LLS

[mexicanjoe]

Hey guys , has anyone tried using Pam cooking spray? Spray on the lube pad or , spray lightly on the cases... Wris pretty good for me.

[TXGunNut]

Hornady One Shot for the outside, mica brushed on the inside. Always used too much RCBS lube on the pad and hate oil dents. Been meaning to buy a tin of Imperial someday.

[milrifle]

Is anyone familiar with both Imperial and the One Shot WAX (Not the spray on stuff)? I am assuming the One Shot WAX is similar to the Imperial, but maybe someone else here knows for sure?