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Thread: What do you use for Reloading Press Ram Lubricant?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master



    TNsailorman's Avatar
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    I take my Rock Chucker II apart at least once a years and clean it just like a firearm, inside and out. The I wipe the inside of the press tube with a light grease, oil the ram with gun oil and it works slick as a whistle. my way anyway, james

  2. #22
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    georgerkahn's Avatar
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    For my RELOADING presses, I spray/clean rams with G96 on an old piece of cotton toweling. The caps' was intentional, as maybe 15 years ago it dawned on me that 90%+ of all dirt came from the decapping process. I picked up an old Pacific single stage press which I have across the room from the Dillon 550 and others. A permanently installed RCBS Uiversal Depriming Die in it, all I need to decap any round is to install the appropriate shell holder, and I use it for ALL decapping! It is almost mind-boggling as to how the reloading presses stay clean with all decapping done on aforementioned Pacific. Using wet-tumbled brass -- after even a session of 500 reloads, the Dillon -- including ram -- looks every bit as clean as before I started. For maintenance, though, I regularly put a drop or two of Butch's Oil on hinged moving parts of the press, and a light coat of the grease which comes from Dillon in their maintenance kit on the ram. My Dillon has seen 27+ years of regular use, and still is quite tight.
    geo

  3. #23
    Boolit Buddy tstowater's Avatar
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    I use the STOS that M-TECS uses and the pin point applicator also. Started using on my PW loaders and adopted on the others.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by big wes View Post
    30w motor oil
    /\ this /\

  5. #25
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I use whatever type of oil that I have in my gun cleaning kit. Like the others, I wipe off the ram and apply the oil with a rag. I agree, most of the debris seems to come from depriming cases. I have though about buying another cheaper press for this duty. But, my RockChucker is still smooth and tight and will probably outlast me! My Son has commented that its smoother than his much newer one.

    Its funny, how some things come around and go around. My Son ask me if I remembered when he lost the little clip thingy that holds the primer catcher to my press. Then he tells me that my Grandson has lost his. Pay backs!!!

  6. #26
    Boolit Master
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    1. Don't deprime on your best press. I use a hand punch to knock out all primers. With no primer crud lubrication is not much of an issue.
    2. Clean all the crud off your press and use any light oil. Your ram has very little side load on it. Most of the load is compressive on the ram. The load on the pivot pins is shear loads and oil does not help much on those small surfaces.
    EDG

  7. #27
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    Kroil

  8. #28
    Boolit Master
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    Same oil that I use on my guns, MPro7

  9. #29
    Boolit Master pls1911's Avatar
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    Hmmm How about "WHATCHAGOT"?
    Marvel
    ATF,
    Ed's Red,
    Mobile 1
    3-in-1.
    Remoil.
    Mil Surp cleaner/lub

    I tend towards those lubricants which also have solvent action, which chases out the old leaving the new.
    Whatever is close at hand generally does the job needed.
    Salvaging old Marlins is not a pasttime...it's a passion

  10. #30
    Boolit Master


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    Like George, I found a press that doesn't gunk itself up and use that, the Forster CoAx. I happened almost by accident, I had my other 3 single stages set up for assembly line and I had a few pieces to decap, I used the CoAx only because it is so fast to swap dies. The decapping die even had the "wrong" die ring on it but it still worked.

    Then I put the right die ring on the decapping die, and never looked back.

    I'm not getting rid of my RCII or my 2 Lee Cast Classics, but the CoAx is superior in this regard. With no ram directly below the shell holder, and a primer catcher can, it does a great job keeping itself clean. The Lee Cast Classics are next and the RCII worst, but I love the compound leverage of the RCII, so it gets resizing duties.

    Back to the original topic, any oil will do as long as the press is cleaned periodically, and it is not left dripping wet. For inheritely dirty presses, I recommend a CLP or lube that leaves dry teflon/PTFE behind.
    I give loading advice based on my actual results in factory rifles with standard chambers, twist rates and basic accurizing.
    My goals for using cast boolits are lots of good, cheap, and reasonably accurate shooting, while avoiding overly tedious loading processes.
    The BHN Deformation Formula, and why I don't use it.
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    A few musings.

  11. #31
    Boolit Buddy

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    Quote Originally Posted by WheelgunConvert View Post
    Curious if anyone has found something that doesn’t tend to get sticky and fouled with lots of use?

    Bevan
    You didn't say what press you have.
    Some press designs are better than others.
    Do you have grease zerks installed?
    Do your primers eject to a side bin or thru the center of the ram? The side bin presses just make a mess.

    I personally use red automotive grease on my single stage presses and my Dillon SD. All my other progressives I use 30 WT oil.

  12. #32
    Boolit Master Shopdog's Avatar
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    Mobile 1

  13. #33
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    spray silicon.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

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  14. #34
    Boolit Master




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    I bought a can of lithium grease for my M1 Garand years ago and I still use it for my Garand and the rams on both my RCBS JR3 and Lee Champion single stage presses.

    Bruce
    I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
    Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club

  15. #35
    Boolit Buddy

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    Quote Originally Posted by Valley-Shooter View Post
    You didn't say what press you have.
    Some press designs are better than others.
    Do you have grease zerks installed?
    Do your primers eject to a side bin or thru the center of the ram? The side bin presses just make a mess.

    I personally use red automotive grease on my single stage presses and my Dillon SD. All my other progressives I use 30 WT oil.
    3 presses Original Lee Challenger, RCBS RC4, and Lyman Tmag6. Prefer RC4 as I use one of big toms primer catchers.

    Surprises were treadmill silicone and imperial. I bathe in Ed’s red, but it hadn’t occurred to me same as CLP. MOBILE 1 came up a lot, I’m a Rotella synthetic user...hadn’t considered that either.
    Stronger, Prouder and Greater!

  16. #36
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Solothurn View Post
    Breakfree CLP.
    Works great - just a drop or two now and then

  17. #37
    Boolit Master
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    Red axle grease for the ram and sliding parts and a drop of 10-30W tractor engine oil on the pins.

  18. #38
    Boolit Master

    Rattlesnake Charlie's Avatar
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    Any light machine oil or gun oil. I always like to keep the pins and ram lubricated. No WD-40.

  19. #39
    Boolit Master
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    Chain saw bar and chain oil, stays put. On Dillon 650.

  20. #40
    Boolit Master trails4u's Avatar
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    Imperial Wax.....
    "Do not follow where the path might lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check