Lube or Not ?

[Boaz]

Should you lube the pistol case's using a carbide sizing die ? I'v heard some say yes and others say no , a bit confusing .

[SteveS]

I've never lubed mine. I think that's the point of using carbide.

[L Erie Caster]

You can but you don't have to, it is up to you.

[Beagle333]

Just say NO.... to the lube. 8-)

[Beesdad]

Should you lube the pistol case's using a carbide sizing die ? I'v heard some say yes and others say no , a bit confusing .

I remove the spent primers and resize the case prior to cleaning them with SS pins. I coat them with wire pull lube and run them through the progressive press in lots of 5-6 K ( I like to load brass that have cleaned primer pockets).

The effort needed to operate the press is reduced by about 50%. Wire pull lube is removed when the cases are cleaned. Additionally, as I reload I resize again without any lube and this second pass through the sizer is much easier.

[mdi]

This is a much argued subject. Carbide is used because it's really hard and very smooth when polished, so no lube is needed. But some use a bit of lube to make it easier to size cases. Mebbe if you are sizing 200+ cases that need a goodly resizing, you might want to make the process as easy as possible. This is personal preference. Lube will not hurt a carbide sizing die (carbide cutting tools are often submerged in cutting lube). Try this, size ten unlubed cases, lube ten cases (lightly) and run them through the die. Which do you prefer?

[bedbugbilly]

I ust wipe the casing to make sure that it is clean and then size it I'm my Lee carbide sets. Never a problem. I think it's more of a "personal thing" that some folks lube - nothing would prevent you from lubing if you wanted to. To me, it's just an un-necessary step to do.

[Roosters]

I load 44 mag, 30 carbine,357,38 special and 45 for pistols. Putem in a gallon zip lock bag 2 or 3 pumps of RCBS case lube roll them around and they will fall through the sizing die. Old lazy and a single stage press. :D

[SWANEEDB]

For the cost of lube, takes very little, I lube all mine before sizing, guess I look at it like would you run you car without oil? I think it saves wear and tear, I try and take care of my toys, they're good to me, why not be good to them.

[W.R.Buchanan]

When I debulge .40 S&W cases I spray some Dillon Case Lube onto the cases. It simply makes the job easier,,, a lot easier.

If you are going to clean the cases afterwards then why not make the job easier for yourself. The cost of the case lube is negligible.

Randy

[Boaz]

I just read the posts , I think I'm still a little confused , LOL . As one poster said ; It's up to you . A topic much like the if a flintlock should the flint have a leather wrap or lead wrap , apparently there are certain questions that will never have conclusion . Could be a good thing though ..............keeps us talking to each other and we are going to do it our own way , as it should be .

Thanks for your thoughts ! Boaz

[country gent]

As was stated in several posts above its personal prefrence with carbide pistol dies, carbide bottleneck rifle dies still require the lube. I lightly lube for carbide dies as it eases the needed force and seems to save cases polished finish. I have done this for years and especially with unknown brass (range brass, once fired, or any brass not fired in my actual pistols) it seems to ease the sizing operation.

[EDG]

I lightly lube 9X19 because it is a tapered case and needs a little lube over the long insert length.
The same goes for a 30 carbine carbide die.
It is not totally unheard of for guys to run dirty cases through a carbide die and have them gall. It is best to at least wash the crud off of your brass before you try to size it.

[boho]

I ultrasonic clean my brass, then size it. Nothing but the clean cartridge case goes in my pistol carbide dies. It actually feels easier than sizing with my old Lyman steel dies with lube.

[blikseme300]

I use the wet tumbling with SS pins to clean brass but use Armor All Wash & Wax instead of Dawn. This leaves a wax coating on the brass that prevents tarnishing and pistol brass requires less force to size as they are slick.

Before I switched to this method I found that the brass was almost too clean after the SS pins and Dawn that I would spray a fine mist of case lube on pistol brass before reloading to much reduce the effort needed to resize.

[Boaz]

The main reason I asked the question was that I'm resizing 9x19 Luger to 9x18 Mak witch puts and extra load on the sizing die . I am going to set up a Dillon rl550 toolhead just to convert the casings and thought that lubing the cases might extend the sizing die life ?

[Roosters]

Try it both ways and see what you think.. For me lubed goes through the die with less force so I would assume it’s easier on everything.

[fryboy]

lube makes it easier so if you lube or not is up to you , for me ,and especially when using a progressive press , it helps alot !! makes the whole process so much smoother ,it doesnt take as much as say steel dies would
it may also depend upon the lube somewhat ,if you're going to wash them afterwards even dawn works fair

[jcwit]

As other have said, no real need to for the equipments sake, but I do put my cases in a dish of sorts and give them a spritz of Blaster Teflon spray, makes life easier for me, and at my age I like easy.

[MDphotographer]

I don't lube for .40 S&W but I will lube .30 carbine case I will lube 10 cases and put them on a paper towel next to my press and after every 9th round of none lubed cases I slip in a lubed one.Makes it a bit easier resizing and lets me keep track of how many cases I have sized lol

[Bonz]

A little Hornady One Shot spray lube or Dillon pump spray lube certainly makes the cases run thru the progressive press requiring a lot less force.

[mdi]

The main reason I asked the question was that I'm resizing 9x19 Luger to 9x18 Mak witch puts and extra load on the sizing die . I am going to set up a Dillon rl550 toolhead just to convert the casings and thought that lubing the cases might extend the sizing die life ? I sincerely don't think you can wear out a carbide sizing die. I don't have a hardness scale, but carbide is waaaay closer to diamond than brass!

[JeffG]

Same as several others, i lube mine anyhow. I usually lay the cases on a paper towel, spray some lLtman case tube on them then pick up both ends of the paper towel, fold it closed and shake then back and forth, then drop them in the case collator. It is definitely less load on the handle sizing.

[jmorris]

I lube all of my cases these days. My best advice is to just try lubing them for your next reloading session.

Most that try it, continue lubing. Once you feel the difference you will understand why.

[Beesdad]

I lube all of my cases these days. My best advice is to just try lubing them for your next reloading session.

Most that try it, continue lubing. Once you feel the difference you will understand why.

Very well stated.....

[jmorris]

It costs almost nothing to try. Unless you count the time you spend looking at "post load tumbling" threads.

I can save you some time on that as well. My Grandfather "post load tumbled" rounds loaded in firearms in vehicles he had for decades, without problems.

In fact I would bet a plane trip across the world, where troops are deployed, "tumbles" powder more that what you get from the 15 min needed, in corncob, to knock off the lube, after you load.

[Freeandcold]

No need to lube with carbide sizing die. But, I do use a little... Sometimes...
Generally, with 44 mag I'll use a little bit of imperial sizing wax on every 5th or tenth case (I wipe off the case as it is rejected as a completed cartridge). Lubed cases size MUCH easier. Lubrication likely prolongs the already long case life and will likely reduce the already minimal wear on the die... The only real reason is it makes me feel better helping the die as it does all that work for me...

[DeanWinchester]

Very light spritz of Dillion Case Lube for carbide dies. It just makes thing FLY through so much easier. After a thousand 9mm's or so, it DOES start to make a difference to your shoulder.

...but you certainly don't HAVE to.