Lube for sizing before PC

[mehavey]

unless your sizing die was turned with a dull file you shouldn't need any lubrication.

^^^^ this^^^^

[Huskerguy]

If you have any kind of lube on your bullets the PC will not stick. If your bullets are way oversize then size down in decreasing steps, if you have the dies. But realize you are moving metal and it has to go somewhere and the bullet's base is the worst place as it will destroy accuracy. These de-burring tools are a pain and almost impossible to achieve uniformity; without uniformity there goes accuracy.

This. Lee states to NOT run bullets without being lubed through their sizing dies. Others may vary, haven't used them all. I tried this for a buddy who wanted a size I don't normally shoot so I tried bare lead and it messed up my die which led to a conversation with the folks at Lee's. In my younger years I worked Auto collision and taught it for 15 years at a college. EVERY chemical, including water leaves something on a surface, especially one as porus as lead. Depending on your skin, there us potential there as well. We showed students with young naturally oily skin what it does to metal overnight. I realize lead does not rust but the oil has to go somewhere.

The advice to size in steps is solid. I don't find that metal is removed so much as it is moved or swaged down. You would be surprised how far you can take down a powder coated bullet to get the size you want.

My process, which works for me, YMMV, is to use latex gloves to keep oil off the bullets and lead off my hands. Bullets go right into a sealed container until powder coating. I powder coat and dumped the PC bullets into water, pull them out and size as soon as possible as the PC gets harder over time. I just find water quenching the coated bullets sets the powder, nit using it to increase hardness which I don't worry about.

[honus]

Soapy water works well.

[wesson357]

I have used 50/50 liquid dish soap/ water as sizing lube. mix everything, pick a bullet to size. put the bullets in a perforated bowl and rinse withg hot water.

[Taterhead]

I seat gas checks through my NOE sizer nekkid. Then coat and size again. Checks wont seat with the added bulk of PC on my specimens.