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View Poll Results: Do you lube handgun brass when using a carbide resizing die?

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  • Yes.

    119 34.39%
  • No.

    176 50.87%
  • Sometimes...please specify.

    51 14.74%
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Thread: Do you lube handgun brass with carbide dies?

  1. #41
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    It's so easy to use lube, it never occurs to me not to. Big Ziplock bag, half full with wet-cleaned, decapped brass, a squirt of the RCBS water-soluble liquid, knead for a couple of minutes, and hey Presto! Dump into a clean stainless bowl, and start sizing. Rinse sized cases with hot water to remove lube, let dry, then prime.

    Dry tumbling has been eliminated from my shop due to the airborne lead dust issue. If you're counting on the residual dust from the dry tumbler to lube your cases, then you're getting that lead dust on your hands.
    Cognitive Dissident

  2. #42
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcslotcar View Post
    Using lube makes sizing much easier/smoother with less stress to the cases.
    jmho - also makes die more vulnerable to picking up containments + scratching brass
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
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    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  3. #43
    Boolit Master


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    A little Imperial wax every 5, 10-20 to keep the process smooth.

  4. #44
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg S View Post
    A little Imperial wax every 5, 10-20 to keep the process smooth.
    Do you then remove it?

  5. #45
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Nope
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

    Men who don't understand women fall into two categories: bachelors and husbands!

  6. #46
    Boolit Master
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    I answered "yes"

    I am using a case feeder on a progressive so it's all or none, no way to do it occasionally.
    I rub some Bag Balm (it's mostly lanolin) into a 30cal. patch, put it in a plastic container with the cases, cover it, and roll/tumble/shake to lube.
    I think that's better than a spray because no lube gets inside the case but still a little on the case mouth for the expander.
    You can spray it into an empty Zip-Lok bag and add the brass after spraying to minimize getting lube inside of the cases.

    When do I remove the Lube?

    I don't have the opportunity to remove it after sizing when reloading on progressives.
    I don't wipe down loaded ammo, too slow, I just store and shoot it lubed.
    The lube is removed when it is tumbled the next time...

    Relative to Lube/Not lube.
    I shoot a lot more 22LR now, it's cheaper than primers, I don't have to load it, and it's available in every Walley-world where I live.
    I have minimized 22LR feeding/jamming problems by LUBING ammo before filling mags.
    Same routine, spray some case lube into a Zip-Lok add the 22LR ammo and give it a shake.
    No more hiccups,
    jmo,
    .
    Size/Prime a few cases when starting off with a progressive and put them aside. You can plug them back into the process when a bad/odd case screws up in the priming station and continue loading.

  7. #47
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kenstone View Post
    I answered "yes"

    I am using a case feeder on a progressive so it's all or none, no way to do it occasionally.
    I rub some Bag Balm (it's mostly lanolin) into a 30cal. patch, put it in a plastic container with the cases, cover it, and roll/tumble/shake to lube.
    I think that's better than a spray because no lube gets inside the case but still a little on the case mouth for the expander.
    You can spray it into an empty Zip-Lok bag and add the brass after spraying to minimize getting lube inside of the cases.

    When do I remove the Lube?

    I don't have the opportunity to remove it after sizing when reloading on progressives.
    I don't wipe down loaded ammo, too slow, I just store and shoot it lubed.
    The lube is removed when it is tumbled the next time...

    Relative to Lube/Not lube.
    I shoot a lot more 22LR now, it's cheaper than primers and I don't have to load it.
    I have minimized 22LR feeding/jamming problems by LUBING ammo before filling mags.
    Same routine, spray some case lube into a Zip-Lok add the 22LR ammo and give it a shake.
    No more hiccups,
    jmo,
    .
    I never would have thought of lubing 22s that way. Thanks for comment and tip!

  8. #48
    Boolit Master
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    Sometimes extra lube, sometimes just the car wash n’ wax left on the cases after cleaning.

    Starting out, I put lube on everything (I loaded only a few flavors of straight walled pistol) because it kept new brass from sticking, and made my progressive press cycle much smoother and easier (and therefore giving me more consistent ammo). I gave up the lubing when I switched to once or multi fired brass (the powder residue seemed to act as enough lube to eliminate expander ball sticking), wet tumble cleaning with car wash n’ wax, and batch processing in a way that made sizing resistance less of an issue.

    Most recently I ran into a galling problem on my carbide sizer that seems specific to one brand of colored brass. Lubing that particular brass has stopped the galling; other brands haven’t caused the same issue and don’t get extra lube.

    I shoot in sandy, dusty and windy conditions, where lube attracts grit, so I’m glad I don’t need to do the extra steps of lube application and removal to the reloading of most of the 20-30 K rounds I need yearly.
    Last edited by kevin c; 11-05-2022 at 08:58 PM.

  9. #49
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    If you have to lube your brass when using carbide dies, why pay the higher price for carbide dies? Why not just buy the steel dies if you are going to lube anyway. I use both carbide and non carbide and I lube on the brass to be used in the steel dies only, never carbide. I have been reloading for 64+ years and I have only stuck one case in a die and it was a 8x57mm case that was in bad shape that I was trying to iron out and salvage. I should have never put a very badly mangled case in the die to start with. my experience anyway, james
    Last edited by TNsailorman; 11-07-2022 at 11:58 AM.

  10. #50
    Boolit Master
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    i only lube when sizing feels harder than usual.even then just one case.

  11. #51
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    Kenstone

    [ I shoot a lot more 22LR now, it's cheaper than primers, I don't have to load it, and it's available in every Walley-world where I live. ]

    here in the east primers + .22 Rf are about the same price - both are unavailable at any price lately -
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

  12. #52
    Boolit Master
    John Guedry's Avatar
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    I lube about every third case,makes it a lot easier on this old guy.
    Old retired guy in Baton Rouge La.

  13. #53
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    9mm and 40sw only straight wall I have so nope.
    Whatever!

  14. #54
    Boolit Master

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    Everything works better with a little lubricant.
    “You should tell someone what you know. There should be a history, so that men can learn from it.

    He smiled. “Men do not learn from history. Each generation believes itself brighter than the last, each believes it can survive the mistakes of the older ones. Each discovers each old thing and they throw up their hands and say ‘See! Look what I have found! Look upon what I know!’ And each believes it is something new.

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  15. #55
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kenstone View Post
    Relative to Lube/Not lube.
    I shoot a lot more 22LR now, it's cheaper than primers, I don't have to load it, and it's available in every Walley-world where I live.
    I have minimized 22LR feeding/jamming problems by LUBING ammo before filling mags.
    Same routine, spray some case lube into a Zip-Lok add the 22LR ammo and give it a shake.
    No more hiccups,
    jmo,
    .
    I lube 22s also. Got the idea from an old timer when I was shooting bulls eye.

  16. #56
    Boolit Buddy
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    I only lube big bore magnums - 500 and 460.

  17. #57
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I never realized lubing handgun brass in any form was as prevalent as it is. Thanks everyone for sharing.

  18. #58
    Boolit Master derek45's Avatar
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    I use the Home-Brew Dillon style, lanolin and alcohol spray when processing rifle brass on my DILLON XL650

    afterwards, I tumble in 20/40grit tiny corn cob media, it's too small to get clogged in the primer pockets.

    On some pistol, I use the same lube, but more sparingly

    44mag
    45LC
    9mm.

    not- 38, 357, 45ACP, 380, 40, etc.

    even though 9mmm is dinky, my XL650 still runs smoother when I give them a little spritz

    .


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    USPSA/IPSC

  19. #59
    Boolit Grand Master Harter66's Avatar
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    Wet lube guy here about 1/3 .

    I've regresseded to steel dies for Colts , S&W , ACP 45s , 380 , and 38/357 .
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  20. #60
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    georgerkahn's Avatar
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    For 99% of handgun brass, using carbide ringed sizers, all cases are lubed. My thoughts include increased longevity of all components in the reloading process. My last operation before boxing is to give each a swirl with a paper towel, and (maybe just superstitious?) I am convinced that the microscopic but still present layer of wax provides enough of an approaching zero permeability layer to arrest corrosion of the brass, while making it more appealing to the eye.
    geo

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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