Do you lube handgun brass with carbide dies?

[gifbohane]

A little lube makes the process a little smoother.

[Kenstone]

A little lube makes the process a little smoother.

Yep, It's why I lick my knife when cutting cake.

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[David2011]

It depends on the cartridge whether I lube for carbide dies. For 38/357, no. For 40 S&W, only when push through sizing with my Case Master Jr. For .44Spec/Mag, .45 ACP and .45 Colt, no. For .500 S&W, always and with pure lanolin.

[David2011]

After going through and reading a lot of the posts, here’s an easy way to clean lubed cases whether empty or loaded. Squirt some charcoal lighter fluid onto an old towel, put the cartridges on it and rub around. It’s that easy.

Caution: Charcoal lighter fluid is flammable. Just sayin’.

[wrenchman5]

No. I was taught I didn't need to, so never have. I've never had a problem.

[Big Wes]

I lube very thing I reload! Just makes things operate a bit smoother to me, been doing it for 28 years no need to change up now.

[Maine1]

in general, i do not lube. However, i will lube a case or two to smooth things out. On ocasion i'll spray a q tip in lube and wipe the inside of the die with it lightly.

[alamogunr]

I voted sometimes. When loading several large caliber cartridges, single stage or on the turret, I'll lube about every 5th-10th case. As others have said, it makes it easier to pull the handle and can't hurt the die.
I'll do somewhat the same when loading a bunch on the Dillon but probably less often.

[jetinteriorguy]

I’ve never in 30+ Years lubed a handgun case, until today. After reading this I thought I’d give it a whirl. I picked up 600 new Starline .41mag cases for $150.00 a while ago and when sizing them they really seemed to have a lot of resistance. I figured what the heck I’d give lubing a try. Wow, sure made that job a breeze. Once they’ve been fired and I’m reloading them I won’t bother with lubing them due to loading them on my Lee Turret but when new in the package I’ll lube from now on.

[lightman]

I voted "sometimes". I lube whatever cases seem to have the most resistance. 10mm and hot loaded 38 Super get lubed for sure and any magnums that offer a lot or resistance. As I age I can see using lube on more cases.

[guzma393]

I lube handgun cases to have a better feel on the resizing and decapping operation (i load on a progressive). Lubed cases run through a carbide die size very easily so it's easier to sense if there's a stoppage caused by an undersized flash hole/ nested 22lr case/crimped case/berdan case, etc.

[alamogunr]

I voted "Sometimes" and it applies to both progressive and single stage. I spritz a few cases and then size 3-4 of these and follow with about 10-15 w/o lube. I can't swear that it accomplishes anything except to lessen the effort required. There is not enough difference between the first and last of the unlubed cases for me to tell the difference.

[500aquasteve]

Very, very small amount, and I clean the die after about 50 of them. Please don’t use my vote as standard advice since I only have been loading for just under 2 years

[LabGuy]

Life is short, lube is cheep/inexpensive, choose wisely. I lube when I remember.

[LabGuy]

Life is short, lube is cheep/inexpensive, choose wisely. I lube when I remember. I usually remember when things are not smooth.

[jimlj]

No, with one exception.
I have a Lee 9MM carbide die that needs maybe 1 in every 4-5 cases lightly lubed.

I have the same problem. A
Even a real light mist of WD40 solves the problem. I give a rag a spritz of oil and roll a handful of brass on the rag. Every few cases through the press I’ll run a lubed case.

[fastdadio]

I do. Tried it years ago just to see 'what if'. Makes things easier for the mechanics involved in the sizing process. When things rub together under force, a little loob is always a good thing. I'll keep doing it.

[deltaenterprizes]

I voted sometimes.
Tapered cases benefit from lubing, straight wall cases not so much.
Although not a “pistol “ case, 30 Carbine cases even with a carbide die should be lubed due to the length and taper.
I size and prime my 9mm brass on a Hornady Iron press after wet tumbling and before running them through my Dillon 1050.
I run the primed brass through a max cartridge gauge to remove any cases with a “Glock bulge”.
It makes for smooth sailing!

[rsrocket1]

After a few hundred 9mm loads, I saw brass shavings and brass dust on my LnL AP plate. I started using Hornady One Shot case lube and the process goes much smoother for 9mm. I don't bother with 38/40/45 as those are pure straight walled cases and there is virtually no improvement by lubing the case but lube makes a noticeable improvement. It doesn't take a lot and I make sure to swirl the cases around and let the carrier evaporate for a few minutes before loading.

[jetinteriorguy]

After a few hundred 9mm loads, I saw brass shavings and brass dust on my LnL AP plate. I started using Hornady One Shot case lube and the process goes much smoother for 9mm. I don't bother with 38/40/45 as those are pure straight walled cases and there is virtually no improvement by lubing the case but lube makes a noticeable improvement. It doesn't take a lot and I make sure to swirl the cases around and let the carrier evaporate for a few minutes before loading.

I’ve found polishing the crimp die usually eliminates any brass shavings, not sure about brass dust since I’ve never encountered this.