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How do you lube 'em?

10K views 40 replies 31 participants last post by  CrustyShellback 
#1 ·
I'm a few hundred rounds into my life as a reloader and I'm looking for opinions/ideas on case and neck lubing. So far I've only used the Hornady One Shot. I looked at the lube pad thing that came with my RCBS kit and I decided that the spray lube would be far quicker and easier since spraying them in a loading block covered the neck lubing as well. The One Shot is pretty easy, but may not be the most economical since the spray is going on stuff besides the cases.

What do you guys do?
 
#3 ·
Hornady "Unique" or Imperial Die Sizing Wax. For the price of 1 can of HOS, you can get a lifetime supply of either.

Apply either one by wiping your index finger across the lube (just enough to put a shine on your finger tip) than wiping around the shoulder of the case. You can speed up the process by rubbing about 1/2 a pea size chunk into the palms of your hands, than "rolling" 5-6 cases at a time between your hands.
A "finger shine" is good for 5-6 cases, the 1/2 pea chunk is good for a couple of hundred 30-06 size cases.
For pistol brass (even with carbide dies) I "shine" 2 fingers and thumb of my left hand. Just handling the cases provides all the lube needed.
 
#4 ·
Imperial S.D.W. is all I've used for about 15 years. I fold a 6" square of cotton cloth into a 2 X 2 piece, then take that and use it to wipe a light coating of lube from the can. I then lay that on the table, roll the rifle cases with one finger down the length of the cloth and cycle them through the press.

I've never used lube on handgun cases, but there was a point where I thought the .454's would have to be lubed.
 
#7 ·
First, what I don't use, Spray Lubes. I've tried them and I do not like them. Do "the Google" on stuck cases and you will find that most of the stuck cases reported over the past few years are from users of spray lubes. IMO it's not if you get a stuck case with "One Shot" it's when.

I am back to the old RCBS lube and pad. It works great and a small 2oz bottle lasts forever. I also have a few tins if Imperial Sizing wax that I use as well. This is about the best there is, but I find the lube pad a little more convenient.

After sizing I run my brass through the tumbler to remove any lube. I do not lube my pistol brass before sizing, but I do lube my 10mm/40S&W with the RCBS pad before I run them through the GRX die. They get a trip to the tumbler after that as well.


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#9 ·
First, what I don't use, Spray Lubes. I've tried them and I do not like them. Do "the Google" on stuck cases and you will find that most of the stuck cases reported over the past few years are from users of spray lubes. IMO it's not if you get a stuck case with "One Shot" it's when.

I am back to the old RCBS lube and pad. It works great and a small 2oz bottle lasts forever. I also have a few tins if Imperial Sizing wax that I use as well. This is about the best there is, but I find the lube pad a little more convenient.

After sizing I run my brass through the tumbler to remove any lube. I do not lube my pistol brass before sizing, but I do lube my 10mm/40S&W with the RCBS pad before I run them through the GRX die. They get a trip to the tumbler after that as well.

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After sizing 40k+ .223 & 60k+ 30-06/.308 cartridges using only Dillon Spray lube, I have to say I have never had a stuck case ever ! Put them in a old cookie sheet, spray them, let them sit for 8-10min and then start decaping, sizing and triming.
 
#8 ·
I'm back to using the RCBS lube pad also . Its just easy , economical , and fast . Can do ~ 35 223 cases in one 'pass' on the pad . A drop of lube smeared in 1 caseneck around every 60 round in rotation for the expander . Imperial sizing wax works great , but more time consuming for me and now I only use it on bigger calibers I load for like 7 Rem mag . I don't tumble after sizing , cause I hate picking the media out of the pockets and flash hole . Instead to remove the lube , I will wash the brass in a mesh bag and bucket of water with a few drops of dish detergent and a splash of vinegar . Rinse and lay out on a towel and they are good to go 24 hours later ( I do live in a very dry climate so your drying time may very :) )
 
#10 ·
For several years I have used Cabelas brand of spray lube. I have had very good results with it,and the only time I have ever had a stuck case was from some 300WM range brass that I picked up.

I usually just throw 20-30 cases in a ziplock freezer bag,spay a couple times in the bag,and shake it for a few seconds.

It works well on neck or full sizing brass.
 
#11 ·
You're not the first that's commented on the expense of Hornady One-Shot, but I don't get it...
I just killed my first can- and I know I've got over 1000 cases out of it. How much cheaper can you get? I consider the "expense" basically non-existent.

Plus- when I followed the directions from Hornady- and sprayed the cases necks-down, they were sticking in the FL sizing die. I turned them necks up, spray at a 45 degree angle from opposite sides to get some into the case necks, and have never had an issue yet. I can't understand why anyone would want to do it any other way...
 
#13 ·
You're not the first that's commented on the expense of Hornady One-Shot, but I don't get it...
I just killed my first can- and I know I've got over 1000 cases out of it. How much cheaper can you get? I consider the "expense" basically non-existent.

...
I don't think the price of lube matters a whole lot. It's a relatively inexpensive part of the loading process, but, but, but I must say my little 2oz bottle of RCBS case lube($3.00) has been serving me well for over 5 years and thousands of rounds and I think it's still half full.
 
#15 ·
TX
You can tell a lot about someones "time in trade" by how they lube. Us "old schoolers" (myself included) tend to avoid spray cans/bottles. We like to fondle and care for each and every one of our precious children, VS the "spray and pray" guys that only like to make lots of banging noise as fast as possible.

I started with a pad, back in 1973 and once you learn to only put a very small amount of lube on the pad (IE a couple drops every 500 or so cases) they work well. Once I started having to do some heavy case forming, it was suggested I try Hornaday's "Unique" Lube or ISDW to ease the forming work. Some 3-4000 large rifle cases later I'm still not 1/4 of the way through my first tin.
 
#16 ·
I'll somewhat shamefully admit that right now I would definitely fall more in the 'make banging noise as fast as possible' category although I have been very mindful of all the safety aspects of reloading. I only load for my mini and a few pistol calibers, so I have to admit that the art of fine tuning accuracy loads isn't something I have any exposure to right now. Someday that will be an excuse to get a more accurate rifle though! Most of my interest in firearms has always fallen more to pistols and it's only in the past year or so that I've become more interested in rifles at all, so I'm sure that with more time, I'll probably get something in a larger caliber and then really enjoy the full benefit of reloading.
 
#19 ·
I have been useing one shot for about 2yrs (switched from the lube pad) and I really like the stuff,for large qaunities I put a buch of brass into a large ziplock bag,spray some lube into the bag then close it and massage the lube into the brass,no mess and no over spray.
 
#20 ·
I use the Hornady One Shot as well, I gave up on the wax after sticking 2 cases in a row. I have had good luck with using synthetic motor oil on a pad.
 
#22 ·
Imperial wax for all my loading, rifle and pistol. Just a smudge on my thumb and index finger coats about 20 cases as I put them in the Dillon, then another quick swipe across the tin of wax and another 20 cases. When loaded I run the brass thru the tumbler to clean off any lube remaining.

If you are getting cob stuck in the flash hole your media is too big. Try going to finer grades such as 20/40 mesh size. I clean lots of rifle brass in this and I can't remember the last time I got any media stuck in a flash hole and I load probably 5,000 rounds a month of rifle.

By the way, Drillspot has cob media 40 pound bags for about $25 delivered to your door. That's about three five gallon buckets full per bag.
 
#24 ·
Again, try Imperial. I haven't used my stuck case remover since switching over to Imperial maybe 10 years ago. That stuff really does work, it's not at all messy, and it's cheap. All I do is run my finger across the tin of lube, run thump and index finger together, and then just handling the cases puts enough lube on the cases that I can resize 30-06 with a minimum of effort. I relube my finger about every 20 cases or so. I use it for all rifle and pistol resizing, and I load maybe 10,000 rounds a month during the busy months.
 
#26 ·
I use Hornady One Shot Sizing Wax, its a lot like Imperial. I just went with it to be a little different and because it mentions "tarnish inhibitors," I started out w/ and REALLY didn't like using the Lee Lube w/ the pad, but that's just me. I think next time I'll go with Imperial because it seems more readily available and "tarnish inhibitors" aren't worth the extra cost for Hornady.
 
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