sparks1 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Okay, I see a progressive in my future. decided on the 550 'cos I reload .223/5.56 besides 9mm,.40, and .45. Currently using a single stage RCBS and I tumble my pickup brass before sizing and after to get rid of the Imperial sizing lube before seating bullets. Question: What are you using for lube with a Dillon and rifle cases. How are you cleaning the lube off afterwards. Not sure of the steps involved. I do not like the lube being on the brass after seating. Just wipe them down? I usually resize then swage primer pockets after, then I hand prime brass. Extra steps, but it's my method of madness. Do you do the same and then run the resizer with the Dillon also? Keeping with proscribed steps on the stations? Been suffering through a single stage and FINALLY gonna go with a faster setup. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I just finished banging out 1000 .223's yesterday on my RL550. Once I've dealt with the crimped primer pockets on any cases I get, I just run them through the 550 and let the machine do it all. I've been using the Midway spray lube but when it runs out I'm switching over to the Dillon spray case lube. I've never bothered with cleaning the lube off of my .223's after loading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Tumble in corn cob after sizing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinT Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Here's my method for first time brass on my 550, whether it's 1x military or range pickup: Tumble ~ 2 hours Put approx 200 cases (8 handfuls, for me) in gallon ziploc bag, two squirts of dillon spray lube, shake shake shake shake shake, spread out on cookie sheet to dry 1st 550 toolhead: Sta. 1: Size with RCBS FL die Sta. 2: Empty Sta. 3: Size/trim with dillon trimmer Sta. 4: Empty Tumble ~ 1 hour to remove lube and deburr from trmmer Swage primer pockets if necessary Put approx 200 cases (8 handfuls, for me) in gallon ziploc bag, two squirts of dillon spray lube, shake shake shake shake shake, spread out on cookie sheet to dry 2nd 550 toolhead: Sta. 1: Re-expand case neck with RCBS x-die and prime (dillon trimmer has no expander ball, so the necks will be slightly small after trimming) Sta. 2: Dump powder Sta. 3: Seat bullet Sta. 4: Lee FCD, which may not actually be set up to do anything. Tumble ~ 15 minutes to remove lube Mark case so I know it's mine and what it is Check primer flushness and box The key is to be able to identify your brass. With the x-die, after I trim the first time I can just continue to run my brass through the second toolhead without having to trim. I have different color stripes for match (starts as once fired LC) and practice (range pickups). Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizzle Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I always tumble the brass first---> lube with Dillon lube on a lube pad---> resize, decap, trim, chamfer, debur, clean primer pockets ----> back to the tumbler. After that forever long process, I reload progressively using the first station to seat primers only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparks1 Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 I always tumble the brass first---> lube with Dillon lube on a lube pad---> resize, decap, trim, chamfer, debur, clean primer pockets ----> back to the tumbler. After that forever long process, I reload progressively using the first station to seat primers only. +1 on this one. It's kind of what I was thinking. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Athouse Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) Spray lube vs a lube pad will save some time and messy hands. I leave the lube on. I used to tumble completed ammo in corn cob for 10-15 minutes but quit that. It was just wasted time. The lube shouldnt cause you any problems in your magazines or firearms. Also, you can skip cleaning the primer pockets. Ive never noticed a difference with a cleaned pocket vs an uncleaned one. Its probably something you can get away with skipping. Edited January 3, 2012 by Gabe Athouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotys Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) I always tumble the brass first---> lube with Dillon lube on a lube pad---> resize, decap, trim, chamfer, debur, clean primer pockets ----> back to the tumbler. After that forever long process, I reload progressively using the first station to seat primers only. This is what I do also. I tried tumbling the finished product, but ended up with media in the hollow-point tips. I tried wiping the finished product with alcohol, its a lot of work. I like to have clean brass with the lube removed before starting the reloading. I've used Hornady one shot lube, I liked it. It is getting expensive. I had a bottle of Dillon spay lube I have tried and think I will stick with Dillon's. You can prep a lot of brass over a period of time and then reload them all in one session. I have around 1500 prepped brass ready for my next 5.56 reloading session. Edited January 3, 2012 by Cotys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Agree with Spiff.. After trimming, the corn cob gets rid of burrs.. and the brass is so shinny afterwards.. lol And I'd never use OneShot on rifle brass.. it seems most cases of people getting stuck cases used OneShot I don't let the cases dry after spraying with Dillon.. they seem to go smoother when it's still 'wet' I seem to recall a posting from Dillon, that the Dillon lube should always be taken off... or it can cause over pressures in a rifle.. but I can't find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I’m in the middle of doing 5k cases right now and after trimming I like to get rid of as much of the remaining Dillon spray lube as possible, also. For me tumbling that many in batches takes a long time. So, what I do for bulk cleaning of the lube is take a sponge or two, cut it up into about finger sized chunks, put them in a 5 gallon bucket (one that has a nice tight fitting cover like a paint bucket is best), fill the bucket about half full with brass and then pour a few quarts of wally world special 91% Isopropyl Alcohol over the cases (BTW - now is not a good time to smoke or be near open flame or spark producing devices, and you should do this where you have good ventilation – outside is recommended). Put the cover on the bucket and let it sit for a couple minutes and then agitate/swish it around by shaking the bucket or stir with a stick, then pour off the IPA and sponges into another bucket and dump the degreased cases on a towel for a few minutes to let the IPA evaporate. I re-use the IPA for several buckets worth which seems to do at least 5k worth of cases. It doesn’t get them all squeaky clean, but it takes probably 90% of the lube off. The whole process takes about ½ an hour to do 5k worth of cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 You might try using the Dillon lube on a shop towel, or if a lot of cases, a hand towel. Spray it on the towel and then put cases in the towel and shake for 15 seconds or so. It will distribute it very evenly and it will not be as heavy as using a pad. Also, it will be a whole lot faster than doing one case at a time on a lube pad. Then, save the towel - with lube - in a big zip loc or some sort of air tight container and it will be ready the next time with maybe just a little additional lube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I highly recommend the Dillon spray lube for rifle cases. For general 55gr blasting ammo I don't bother cleaning it off till after the rounds are fully loaded then I give them a 15-30 minute tumble so the rounds are dry and clean. You don't need to use very much of the Dillon lube so there won't be any big mess to deal with. I put 100-150 cases at a time in a cardboard box top and spray them lightly then shake the box around to get the lube distributed, then they get fed into the press right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.