Brass life w/ & w/o case lube

[jmbaccolyte]

Will my brass last longer if I use case lube? It seems like it might be easier on the brass.

I'm using once fired Rem & Fed .40 brass with 24 year old Dillon dies. The brass was shot through Beretta 96Ds and HK USP Compacts. I'm shooting the reloads in a Tanfo/EAA Witness Elite Match. I'm okay with the effort involved in resizing, I'm just asking about case life.

I apologize if this was asked before, I couldn't find it on a search of the forum.

[whistlepig]

I don't use case lube when reloading straight wall pistol cases. I do tumble clean, but then it goes into the reloader.

I'm no expert, but I can't see this "helping" the brass, only making a diff in the effort required to size.

[jmbaccolyte]

Thanks. I do it the same way you do, I forgot to mention that in the post.

[kalaur]

Brass lasts a long time, as long as you don't lose it :-) Case lube probably won't increase the life of the brass, but it does make it easier to reload.

[Doc Hunter]

Lubing cases may not increase the life of the case. It does reduce the work/strain on the loading tool and the operator. I have found NO downside to lube!

[Babaganoosh]

I throw my brass in a plastic tub, shoot a one second shot of hornady lube, shake the tub, spray a half second shot, let it dry and then load them. It really makes a difference in loading and the lube doesnt have to be cleaned off.

Its worth it in my opinion.

[LPatterson]

Lubing cases may not increase the life of the case. It does reduce the work/strain on the loading tool and the operator. I have found NO downside to lube!

This is a game/activity where absolutes should not be used. I use pure lanolin to lube my .223 brass so if I don't clean my brass after sizing I have a flipping mess later. The 40,45 & 9mm don't get lubed because they get deprimed in a single stage press with compound leverage. Don't get me wrong, when I first started loading 9mm I lubed but I found I was getting a sticky residue on the brass after a few weeks so I stopped using it because I didn't want to clean the brass again.

I try to only offer advice and leave the you can do this or you can't do this to the Federal Government.

[Doc Hunter]

Use the lube you and your machine will be happier! After 10s of thousands of rounds through 2 Dillon 1050s - never a problem. Spray them, load them, shoot them. Use a product designed for this application like Dillon's lube (my favorite) or One-Shot. Use something else at your own risk.

[jmbaccolyte]

Thanks

[nathandewalt]

Tried lubing cases after reading this earlier and it made a huge difference. The press takes so much less energy to run now. I have always been told there as no point with carbide dies and that is definitely not the case.

[jmbaccolyte]

Thanks, I appreciate it guys, if lubing the cases prior to resizing gave better case life, someone would have noticed. I figured that less fiction during resizing would equal less force being applied to the brass and so less damage/wear to the brass. Logic can't hold a candle to experience.

[TonyT]

With the high pressure cartridges such as 9mm and 40 S&W I tend to scrap thebrass after 4 reloads. With low pressure cartridges such as 45 ACP and brass used in revolvers I use it until it strats fraying at the case mouth.

[sweetback]

I have found that case lubing also contributes to a more consistant O.A.L. when using one head stamp, and deprimed brass.

[SNSCaster2]

I won't load pistol ammo again without case lube.. I take the time every 100-200 rounds to dump my loaded ammo out on a towel and wipe the lube off of it(also a good step for finding high primers or anything else). I use a lanolin based lube that I massage onto the brass before loading, and it's a pretty "thick" substance. I feel like I exert the same amount of energy loading 1,000 rounds with lube as I do 100 rounds of unlubed cases.

No doubt in my mind that case lube can extend the life of a loader and your hands, wrist, elbow, shoulder, back, etc. As for the brass, I don't see it making much of a difference in life span, but I could be wrong on that one.

[Bob DuBois]

Lubing cases makes the whole process easier on the machine, dies and the operator. I like to shoot heavier bullets in my Trojan 9mm and the use of case lube helps keeps the OAL very consistant.

I check 9mm cases by lining them up on a desk, checking for chigger bites, splits and trash in the brass along with primer pockets. Flip them over into a rubber made 18qt dish pan checking for military cases or any others that I trash before loading. Spending a little time inspecting the cases before lubing them in the dish pan. Makes the loading process a lot easier.

I don't know if lube will make the brass last longer but it sure dosen't hurt the process.

Might check out a set of Lee's carbide dies. I like Lee's first stage sizer and the seating die. Excellent primer punch. You can send a bullet to Lee and they will make an insert that fits that bullet. Helps on keeping OAL consistant.

I usually put the loaded rounds back in the tumbler for thirty minutes to remove lube.

[sweetback]

Lubing cases makes the whole process easier on the machine, dies and the operator. I like to shoot heavier bullets in my Trojan 9mm and the use of case lube helps keeps the OAL very consistant.

I check 9mm cases by lining them up on a desk, checking for chigger bites, splits and trash in the brass along with primer pockets. Flip them over into a rubber made 18qt dish pan checking for military cases or any others that I trash before loading. Spending a little time inspecting the cases before lubing them in the dish pan. Makes the loading process a lot easier.

I don't know if lube will make the brass last longer but it sure dosen't hurt the process.

Might check out a set of Lee's carbide dies. I like Lee's first stage sizer and the seating die. Excellent primer punch. You can send a bullet to Lee and they will make an insert that fits that bullet. Helps on keeping OAL consistant.

I usually put the loaded rounds back in the tumbler for thirty minutes to remove lube.

I use a dry powder lube from ROGERS BETTER BULLETS in King of Prussia Pennsylvania. It's called MAGIC DUST. Does not get sticky after rds. are loaded, and actually to a small extent makes bullet feeding from mags smoother. It can also be applied to bullet heads also.