Lubing pistol cases

[gm iprod]

Well at age 50 and 25K a year of reloads, I lube everything, it is loading not a work out. If I want a work out I can go annoy the wife.

Dillon or One Shot Aerosol. Lubing makes it easier and quicker to reload, brass lasts longer, dies last longer, the loading process goes smoother, it is less wear and tear on the machine, it is less wear and tear on my arms, loads are more consistant for OAL, loads are more consistant for powder charge, you don't have to jerk the handle to get the cases off the expander (if you polish the expander as well as lube it is even smoother). Other than the above I see no advantage.

Lubing makes the process actually quicker over not lubing and swinging on the handle.

A good analogy is, :devil: .

I will however from time to time need to clean my dies out. But this needs to be done regularly anyway.

I just can not see an advantage to not lubricate.

[BillD]

I bought lube for $2 a bottle sometime back. Still got 2 bottles. Real expensive stuff, bottle lasts well over 2 years, 40K or so.

It really makes the 650 run easier, especially when you load 1000 rounds or more at a time.

[mcracco]

Just want to add that since I started wet tumbling brass I am using way less lube. The brass comes out with a high sheen so they run through the sizing die much easier. I can't really detect any One Shot on finished rounds.

[rdinga]

Using Dillon lube and 9mm cases loading is smooth as silk! Try it once and tell us how much you liked it.

[mgardner]

Probably won't try it. At age 62 I still think running two miles a day is a good idea and diamond pushups are fun. Maybe at 72 I'll need an easier life, then the elk can rest easy too.

[bajadudes]

I also find that all things being equal that lubing 9mm pistol brass prior to sizing results in a lower reject count due to base bulging for us when gauging. YMMV

[Pasley]

I'm loading on a single stage press so my method might not be very efficient for you Dillon users. I keep a light coat of Imperial die wax on my left hand and give just the least little caress to the cases as I set them in the shell holder. Roll them back and forth on a towel for a few seconds to clean after I'm done with the batch.

[Bob DuBois]

Don't care what the box reads loading on a progressive loader always lube brass. Just a little make the whole process easier on the brass, dies, press and the operator.

I tumble, sort, 9mm minor especially, lube with a light amount of homemade lube the store cases in five gallon buckets till needed.

Small amount of lube applied in an 18 quart Rubbermade dishpan using your hands to work lube over the brass about 1,500 cases at a time.

Loaded rounds can be run back through the tumbler or more times than not shot as is.

[mjohn]

^^^^^^^^^^

Are you saying, after your rounds are loaded, you run the the loaded rounds through the tumbler? How long also?

[bajadudes]

^^^^^^^^^^

Are you saying, after your rounds are loaded, you run the the loaded rounds through the tumbler? How long also?

That's what we do..20 to 30 mins at the most. One competitive shooter we supply asks us to leave the very slight amount of lube on the rounds.

[fastluck13]

Probably won't try it. At age 62 I still think running two miles a day is a good idea and diamond pushups are fun. Maybe at 72 I'll need an easier life, then the elk can rest easy too.

Mark, I have never thought running 2 miles sounded like a good idea...not even once ;-)

I do use a cheap Teflon dry lube spray on my brass and it makes the process smoother.

[rtp]

^^^^^^^^^^

Are you saying, after your rounds are loaded, you run the the loaded rounds through the tumbler? How long also?

I doubt bajadudes is the only mfgr doing it. Lots of Internet scare tactics on this subject, but if you dig a bit, you'll find someone doing a reasonably good study w/microscope before/after tumbling rounds, and no ill effects/changes to be seen. It's highly unlikely for anyone to manage setting a round off in a dry tumbler.

I've done it for .223 on occasion, but use One Shot on my 9mm, which I generally don't remove.

[bajadudes]

^^^^^^^^^^

Are you saying, after your rounds are loaded, you run the the loaded rounds through the tumbler? How long also?

I doubt bajadudes is the only mfgr doing it. Lots of Internet scare tactics on this subject, but if you dig a bit, you'll find someone doing a reasonably good study w/microscope before/after tumbling rounds, and no ill effects/changes to be seen. It's highly unlikely for anyone to manage setting a round off in a dry tumbler.

I've done it for .223 on occasion, but use One Shot on my 9mm, which I generally don't remove.

As a test we took 21 rounds right off the press vs 21 rounds that we tumbled for 1.5 hours. There was no change whatsoever in fps and when we pulled the bullets we could not see any difference even with a magnifying glass.

We often tumble 1300 rounds in a plastic tub cement mixer and have never had a round go off.

Tumbling loaded rounds is an effective safe way to get the lube off and spiff them up.

Edited January 12, 2014 by bajadudes

[mjohn]

OK........always open to learn something new each day.

I think I will try one step at a time.

First lube the brass and see if I can notice any ease or smoothness in the reloading process.

If all goes well, then I will try the tumbling.

Good info about the no change in the fps!!!

Thanks for all the replies.

Edited January 12, 2014 by mjohn

[Nimitz]

Buy a 7oz jar of lanolin, it looks like paste wax ...I orderd mine on-line

Buy a bottle of 99% pure Isopropl alcohol from CVS. The 90% stuff won't work ... The 95% stuff may work ....

You're going to melt the tub of lanolin like you'd melt candle wax and then pour the bottle of alcohol into the melted lanolin. Stir the contents until it becomes room temp at which point all the lanolin that can go into suspension based on the amount of alcohol you used wil and the rest will settle to the bottom. Pour the resulting yellow liquid into a spray bottle and you're good to go. Keep the stuff that settled to the bottom and reheat that with more alcohol and you can make more ..

Edited January 12, 2014 by Nimitz

[Bob DuBois]

about 30 min

[gm iprod]

The only disadvantage I can find in tumbling ammo is that sometimes, not very often, the media can get into the hollow point. That piece of media, MAY, get out of the hole when in your firearm and jam it. It is quite unlikely, but given the amount of rounds that go downrange each year, even if it is so unlikely to happen, I still check my ammo after tumbling.

Practice ammo I do not tumble, match ammo gets a full going over, tumble cleaned, gauged and barrel dropped.

[bajadudes]

Here is what i use and ordered from Amazon:

Liquid Lanolin 100% pure http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028MLKC/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

that $7.71 price is for 3 bottles. It's not clear in the ad.

99.99% isopropyl alcohol http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DNQX3C/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

put a spray bottle on a scale ( your empty Dillon spray lube is perfect ) and set to grams

pour in 135 grams of alcohol

pour in an additional 15 grams of the liquid lanolin

Shake it up.

That gives you a 90/10 mix.

Adjust to preference some like 85/15

This is easy and involves no heating and is super cheap.

If you buy a tub of lanolin paste you must be sure it's 100% pure and does not have any petroleum additives. That will work as Nimitz says but I have found the liquid to be easier and less expensive.

Edited January 12, 2014 by bajadudes

[bajadudes]

The only disadvantage I can find in tumbling ammo is that sometimes, not very often, the media can get into the hollow point. That piece of media, MAY, get out of the hole when in your firearm and jam it. It is quite unlikely, but given the amount of rounds that go downrange each year, even if it is so unlikely to happen, I still check my ammo after tumbling.

Practice ammo I do not tumble, match ammo gets a full going over, tumble cleaned, gauged and barrel dropped.

Very Very good point and I have seen it happen, Chris Tilley jammed up his SVI nice and tight once for that very reason. I should have mentioned that we have had better success in that regard by using only untreated corn cob media...no wax no nothing for that step. When we empty it into the media separator we spin it at least 30 times to help keep the hollow point clear. I know it sounds scary but again after hundreds of thousands of rounds I have never had one go off. We don't spin it like a mad man just a slow steady roll.

[BillD]

Real men don't use lube....

[bajadudes]

Real men don't use lube....

Well if your equipment is very new you can get away with it but as the equipment gets older it works much better with lube.

Edited January 12, 2014 by bajadudes

[45 Raven]

Well, it's obvious that I am in the minority on this subject.

Last November marked my 40th anniversary of reloading ammunition.

I have owned and used numerous single stage and progressive presses during those years and have loaded ammunition for .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, 10mm, 9mm, .45 ACP, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt.

During the first four or five six years of reloading all my pistol and revolver loading was done with steel dies and using case lube.

When I switched to carbide dies I discontinued the use of case lube and have never even considered using lube with carbide dies. I've never had a stuck case, I have never experienced anything beyond a broken snap ring on any sizing die, and I have never considered the sizing process to be "hard" or difficult, even when loading 500 or more rounds in one session.

[rtp]

Here is what i use and ordered from Amazon:

Liquid Lanolin 100% pure http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028MLKC/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

that $7.71 price is for 3 bottles. It's not clear in the ad.

99.99% isopropyl alcohol http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DNQX3C/ref=oh_details_o01_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

put a spray bottle on a scale ( your empty Dillon spray lube is perfect ) and set to grams

pour in 135 grams of alcohol

pour in an additional 15 grams of the liquid lanolin

Shake it up.

That gives you a 90/10 mix.

Adjust to preference some like 85/15

This is easy and involves no heating and is super cheap.

If you buy a tub of lanolin paste you must be sure it's 100% pure and does not have any petroleum additives. That will work as Nimitz says but I have found the liquid to be easier and less expensive.

Interesting- I order the same lanolin but never got a 3 pack out of it

I mix it to ~10:1 by volume, seems most mix between 1:8 and 1:12

Saved the link to the alcohol, hadnt seen a larger qty of 99%+ before...

Edited January 12, 2014 by rtp

[Doc Hunter]

Use the lube. I use the Dillon.

[gunnut315]

I have never used lube with a carbide die. On Christmas Eve I was loading some 9mm for my son in law when a case stuck and when I used a little force to remove it the carbide ring came out of the die. I am waiting for my new die to come from Dillon at this time. I will lube in the future.I had run about 8K through the die was the first stuck case.