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Any reason not to lubricate cases?


400driver

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I still use the Dillion lube, 1 squirt for 50 cases,

shake in cardboard box let dry while doing

another 50. Tumble loaded rounds for 15 min.

This includes 9MM,.38 Spcl, .357 magnum,

.40 S&W,.45ACP, easier on the press,

arm and wrist.

Probably going to try a bottle of 1 shot

when it runs out, so i can see which i

like better.

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I still use the Dillion lube, 1 squirt for 50 cases,

shake in cardboard box let dry while doing

another 50. Tumble loaded rounds for 15 min.

This includes 9MM,.38 Spcl, .357 magnum,

.40 S&W,.45ACP, easier on the press,

arm and wrist.

Probably going to try a bottle of 1 shot

when it runs out, so i can see which i

like better.

Save yourself the trouble, stay with the dillon. I do it the same way, except I spray into an empty tupperware container, dump in the brass, cover and shake, then dump directly into the casefeeder. That way no lube gets inside the cases and glues powder to the inside of the case of that one I choose to check powder throw.

IMHO, oneshot just doesn't have the same "save your elbow" effect as the dillon, and I was getting less than stellar consistency with os conpared to dillon. If you already tumble after loading, dont change a thing...imho...

jj

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The Dillon-produced VHS video of our host, Brian, even shows him applying quick spray of Hornady One Shot to a box of 100 or so cleaned cases, shaking it, and dumping them into a Dillon case feeder.

And, yes, I felt really old as I typed "VHS." I think the tape was called "Reloading for Competition" - but my memory isn't what it used to be.

Still, I am 100% sure it is a good idea to follow Brian's advice and use OneShot every time.

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No need to lube .40 and .45. Lubing a 9mm case greatly reduces the effort required to size the case. I make my own Dillon lube. I take a gallon freezer bag and spray a couple of shots against the sides of the bag. Dump the brass in and shake it.

I do this also...good habit in lubing all cases regardless of die type. If I am not using carbide..I'm covered

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Have been using One shot up until now but had some Dillon on hand , so I thought I would give it a try. It did seem easier to me and the OAL variation was incredible! I picked out 5 finished rounds and the maximum difference was 2/1000 of an inch. Ok that could be just random luck but I was very impressed.

Will take a closer look. ( mixed brass)

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I did a lot of research many years ago using a 9mm Dillon Square Deal (the only press I had at the time) and a fish scale to find out the difference between the effort required to size lubed or not. I cleaned 100 cases and left 100cases uncleaned, I lubed fifty of each and left fifty of each unlubed.

So we landed up with 50 of each of the following. UnCleaned / UnLubed, UnCleaned / Lubed, Cleaned / UnLubed, and Cleaned / Lubed. All cases were once fired CCI Lawman brass fired from a Glock 17 Gen3.

Don't have the exact numbers, but the worst was uncleaned unlubed the best was clean and lubed. The difference in sizing effort was about an 80% reduction from UC/UL to C/L. UC/L were nearly the same effort as C/UL.

The main issue is what stresses are placed on the various parts of the machine and what stress is introduced into the cases. I believe there is no advantage to not using lube and a few disadvantages to not using lube.

Pro - Lube.

Ease of sizing when hand operating a loading machine. The follow on effect is that lubed cases also come off the expanding die better, these dies / expanders are almost always not CARBIDE, they are STEEL. The steel certainly needs lubing when a case passes across it. There will also be less stress on the crimping die, these are almost always STEEL, this prevents grabbing, especially with a tight crimp for magnum handgun loads, less of a problem with most semi auto handguns.

The less stress we place on the dies, machine in general, your cases and your arm will prolong case life, prolong machine life and prevent over stressing of all connective parts and save wear and tear on elbows etc.

Against Lube, you quite often have to clean the crap off. Tough luck. I can take the lube off 300 loaded rounds in less than 30second using a bath towel and a small amount of effort. The most careful part is not getting caught using the bath towel. I suggest not sneaking it back into the spare bathroom.

Although most pistol dies have a carbide sizer and carbide is very hard, and you don't have to use lube, but every company that sells dies also sells lube. I understand you don't need a parachute when exiting an aircraft at 20,000 feet, but the landing is way better with the parachute, than without. It is not compulsory, just highly recommended.

In the long run and looking at the overall picture of what I want to achieve by reloading I will use case lube in every application I can. The best as far as I can see are. Hornady One Shot Aerosol, Lyman Aerosol, Dillon Pump and Imperial Sizing Wax from Redding. For ease of use I prefer Hornady and Dillon.

I will not use Hornady Pump Spray Water Based (CRAP), Frankford Arsenal or the Lee in the tube.

The small Oiler Bottles and Wax types are great for small amount of rifle reloading, but inconvenient for handgun progressives.

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@gm iprod - great post (among others)

I wish this thread were made a sticky - eventually, the few 'I don't need lube, I have them new super carbide dies' holdouts might see it enough to try it, and we could finally put this debate to rest. ;)

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@gm iprod - great post (among others)

I wish this thread were made a sticky - eventually, the few 'I don't need lube, I have them new super carbide dies' holdouts might see it enough to try it, and we could finally put this debate to rest. ;)

I've never used it, but after reading this thread I'm going to try some :cheers:

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