Lubing 223 Cases Question

[dbletap_ed]

I use Dillon Carbide Rifle Dies which of course have a carbide expander ball. The question is do I need to lube the inside of the neck? If not would save a lot of time lining up the cases to spray lube inside the neck.

 

My loading process:

Tumble the cases

Take time to line up the cases to ensure lube is inside the neck using Hornady One Shot

Size/decap

Tumble again to remove the lube

Trim to length

Load on 550 with a decapping die to ensure flash hole is clean

 

If the inside of the necks do not need to be lubed would save a lot of time laying the cases out to spray them.

 

Thank

 

Ed

Edited December 21, 2018 by dbletap_ed
Correct missing word

[practical_man]

Ed

 

i dont know if the carbide removes the need for neck lube or not. I would advise it, if for no other reason than less bending moment on the neck and shoulder as the expander is forced through. 

 

I use Dillon Case Lube for rifle cases. Dump cases in plastic bag, spray in lube, shake around. This seems to get plenty of lube where it needs to go. No stuck cases yet!  

 

I size with an RCBS die less the expander ball. I then expand case neck separately with an RCBS version of the M-die. Sinclair also makes these dies with a wide range of expanders. 

 

It’s an extra step that may not be necessary. I suspect it improves consistency a little but it’s probably not at the level of statistically significant. 

 

I also load on a 550. 

[RiggerJJ]

I just put a couple hundred in a Tupperware containers, spray in 10-15 pumps of Dillon lube, and the inside of the necks always got enough that way.

 

Never had very good luck with OS and rifle brass, always had problems with an occasional stuck case in the size die...I tumble after processing before loading anway, so I prefer the slicker Dillon lube.

jj

[Jakobi]

Carbide on dies for bottleneck cases is for increased wear life, not elimination of lube.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Jakobi

[Steve RA]

I use homemade Dillon lube, put cases in gallon bag and shake with a couple of squirts of lube.  Seems to get a sufficient amount of lube inside case neck without being excessive.

[chevrofreak]

Do you use their carbide "ring" type die, or the full length carbide sizing die?   The full length carbide costs like $150, but it will size a lubed .223 case with as little effort as it takes to size a straight wall pistol case. 

 

I sized/trimmed 5,000 .223 cases today and I just use the liquid lanolin oil isoheet mix as lube.   I use an old Super Clean spray bottle with the mix and spray 3 or 4 shots into a Ziploc bag before adding brass and shaking it up.  Doing it that way gets almost no lube inside the necks, but they size smoothly.    I annealed all of my brass before sizing, which seems to make the sizing a smoother operation. 

[CPD7119]

I've never directly lubed the necks of 223's. I toss a few hundred in a plastic tube squirt some dillon case lube in it and shake it around and that's all I do. However, I'm just loading 55gr fmj. If I was gonna load match grade ammunition I would probably be more tentative to the necks. Just a matter of opinions and personal experiences. Good luck

[hankdiesel]

I prepped 5-6000 pieces of .223 last summer...put 50 or so in a gallon ziplock, spray 1 shot, shake the bag around, spray 1shot again shake it up and dump it in the casefeeder. Using the same dies on a dillon 1050.

[TheArmoredShop]

On 12/21/2018 at 4:05 PM, RiggerJJ said:

I just put a couple hundred in a Tupperware containers, spray in 10-15 pumps of Dillon lube, and the inside of the necks always got enough that way.

 

Never had very good luck with OS and rifle brass, always had problems with an occasional stuck case in the size die...I tumble after processing before loading anway, so I prefer the slicker Dillon lube.

jj

 

1 part lanolin oil to 5 parts 99% isopropyl alcohol. Cheap and better than any product I’ve tried so far!

[Steve RA]

I use 1 part lanolin to 10 parts alcohol.  Seems to provide adequate lubrication and easier to tumble off the loaded cartridges.

 

Using a lot - or little - lanolin is basically a personal preference, use whatever works the best for you.

[Silver_Surfer]

Lube, Size, Trim, Decap, Wash, Tumble, Load. 

[Xfive]

Short answer is no. Put however many you want to load into a medium sized container spray lightly with lube place lid on container and shake them around and your good to go. Dillon lube is good homemade lube with lanolin and alcohol is best.

[dauntedfuture]

I really like the Dillon lube.    I use a bag or bucket; a pump or two on clean brass, a shake and another pump.  Be sure to let sit for a few.  I don't use any Dillon rifle dies, I do have carbide expander buttons and as such inside case neck lube is not really an issue.

[Sigguy552]

I also use lanolin/99% alcohol on a ~1:14 ratio and it seems to work fine. I spray(fine mist) about 6-7 blasts into a plastic Tupperware containers and shake it around. Since I put a bunch in, they naturally stand up on their own. 

 

The key is to let all the alcohol evaporate off which can take anywhere from 10-20mins depending on the environment you're in.

 

I use cheap Lee precision steel dies and have had no issues.