Second stuck case with imperial sizing wax

[stgdz]

So I received my second stuck case...

First one was a 223 on a 550 with a X-die

second one is on a single stage with hornady new dimension dies

I followed the advice of RCBS and lubed the bottom 2/3's and it still got stuck in the 308 die. I am starting to consider moving to the spray on lube dies but when I called up RCBS the first question they asked was wether I was using spray ons.

I have not had one stuck case with one-shot lube but I haven't loaded that many, less then a thousand. When I use imperial sizing wax, stuck dies are very common. My method is to tap my finger in the wax twice and then rub it all over the 2/3's of the case. So my fingers have a good lube on them for 3-4 cases maybe five.

[John Dunn]

I've never stuck a case with Imperial, but I wax the whole thing going super light in the neck/shoulder region to avoid dents.

Whatever else you try, do not use One Shot for rifles cases.

[3GunF1Guy]

They may call it sizing wax but for me it's not very slick. It always feels like it's going to get stuck whenever I've used it. The Dillion spray or the RCBS pad lube is WAY more slipery. I would use the spray on stuff.

Scott

[dajarrel]

Well, after destroying two single stage presses with stuck cases, one was .308 the other 50 S&W mag, I have learned that "well lubed cases" don't get stuck. In my case, I use One-Shot. I was worried about denting the cases initially but found that that won't make near the mess of one that sticking it in the sizing die will.

When I lube, I lube the entire case with intentional overspray inside the neck. I found that if it isn't damp (not running wet) it'll stick.

Now for the disclaimer....I'm a low volume rifle loader. 50-100 rounds a year for sighting in and hunting. I don't know much but am always willing to learn.

I learned you can have too little lube on the brass

fwiw

dj

[uscbigdawg]

For my rifle brass, I use Dillon's spray lube. Not one stuck case in thousands of rounds of 223 on my 650 and I don't know...maybe 2-3k of various calibers on my single stage.

Rich

[Mike Morcillo]

I roll my brass on a pad that is lubed with Lyman Case lube. I do not lube the necks.......heard that it can cause collapsed necks. I also was told to stay away from spray on lubes by RCBS because you'll get stuck cases using that stuff. You'll get the feel of how much to lube when you roll, and after a while your fingers will be lubed helping to spread the lube.

After sizing, reaming the primer pockets to cut the crimp and make priming easier and trimming to length, it's into the tumbler to remove all the lube.

Oh yeah, I use mica on the necks when resizing to help the expander ball.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Mike Morcillo

[mwx40x40]

wipe lightly lubed finger across mouth of brass after lightly lubing sides and you should never have a stuck case with Imperial

[SingleStacker45]

I'm doing too only I'm using dillon lube. I have stuck two now in a lyman full length sizing die using a healthy amount of dillon lube. I'm still trying to adjust the die and keep having trouble. I thought it was just a fluke the first time. I turned the die douwn till it was touching the shell plate and backed it off half a turn. Sized and measured. Shoulder not there so I cranked it in 1/4 lebed another case and boom. Is it my die? I've had no trouble loading .223.

Thanks,

Mule

[jmorris]

I just dump a few hand fulls into the case feeder and use one squirt of the Dillon lube stir them around then another squirt/stir. Works better than one-shot IMO and I don’t waste time fondling each case. I also post load tumble to remove lube.

Removing stuck cases is one place Dillon’s dies are far better than any of the others (remove the clip and run the “bolt” down and back up). Lee dies are #2 in this area.

[milanuk]

So I received my second stuck case...

First one was a 223 on a 550 with a X-die

second one is on a single stage with hornady new dimension dies

I followed the advice of RCBS and lubed the bottom 2/3's and it still got stuck in the 308 die. I am starting to consider moving to the spray on lube dies but when I called up RCBS the first question they asked was wether I was using spray ons.

I have not had one stuck case with one-shot lube but I haven't loaded that many, less then a thousand. When I use imperial sizing wax, stuck dies are very common. My method is to tap my finger in the wax twice and then rub it all over the 2/3's of the case. So my fingers have a good lube on them for 3-4 cases maybe five.

I've loaded enough rifle cases (mostly .308 & .223) w/ Imperial Sizing die wax to go thru multiple tins - and each one is good for thousands of rounds. Most (all?) of my stuck cases have been w/ Hornady One-Shot aerosol spray lube.

Sounds like you need to make your taps a little more substantial... a light 'swipe' of my index finger across the top, pinch the case between thumb and fore finger and twist as you pull it thru your fingers. Start pinching as close to the case head as you can (fingers of the 'off' hand will dictate how close you can get), and make sure you get everything you can - case body, shoulder, & neck. I generally do either every, or every other case depending on how much sizing is involved. Three to four, or five, cases is asking for trouble - as you found out. Yes, you get a little bit of build-up from one to the next that should keep things from sticking, but it's just too easy to build a rhythm of one hand hits the wax tin, the other hand grabs the case, pinch-twist, one hand sticks the case in the press, the other hand operates the press handle as the first hand hits the wax tin...

It's really not that hard, man.

If you ever decide you have nothing better in life to do than turn case necks (who, me? ) Imperial works pretty well for lubing the inside of the case neck when you run an expander mandrel in for that as well. Pick some up on your finger tip, do a twisting-squeegee move to wipe it off inside the case mouth, then run the case thru the press w/ the mandrel. Should open up the neck to just the right size to fit over the neck turner pilot, no problem.

As I said, I've used this stuff for probably eight or nine years now with basically zero problems (other than misplacing one tin and having to buy a second one to flush the first one back out into the open...)

[stgdz]

Got my brand new die back from RCBS(the threads ripped off when I tried to remove the stuck case).

Sprayed down 50 cases with one shot and they just glided in and out of the X-die.

[milanuk]

One Shot works fine... if it's applied correctly.

As does Imperial.

[spencerhut]

I've been using Roosters Radical Case Forming Lube for a while. Tried Lee, RCBS and Hornady One Shot prior to using Roosters. With Roosters I can get away with lubing half the cases and then sizing every other case a lubed one. No dents from excess lube, no stuck cases. I lube 7 to 10 cases at a time in my hands, yeah it's sort of messy. Roosters is almost a wax so I just get a bit on the end of my finger and wipe it on the middle case in my hand, then roll the cases back a forth a few times until they feel covered. Never a stuck case using this method.

I still use the RCBS lube when doing .223 on my Pro2000 with a lube die in station one. Get a stuck case now and then at totally random times. Drives me nuts. I can go 500 rounds perfectly and then get three stuck cases in one session. Go figure.

. . . almost forgot. The Roosters seems to last forever. I have two small jars and the first jar is 90% full after loading ~2000 rounds. Mostly .308 with some 7.5x55 & 6.5x55.

Edited October 30, 2008 by spencerhut

[Smokecloud]

I have tried so many lubes I cant remember the names of some, but Hornady One shot, was exactly that or me, "one shot", never again will I buy that stuff. I usually just use RCBS on a pad, or have had good luck with Lee Lube (for 50BMG), but I hate the cleanup and re-oiling of the dies because its a water based formula and will rust the dies if left alone. Dillon lube works the best and I also use it for resizing military pulled projectiles for my BMG. All are finicky in some way or another and all will dent shoulders if not used carefully. I stumbled across something the other day that changed me forever. I was cleaning up one of my presses and had some full synthetic motor oil that I had drained out of the "empty" bottles after servicing my wifes car, anyhow, I was using that to oil the friction points on the rcbs press, when I had an evil little thought and grabbed a .308 case, the full length size die was in place, I dipped the case mouth into the oil about 1/16" to 1/8", this got some oil inside the neck evenly, i wiped it down the outside and even applied it to the shoulder thinking this was going to be fun to try to get it back out if it got stuck. It resized! I was even more impressed that the shoulder DIDNT DENT. I resized 75 cases in about 15 minutes, I started skipping lubing each piece and was only lubing every 2 or 3, there was still some oil on my fingers and i would just wipe them lightly as i placed then in the shell holder. I got sloppy and left the oil on the necks a little heavy, still no dents. I switched to some Amsoil 5/30 that I run on some gun rails because it doenst evaporate and lubricates better than anything I have ever tried and it doesnt burn off easily. Tried resizing the .308 with that and actually sizing about 5 -6 cases regularly without fully relubing. I was so excited I called my brother immediately and told him I was never buying case lube again. He tried it and dented several .223 cases, I asked him if his vent hole was possibly plugged, he checked it, yep, now that he has the same results, he is a believer. I leave it on the cases for my neck trimming and it lubes the pilot, but makes the shavings stick inside the neck. I tumble the cases clean anyhow. a bottle cap with 1/8" oil will size over 100 cases. try it, you might like it.

[George]

Dillon lube for me for all rifle loading. I like imperial wax, but Dillon is faster, easier and works perfectly for me. I always size, then trim, then tumble so cleaning the cases of lube is not an issue.

[JD45]

I've been using a white lube made by Hornady that comes in a small tub for years. You simply rub it on with your fingers, and rifles cases never get stuck. You can also use it on leather boots and holsters, no kidding! Lee makes a water soluble lube in a tube that also works well. A small amount of One-shot on 22-250 cases seems to work fine too, and doesn't dent the shoulder.

[JohnRodriguez]

I didn't read any of the other post for you question, but this is what I have found and how I lube for sizeing. If you are sizing, both surfaces have to be lubes, the case and the die. It is especially important for the first case. if you try to just lube the case, you will stick the case in the die. Once you have both surfaces lubed and are sizing away, the dies will have to be cleaned out of excess lube or you will dent cases. The way I do the initial lubing is to lube the cases with imperial wax, and I spray the die with silicon spray lube and let it dry before using. Do this and you wont stick any cases. I use redding SB dies to size my 308 and 6.5x284 cases after 5 reloads to get them back to spec, and ive yet stick a case with this procedure