Best case lube for reloading

[P7M13]

I'll try this on my next batch. I'm down to a tsp of lanolin spray left.

I'm wondering if the solid coconut oil would stay in suspension in alcohol. I'm currently dry tumbling some .40 brass and it has globs of media in the base of some cases. Has to be a booger/collection of lanolin.

(For those wondering why I lube pistol cases; they run smoother. Only reason. Helps find problem brass by feel.)

No, it's a true, dissolved mixture and doesn't separate like alcohol/lanolin does. Otherwise, I would have a solid coconut layer at the bottom of the jar and alcohol on top.
Edit to add, I will occasionally lube my 44mag and 357mag cases, because I do those on the Co-Ax, even though I have all the stuff to run them on the Dillon.

 

[joken]

I make my own using Lanolin and Heet. It's basically Dillon's lube and it works great.

 

[orygun]

Good point. I happen to have Lee dies in 9mm. Also .40 and .45 Colt. The Lee's work fine in .40 and .45 Colt. Generally I'm a "Hornady" die guy. The only reason I got Lee for .45 Colt was because I wanted their factory crimp die in the 4-die set, but found out that the "Factory" crimp die is NOT the factory "Collet" crimp die.
Bottom line? With die prices being what they are, I'm not buying any dies unless I buy into another caliber.

Almost all of my handgun dies are Lee carbide. They work very well for me. The fact that they would come with a dipper and a sheet with powder charge info was neat, but nothing I ever used.
My friend, Frank, used the dipper method a bunch before he got a powder measure. In fact, he bought the dipper set. Only one time did he mess up and load some 357 a bit too hot. Before he shot too many we both noticed and he stopped shooting that load. That wasn't a dipper fault, it ended up being an operator error.
In general I have been very happy with Hornady products, but the only die set I've had problems with were/are a set of Hornady New Dimension dies. I later found that I may have been able to solve the sizing issue I had with them by purchasing a different shell holder, but by then I'd already trimmed the base of the die and solved the problem.

 

[DizzyJ]

I believe I am the only one pitching this on the 'net.
I still have 1/2 a jar left. I found out, a few months ago, that it works great as a tapping fluid.
Note, it's a soft solid below 70°F.
This weekend, I'll repost my method with pictures.

Look forward to it. We actually have a huge jar of it but not sure if it's the same stuff you're using.

 

[ARFrog]

50:50 refined coconut oil and 99% isopropyl alcohol. Works much better than the lanolin mix, doesn't stink or get gummy like the lanolin mix.
I have used a lube pad of my own making for the past 10 years or more. I don't lube pistol cases, but will lube straight wall rifle cases llike 45/70 and 450 Bushmaster.

Coconut oil????? That's an ingredient in my chocolate chip cookie mix.

Gee thanks. Now, I will have the munchies while reloading


Seriously, I have been using the lanolin/iso homebrew.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I use to use Hornady One Shot, then I started mixing the home brew.
Ten parts Red can of dry gas.
One part liquid lanolin.
I bought a cheap semi see thru spray bottle,
Put a black sharpie line at five inches,
Another black sharpie line at six inches.
Put dry gas in to the five inch line,
Then top it off with the lanolin.
Mix and spray, as with any spray lube, give it time to dry before resizing.
It is a whole lot cheaper then any company made spray lube and works great, I've been using the home mix for a loooong time.

 

[orygun]

"Dry gas"? What's that?

 

[Mikej]

"Dry gas"? What's that?

I'm guessing "HEET"

 

[DDRanch]

Iso-Heet

 

[HighlandLofts]

The red bottle, it contains more % alcohol then the yellow bottle.

 

[Tikka308]

You can get lanolin at soap making suppliers supper cheap. The is one on Fuller road off 82nd and king rd in Portland. I put a little minerial oil in mine also.
This time of year you have to keep it heated, the lanolin will form into solid chunks and not transport through the sprayer.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I keep my lanolin/dry gas mix in walk in reloading closet and never had it copulate.
The batch I have in the spray bottle is well over a year old and never had a problem with it.
I do shake it up a little before I use it, the closet is in a spare bedroom so it is close to room temperature

 

[Mikej]

I keep my lanolin/dry gas mix in walk in reloading closet and never had it copulate.
The batch I have in the spray bottle is well over a year old and never had a problem with it.
I do shake it up a little before I use it, the closet is in a spare bedroom so it is close to room temperature

View attachment 2008984

Are you sure about this?

Definition of COPULATE

to engage in sexual intercourse… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

If so, that's a little TMI I think?

 

[HighlandLofts]

Absolutely positive, been using the home made brew for a long time.
Nothing better in my opinion.
Six inches in the spray bottle last a long time. I'll have to mix up another batch probably in a couple of months.

 

[Greg S]

If doing stuff in mass that is headed to the tumbler, RCBS Lube Pad.

If I'm doing 50-100 rifle cases that just have a little carbon on the case mouth, 4x0 steel wool and some Sinclair wax and wipe with a paper towel.

I've got 2 lbs of lanolin for making my own boolit loobe but haven't had the time to try the lanolin and alcohol mixture yet.

 

[MikeInOr]

I've tried every case lube on the market and this home brew is the best. Commercial case lubes are expensive, messy and don't work as well. This home brew consists of liquid lanolin and 99% or 91% isopropyl alcohol. Ratio is 1 part lanolin to 9 parts alcohol. Simply mix it up, put in any spray container and squirt it on your cartridge case. The alcohol is simply to transport and evenly distribute the lanolin. Let it evaporate completely before resizing. I got the lanolin from Amazon for $8 and the alcohol at a drug store for about $4.

View attachment 2002772 View attachment 2002773

This is exactly what Dillon case lube is but I am sure I paid a premium for the bottle of Dillon lube 35 years ago when I purchased the bottle I have now.

I used to put the brass in a box, spray a squirt of the lanoline based lube, then shake them around. For the past 20 years I don't even bother to add a spray of the lanoline lube any more. There is so much lanoline that has soaked into the walls of the box I can just put the brass in, shake them a bit and they are ready to go without any extra lube needing to be added.

You gotta love sheep!

 

[MymuttBear]

RCBS case lube and an RCBS case lube pad. 30+ years and I have never had a problem.

Same however I don't like the residue it leaves on the case which means it goes in the tumbler a second time. I don't put much lube on the pad to start with.

 

[joken]

I got my lanolin on Ebay

 

[eightyeight mag]

Hornady unique is my go to.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I buy the liquid lanolin from Amazon, the red bottle of dry gas comes from Walmart.