Newbie lube question

[Bill Siegle]

Ok several searches have not turned up a definitive answer so I am hoping I can get some help. I will be setting up my new reloading press this weekend and I have Lyman carbide dies for 45Colt. I have heard that with carbide dies you do not need to lube the cases before resizing. Is that true/recommended? With the old Lee Loader I did use the lube but if I can skip that I wouldn't miss it thanks in advance for any and all help!

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[2gr8dgs]

Correct, no lube for your carbide sizer die.

 

[techiej]

While you do not need lube with carbide dies, my personal experience has been that if you are using a progressive press it will run smoother if you lightly lube the cases.

 

[P7M13]

+1 to what Techie says.
For my 45ACP I would spray a light amount of silicone into a ziploc bag and shake clean cases. I expect this would benefit 45LC too. On 9mm and 40S&W I usually don't bother.

 

[2ndtimer]

You don't have to use lube, but some people lube about every 10th case or so in the belief that it is easier on the cases and dies. That being said, I rarely do when using RCBS carbide dies and straight walled pistol cases, and don't think I ever have when using the Dillon with Dillon dies.

 

[AMProducts]

See the thing is, you need to use enough lube so you don't get sore, but if you use too much lube you can't feel anything.

 

[deadshot2]

See the thing is, you need to use enough lube so you don't get sore, but if you use too much lube you can't feel anything.

You are talking about carbide sizing dies, right?


When it comes to lube and carbide dies, it's always a quandary whether to lube and make the process easier or not lube and have nothing to clean off the cases when finished.

I've just kept my cases and dies clean. Haven't felt the need, ever, for lube with a carbide die. My presses are all mounted on secure benches and have long enough handles so "effort" is no issue.

 

[AMProducts]

Much of this depends on your environment, I'm a firm believer in applying a hydrophobic wax to cartridge cases before loading. This is complicated somewhat by progressive presses that force you to skip preparation steps (depriming and washing) and many protective waxes don't stand up well to the sizing process (they do provide some lubrication, but the protective finish is compromised by the sizing operation).

As a result of this, I typically run a "prep" step on all cartridges where they are deprimed and sized. Since this is done after washing, but before tumbling (where polishing and wax application happens), I usually lube. It just makes everything easier.

 

[MarkAd]

See the thing is, you need to use enough lube so you don't get sore, but if you use too much lube you can't feel anything.

AMP will gladly demo that for you.

 

[deadshot2]

This is complicated somewhat by progressive presses that force you to skip preparation steps (depriming and washing)

You aren't "forced" to skip these processes. You may just elect to do so on your own.

A quick rinse in a bucket with some Dawn will take off most range dirt, a tumble in a media separator shakes off excess water.

A garage sale food dehydrator dries the unprocessed cases. If you have a Dillon, then spray some lube on the cases, send them through once with only the de-priming die, Rapid Trim (which sizes and trims) and add an optional expander die at the end of the line.

Then clean and "wax" to your hearts content before loading.

Nobody's "forced" to do any of it.

 

[xlsbob]

On my progressive I size and deprime before trimming and polishing. I just put the prepped brass in the press on the priming stroke when I load it, skipping the sizing. Othere than that it's business as usual.

 

[Bill Siegle]

Thanks for the help! Just finished my resizing/depriming and flared my cases. Got em in the tumbler now for a clean up I lightly lubed about 1 out of ten and it made a nice difference. I am only using a single stage press for now but I will keep the hints about the progressives in mind if I upgrade.