Silly question about case lube

I used to use RCBS case lube exclusively. On one of my last orders, I bought a pump spray bottle of Midway's case lube and I recently used it on some K-Hornet cases with very good results.

I don't know if lube now and resize later is a good idea. It doesn't sound like one to me but I've never tried it...

Tony
 
I lube everything, even pistol…people that say you do not need to have no idea about the laws of physics. With that said I use Dillon’s lube, have a half gallon container I fill about halfway…couple squirts of lube, shake a couple time then start loading. Once loaded I fill the tumbler and run it for 10-15 minutes to get the lube off.
 
people that say you do not need to have no idea about the laws of physics.
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LMAO , in my case you are 100% correct , I know nothing about physics and I don't lube my pistol cases with great success . Maybe it's true when they say ignorance is bliss :D
 
Aquila Blanco, I the One Shot aerosol. But, I have slowly switched to use carbide dies on all calibers that I can.

Using One Shot, I have had 3 stuck cases, 3 different calibers. Each case, years apart. No more will i use One Shot on rifle cases.
 
GE-Minigun said:
I lube everything, even pistol…people that say you do not need to have no idea about the laws of physics. With that said I use Dillon’s lube, have a half gallon container I fill about halfway…couple squirts of lube, shake a couple time then start loading. Once loaded I fill the tumbler and run it for 10-15 minutes to get the lube off.
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I am familiar with the laws of physics and am curious just which law you apply to sizing pistol brass with or without lube, provided your resizing using carbide dies.
 
I use Imperial sizing wax on rifle brass and carbide dies for handgun brass. I have a carbide die for the .30 Carbine but that on gets the sizing wax lube as per the instructions that came with the die.
Paul B.
 
I'm going to try lubing some of the cases the next time I use one of my carbide die sets. I've never needed to but the last time I resized some 9mm, it sure seemed like a workout... I'll report back when I get round to it.

Tony
 
I reload 9mm, .38sp, .357mag, and .41mag and I use carbide dies for all of them. IME the 9mm require the most effort to resize, which seems contradictory but that’s the way it is. I’m guessing since the carbide sizing ring is small enough to properly size the case mouth it’s over sizing the base due to the taper in the case.
 
Geezerbiker said:
I'm going to try lubing some of the cases the next time I use one of my carbide die sets. I've never needed to but the last time I resized some 9mm, it sure seemed like a workout... I'll report back when I get round to it.
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I load mostly .45 ACP, some 9mm, and a smattering of .380 ACP, .38 Special, .45 Colt, and .44 Colt. Although I have carbide dies, I always use One-Shot aerosol case lube. I have tested, and it makes a very perceptible reduction in the force needed to pull the lever.
 
I have had issues with Hornady One shot since they went to aersol from the pump spary.

I also tried their wipe on case lube. Not sure if its my dies, humidity or what but have given up.

I used the Lyman lanolin pump, general spray cases and hand wipe around them to ensure coverage. I shoot a lot of 30-06, 308, 7.5 Swiss (all target setups) so the cases are larger.
 
I did try a quick experiment with some unsized 9mm brass. The die definitely sized the full length of the brass down, and it did have a taper to it. So it seems in my quick limited testing with Lee carbide dies that your premise of the part of the die lacking the carbide ring does indeed do some sizing as well.
 
I’ve always kind of wondered, but would your brass get stuck without lube or is the sizing so minimal at that point that it’s not a problem? If I had a set of pin gauges I suppose you could check it to find out.
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Not 9mm but I have had a couple of instances (can't remember whether with .45 ACP or .45 Colt) when I was making up "just a couple" of dummy rounds so I didn't want to bother with the spray lube, and I resized the cases dry -- and the case stuck in the die and ripped the case head off when I tried to lower the ram. That has never happened when I've used the aerosol One-Shot, and that covers many thousands of rounds in multiple "calibers" (cartridges).

I wouldn't use the aerosol for bottleneck rifle cases, though. For that I think a traditional lube pad is the way to go.
 
Although I have carbide dies, I always use One-Shot aerosol case lube. I have tested, and it makes a very perceptible reduction in the force needed to pull the lever.
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Absolutely , I've lubed pistol cases before and it makes a noticeable difference . Even more so if you wet tumble because after wet tumbling there is no residue left on the case . This results in the cases being harder to size even with carbide dies .

That does not mean you need lube with pistol carbide dies , just that lube makes it easier to size .

As for the ring in the FCD which I use for 9mm and 45acp . It's not really a "sizing" ring or designed to "size" your cases after you've already sized them . As far as I know it's designed to fix the bullet bulge that some times happens when seating a crooked bullet or seating a max diameter bullet into thick walled cases . In those instances the loaded round in "some" spots "may" be larger then SAAMI spec . The ring just squeeze's that small section/area that's bulged back down and not the whole case .

Case in point is my 45acp FCD sizes down almost ever round I load . In the thinner walled cases I can barely feel it pop over the "bulge" . However when using thick walled cases it hangs up quite a bit and is clearly sizing down that section as I feel the distinct resistance then pop over the bulge then smooth the rest of the way to the crimp . I then feel it pop back over the bulge on the way out of the die but not as much as going in . This creates inconsistent powder throws if I don't use all the same headstamp brass because the thin walled cases don't jolt the press as much as the thick walled cases do . Think of it like using you powder measure by hand and on some throws you softly touch the top and bottom of the stroke while other throws you slam the arm up and down , that creates inconsistent powder throws .

On the other hand my 9mm FCD has never sized down a bulge . It has always slid in and out and never hung up on the carbide ring . That includes loading different head stamps and bullets . Maybe my 9mm ring is large or my 45acp ring is small IDK . Regardless they all have gone bang after loading I just need to be a little more careful when loading 45acp and be sure to check my powder throws more often .
 
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Get a Lyman M-die or similar profile expander so your bullets stay upright in the case on their way into seating die and the crooked seating will stop and the bulge that mirrors the location of the bullet base will be even all around your 45 Auto cases. I expect they then may no longer be squeezed by the FCD's carbide ring. If so, you might want to try a conventional seating die and see if they actually chamber well or not.
 
UN , if you keep recommending that M-die I just may have to get one . You’ve been recommending that die for as long as I can remember . I figure 5 , 10 more years and I’ll be ready . :eek::D

Let me ask this , is the M-die a powder through die I can mount my auto drum/bisc to . If not I don’t have a station for it or how would you recommend using it with a Lee classic turret press . Remove the FCD then seat and crimp in one step ?
 
Metal god said:
UN , if you keep recommending that M-die I just may have to get one . You’ve been recommending that die for as long as I can remember . I figure 5 , 10 more years and I’ll be ready . :eek::D

Let me ask this , is the M-die a powder through die I can mount my auto drum/bisc to . If not I don’t have a station for it or how would you recommend using it with a Lee classic turret press . Remove the FCD then seat and crimp in one step ?
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This is exactly what I’ve wondered for quite some time for my 9mm loads as well. I too use the Lee turret and don’t have room for another die. I will say the FCD has worked well enough for my intents and purposes. For my intended SD use of pistols as long as my ammo is reliable and I can rapid fire into a 6” ring or less out to ten yds I’m good to go, and using the FCD works fine within my parameters. I do shoot almost exclusively copper plated bullets or Hitec coated bullets with a smaller percentage of XTP’s loaded for SD.
 
If you're lubing the cases prior to sizing...what's the point of a carbide die?

I've found that a 9mm lubed case in a steel die, is easier to size than using a carbide die without lube.

Scratching of the brass or die is not a concern because I wash all my brass before processing.
 
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