When do you use lube when reloading straight cases?

When do you use lube when reloading straight cases?

  • Never

    Votes: 34 64.2%

  • Sometimes

    Votes: 12 22.6%

  • Always

    Votes: 7 13.2%
  • Total voters
    53
  • Poll closed .
Hey folks,

All of my pistol die sets are carbide now. I still have old 9mm, .357 Mag, and .44 Mag die sets that are not carbide, but I have long ago replaced them with carbide sets. I do not use any lube with any pistol carbide die sets. I do use an old fashioned lube pad for bottle neck as well as straight walled rifle calibers.

Back around 1960, I bought a regular three die set for loading 9mm Luger rounds. It was not a carbide sizing die. After a few months of lubing and loading the 9mm with the regular steel sizing die, I looked at the taper of the 9mm and wondered if I could get away without using any lube for sizing. I did the first case very slowly buy running it up a little, backing it out, and running it up again in several stages until it was fully sized, and it did not get stuck. After doing more with fewer strokes, I realized I could size these 9mm cases without lube and without getting them stuck. I simply ran a case up the sizing die somewhat slowly and never had a problem.

Over the years, I continued to size my 9mm cases in that same sizer die without any lube whatsoever. In 1984, I was loading a bunch of 9mm cases with the same old die set and no lube when I found a case come out of the die with two scratches on its side. I did a few more cases, and they all had the same scratches. Apparently, one of my earlier cases got something inside the die that scratched the die which then started scratching the cases that followed.

I figured I had over 20 years of not bothering to lube those 9mm cases and that it was worth the loss of the die, and I really did not mind replacing the 9mm die set with a carbide die set. By the time this happened, I already had all my other pistol die sets in carbide sizer dies.

In spite of my success in sizing 9mm without lube in a regular steel sizer die, I never tried sizing any .357 or .44 cases without lube when I was using the old steel sizer dies. I would not recommend that anyone buy an old steel sizer die set for 9mm and do what I did back in 1960. The cost of carbide die sets is a lot less now than what they were compared to regular die sets in the 1950s and 1960s.

The appeal of the carbide die set to me was the fact that one does not have to use lube for sizing, and I am one of those who never uses lube with my carbide die sets. I never have any problem sizing without lube with the carbide sets, so I am surprised to find those who do have such problems.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile
 
I load .38/357. 9MM,.45ACP,45 Long Colt and .44Mag and have never owned any type lube. If you clean and use a good polish on your brass it's never needed:)
 
Case lube pistols cases

Just starting with pistol brass. I plan on lubing. I use a mix of lanolin and Heet Red (97%alcohol). Use it on my rifle cases and it makes sizing smooth and easy.
 
My answer today would be the same as if I had posted it in this thread 10 YEARS AGO...

carbide dies, no lube all others, lube.
 
Am using carbide (or whatever depending on make) for pistol brass and a little lube now and again during the run makes it so much easier. When doing 1000 cases, easier is better for this old boy. Not enough to worry about cleaning the cases after ward.
 
There is no NEED for lube with carbide dies in most straight wall calibres.

Nevertheless, a light lube, such as Dillon spray lube makes the process much easier, especially on progressive presses.

Since the lube is so easily removed with tumbling in corncobs with a dash of mineral spirits, I see no reason not to use it.
 
If you consider .30 Carbine to be a straight case (it's tapered), you do need lube for that one even with carbide dies. Lube also helps a little although not really necessary with 9mm (also tapered)
 
Carbide dies require no lube,. BUT if you roll the cases on a pad and give them a very light coat you'll find the reloading process is easier and slicker. I like to lube even when I don't need to. If you have a lot to load use a spray lube.

It's not uncommon for me to load many thousands of cartridges when I set up for a given caliber on my Dillon, so making each stroke easier and faster is worth it to me. The Hornady spray lube is super fast and easy and you use so little of it when using carbide dies that to me it's worth the extra step. I often place a sheet of news paper on the floor and cover it up with a blanket of cases so it is not uncommon to have well over 1000 on the sheet. I then spray over the lot of them with the Hornady lube. After about 1 minute I put them all back in a clean bucket and that's how I dispense them onto the machine. Fast, easy and super slick.
If you try it I'll bet you like how it works.
 
AcridSaint,

While I've not encountered your issue, I am wondering if your chambers are generous enough to exaggerate the taper on your brass. That would make carbide ring sizing, which makes the case straight as far down as the ring goes, more difficult. But I am still surprised by how difficult you are reporting it to be. I've accidentally run a .45 Auto case into a .44 Mag sizing die before and not noticed anything was wrong until I withdrew it and realized I had inadvertently created a new wildcat. This die was a gold nitride-coated carbide die, so the extra lubricity may have helped, but even so, I am wondering if you got some brass-plated steel cases into your mix. Steel makes resizing much harder. Double-check with a magnet.

If that isn't it, the taper is all I can think of. Since it is giving you grief, the only solution possibility that comes to mind is to buy a smoother type of carbide dies, like the Redding titanium carbide die. These dies are smoother and slicker feeling than standard carbide dies (and more expensive). But no guarantees on my part. You've got an odd situation there.
 
Unclenick,
this is a resurrected zombie thread, AcridSaint last posted here in 2010, I'm pretty sure he either solved his problem or moved on since then. :D
 
I've always used carbide dies, and did not lube. Then I read advice that lube improves the process even with carbide dies. Now I always lube when resizing and expanding. I use Hornady One Shot case lube. I spray the cases, then load them in the case feeder on my progressive press. I get very smooth progress.

I clean the cases in the wet tumbler before I load them. I always start loading with clean, dry, sized and primed cases. I generally store most of my unloaded cases in this condition. The only thing that's varies is the priming.

My cases do not have lube on them when I charge with powder, seat the bullet and crimp.
 
1. Never for pistol cartridges as it is not necessary.
2. Always for rifle cartridges (e.g. .30 Carbine, 45/70) because it is necessary.
 
I didn't vote.
None of those options fit me.
I always lube the 1st case.
From there, I may use lube, some lube or may not.
 
I lube all my straights both pistol and rifle. For me its purely a situation of applying the least amount of abuse on my press operating arm. I gave myself tendinitis when i was new to handliading and that was miserable pain ! There is a big difference when using casing lube especially after loading a larger 100+ lot of ammo.
 
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