Case Lube

On ok. Getting it off, different story.

I think the answer to all case lube threads is >>>

No need to change something if it works. I've used vegetable oil spray in a pinch. The old lube pad is what I keep returning to.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/home-made-lanolin-case-lube-portions.832095/

Its not water soluble.


RCBS case lube 2 is water soluble and wipes off easily with no sticky residue.

KY DAN said:

I have not used the mixture yet,I would think wet tumbling with dawn would remove it or am I wrong in that thought?

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It might remove the lube alright but do you really want to clean your brass again after you have sized it. After I rattled it around in the tumbler I would probably want to resize it again, I would be trapped in an endless loop I guess.

I just apply the lanolin lube as thin as I can and I don't remove it. Most of it comes off by the time I have trimmed it chamfered it and primed it, but I do have to keep wiping it off my hands as I go. What little is left I just don't worry about.

Bfh_auto said:

The old lube pad is what I keep returning to.

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And if your press loads the brass one piece at a time, then that's a great solution.

For presses with a case feeder, then the spray lubes become the better option.

rfwobbly said:

And if your press loads the brass one piece at a time, then that's a great solution.

For presses with a case feeder, then the spray lubes become the better option.

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I do it the old, slow, one piece at a time method.
I palm a handful of brass and roll it across the pad. I bet the progressive guy would hate it.

RCBS Case lube , all by hand . I use a Q tip to lube inside of the case neck , fingers to add the lube to the case body and outside of the necks . I'm not reloading a large amount at one time so my system works well , 30 308 caliber and 100 45ACP. Proper lubing is important , better sizing easier on brass , press and dies . Pick one that is water soluble , easier to remove .

I used a pad with RCBS lube & nylon brush to load on a Dillon RL450 for M16.

To remove lube, a large plush towel laid on bench, folded over. Rub it around. Cleans a lot of brass fast.

Old & slow by todays standards. But still using the pad.

I use standard lanolin oil for years, and it worked fine. But as others have pointed out, it can be a %(*&Q#$RHF@%@% to get off the brass.

I generally ran at 18 to 1 ratio using 2 12oz bottles of Red HEET, and 1.5 oz of lanolin oil. You are actually running it too thick at 6 to 1 and it will be a pain to get that off your brass. Dry tumbling might take it off OK, but wet tumbling will be not good.

For those guys that run lanolin right now, and like it, but hate the cleanup, I suggest you try some PEG-75 lanolin. Mix it at 12 to 1. Its water soluble. It works great. Probably the same stuff RCBS sells to be honest.
Link: https://www.floridasunshineproducts.com/index.php?rt=product/product&product_id=41

KY DAN said:

So for years I used dollar store veg spray oil for lube with no issues. Well i want to be proper now so I decided to make my own out of Lanolin oil and iso heet(red bottle). So I mixed 24 oz of heet to 4oz of oil. It seems to be thin yet plenty of lube. What are your thoughts?

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About double the lanolin that I use. I use 1 oz and one bottle of heet. Comes clean fine in the dry tumbler w corn cobb, about 30 minutes. I keep the corn from this in a separate bucket. Also heard a woolite in a water tumbler will get it off.

IMO there is nothing better than Imperial Sizing Wax. It's easy to apply and even easier to remove with a terry cloth rag. A 2 oz tin is not expensive and seems to last forever.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012768051/imperial-case-sizing-wax

Hee Hee, I started looking in on reloading forums in 2007 and wish I had a primer for every time "case lube" came up, I'd have at least a couple bricks. There are prolly hundreds of "recipes" and many more personal choices for making a case slick so it won't stick in a die (more personal choices than actual quality of lube, some even use STP!). I used many "home items" for case lube and since I worked for a large power company I used wire puling lube for a while (every trouble truck/electrician's truck had a 5 gallon pail of it on board). I also stumbled on a very good lube in a drug store shoe polish dept; Mink Oil Boot Dressing Cream. If I were to mix something with Heet (again) I wouldn't use oil, I would probably use a proven ingredient; lanolin. Easier to remove and more pleasant to use than vegetable oil...

In keeping with my mantra of 'minimize the handling', I put a bunch of brass in a plastic bag and give'em a light spray of Hornady One Shot, roll around in the bag, another light spray, roll and away I go. No wiping. Couldn't imagine adding another handling step to wipe lube off every case.

I’m still using the original jar I bought from Herters back in the 70s.
Old habits die hard!

I want something quick and easy to use.

Today after I came home from the range I sat down and loaded 400 rounds of 9mm. Start to finish it took an hour and a quarter. That was filling the primer tubes and running all the rounds though the case gauge.

Hornady One-Shot just plain works. I put the brass in a bucket, spray it, mix it around, spray again, mix, then dump it on the case collator. I don't have to worry about cleaning it off.

Texas10mm said:

I want something quick and easy to use.

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Me too, it takes a few seconds to lube hundreds of cases with One Shot and then I am done, cases size nicely, no mess, no clean up.
I see no reason to spend more time applying messy lubricants then even more time cleaning it off and gain nothing for the effort.

Hornady Unique. Have sized more than 10,000 rounds with it and still have more in the $4.99 tub. Have yet to stick a case with it and so haven't discovered how little is "too little". Nice part is that it readily tumbles off in either wet or dry media.

For handgun cases, I've been using lanolin/alcohol lubricant or a commercial equivalent when resizing cases. I've been doing this even with carbide dies as it makes the resizing go so smooooooothly.

I've been using lanolin/alcohol lube when resizing 204 Ruger cases with good success. I'd probably do ok with 223 Rem cases as well but I have not experimented with the lanolin/alcohol lubricant on something like 30-06 or 308 Win cases.

For rifle, for the most part I use RCBS lubricant on a case pad or Imperial Sizing Wax. I have a can of shoe polish mink oil that works well and I suspect that Hornady Unique lubricant will work well also.

In all instances, I clean cases after resizing. I do not like handling lubricated cases when loading them.

I only use lube for rifles. Castor oil works great and it seems to just wipe off. never thought about it much. I just wipe it off with a paper towel.

SpadeTrump said:

I only use lube for rifles. Castor oil works great and it seems to just wipe off. never thought about it much. I just wipe it off with a paper towel.

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Try lube on your pistol cases. Yeah, I know you've got carbide dies. The lube still makes a BIG difference in the effort needed to resize them.

I've got arthritis in my right shoulder. If I didn't lube the cases I could load maybe 200 rounds of .45 acp before my shoulder fires up. With lube I can load 500 rounds of .45 ACP then switch presses and load 500 rounds of 9mm without problem.

Texas10mm said:

Try lube on your pistol cases. Yeah, I know you've got carbide dies. The lube still makes a BIG difference in the effort needed to resize them.

I've got arthritis in my right shoulder. If I didn't lube the cases I could load maybe 200 rounds of .45 acp before my shoulder fires up. With lube I can load 500 rounds of .45 ACP then switch presses and load 500 rounds of 9mm without problem.

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I will try it. I load 38s and 9mm on my progressive and i never had a problem. but now that you mention it. it could be a bit easier for 44 and 45 on my turret press. i need to try this Lanolin mix. I just had such an easy time with castor oil and the $4 bottle from walmart has lasted me years.

I don't have any problems "wiping off" my rifle cases after sizing. Inspection is an integral part of reloading and inspecting the case while wiping of any excess lube is an excellent "opportunity" to help in producing "excellent" handloads (I often check out my brass after an operation)...