Lennyjoe
Member
I roll the case around in a rag as I inspect the finished product. Don't know about the others but one shot works good for me....
Case Lube - Spray On or Pad?
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Kevin Rohrer
Member
About three months ago I did 1000 .223 that way. It may add 2 seconds a case, so theoretically, it added about 30 minutes when loading. How long does it take to lube the brass with the spray method? Total time before it's ready? Any faster with a lube pad? Nope, I know that answer..
I have reloaded with a press since about 1983. Just recently I started using Imperial wax. It is the easiest most effective lube of all. It makes everything else look complicated, time consuming and messy. I was under the impression that things must be hard to be good. Stupid me. Just my .02 cents.
Try a few different types of lubes and go with what you have the best luck with. You will get many different opinions from this forum. Some like this, some like that. Don't try to force the brass into the die during the sizing process. It should go into the die fairly easily with the proper lube. With a little practice you will be able to tell before the brass gets stuck wheather it is lubed good enough. I have and have used several types of lubes. Some I like better than others but other people like some of the ones that I don't, so I believe it is up to the user. Personally I like Imperial sizing die wax, but that is just my opinion.
Elkins45
Member
I wonder that myself. I remember reading in one of the many reloading books I've read over the years that leaving lube on the case results in increased bolt thrust. That makes sense, because the brass won't be able to grip the chamber walls as hard as if it weren't slick.
When I started loading using oil based lubes I would use lighter fluid and a rag to wipe each case. It was a very slow procedure, but I was only loading a few rounds at a time.
I started loading .223 on a progressive before the spray lubes hit the market. I didn't want to have to clean RCBS case lube off of 1000 rounds so I created my own version of spray lube. I dissolved the Lee case lube in water and used a squirt bottle to apply it to a batch of cases, then let them dry before sizing and loading them. This is a very unscientific statement, but the wax lubes seem like a 'different kind of slick' than lanolin or oil based lubes--like they are more of a 'stick preventer' that a 'slickifier'. I know that sounds totally stupid, but it seems to me that leaving the wax Lee lube on the case is preferable to leaving the other stuff.
Doesn't Lee actually say you can leave it on if you dilute it? I seem to recall in the dim recesses of my memory that's the reason I came up with the idea of spraying it on my .223 cases.
I've used the same RCBS lube pad since the 1980's. I have long ago switched from RCBS lube to Dillion's spray lube. I still spray the Dilllion lube onto my pad and roll cases. One or two sprays will lube many cases. I use a RCBS nylon neck brush for the inside of necks to apply lube. I get more consistent shoulder sizing by rolling with all having equal lube. Just haven't seen any reason to change. To clean the lube pad occasionally I wipe with odorless mineral spirits on a rag. For sizing 2 or 3 or a few cases I sometimes use Lee's case lube applied by fingers and wipe off the lube after sizing with rags. I put all sized cases in the vibratory tumbler after sizing to remove all case lube.
Ok. 2 sec a case is way too generous. I'll give you a half second per case. That's 8.3 minutes. It takes me maybe 1-2 min, tops, to spray lube the first 300 .223 cases. It would be quite an "achievement" if I managed to take more than 4-5 min to lube 1000. Mine are ready to go immediately, no drying time; I use Frankford Arsenal in a plastic bag, and I reuse the same bag; it appears to go on thicker. Even at half second per case with Imperial, spray lube is clearly more time efficient in this case (or any case where you are doing 200+ cases, I imagine).
But it's not only the time you can save. Think of the repetitive/redundant movement you are nixxing. Even if it actually took longer, it would still have that advantage.
Just make sure you DON'T follow the instructions on the bottle. The forum has long ago discovered the right ways to use spray lube.
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Neither. A can of mink oil and my fingers is all I use. It may not be the fastest but I've never had a case get stuck. I did 1k of LC 308 the other night with no issues. Well besides it being extremely boring. Find what works best for you and stick with it.
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Lennyjoe
Member
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/204960/frankford-arsenal-case-lube-8-oz-pump
This is what I use. One pump will lube up to maybe 300 223 cases, the way I do it.
Like I said before, though, just make sure you don't follow the directions printed on the bottle. Done that way, it's messy, expensive, questionably effective, and just plain bothersome.
This is what I use. One pump will lube up to maybe 300 223 cases, the way I do it.
Like I said before, though, just make sure you don't follow the directions printed on the bottle. Done that way, it's messy, expensive, questionably effective, and just plain bothersome.
savanahsdad
Member
wow 38 posts and no one said REDDING yet ? ok I will Redding lube ,and pad ,and no need to wash them after you size them , just wipe them off with a damp rag after there all loaded up and ready to go in your ammo boxes ,
oh and I have tryed just about every thing listed here , one shot not, rcbs, dillon spray, lee paste, STP, soap, and Pledge dusting spray, , oh and that GB wire pulling lube is soap, not wax , the stuff is great , a lube that you can wash your hands with , but the Redding is what I went back too and if you don't like useing a pad , you can just use your fingers ,
oh and I have tryed just about every thing listed here , one shot not, rcbs, dillon spray, lee paste, STP, soap, and Pledge dusting spray, , oh and that GB wire pulling lube is soap, not wax , the stuff is great , a lube that you can wash your hands with , but the Redding is what I went back too and if you don't like useing a pad , you can just use your fingers ,
A lot depends upon how much resizing your case needs and how big or heavy the caliber.
For .223 Remington, .30 carbine and other small calibers the spray lubes work fine as the case is small and resizing generally requires little effort. When you use spray lube make sure you allow the alcohol to evaporate leaving the lube to do its job before sizing the cases.
For .30 caliber especially heavy military brass and belted magnums I much prefer to use Imperial die wax as it makes sizing much easier than any spray lube and you don't stick cases. I'm sure that other brands of die wax will work as well though I've not tried them.
For .223 Remington, .30 carbine and other small calibers the spray lubes work fine as the case is small and resizing generally requires little effort. When you use spray lube make sure you allow the alcohol to evaporate leaving the lube to do its job before sizing the cases.
For .30 caliber especially heavy military brass and belted magnums I much prefer to use Imperial die wax as it makes sizing much easier than any spray lube and you don't stick cases. I'm sure that other brands of die wax will work as well though I've not tried them.
RCBS pad for 40 years 1 stuckcase don't Know who's fault
One Shot spray 2 years 3 stuck lube fault
Hornady die wax been good for a couple of years now with no stuck cases yet...
take it for what its worth...If I has a real tough case lube job it would be the RCBS pad lube...Chief aka Maxx Load
One Shot spray 2 years 3 stuck lube fault
Hornady die wax been good for a couple of years now with no stuck cases yet...
take it for what its worth...If I has a real tough case lube job it would be the RCBS pad lube...Chief aka Maxx Load
Fingers! I've been using Mink Oil Boot Dressing for many years and narry a stuck case. .223/5.56, 30-30, 7.64x54r, and straight sided pistol cases too. I also use MOBD for sizing bullets in my Lee sizers, 3 different calibers. I've read of some spray lubes failing and leaving stuck cases, but never a finger applied lube (Imperial and Mink oil). Besides it leaves my hands so soft and purty.
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I'll often size 500 .223 cases at a time and I don't want to wipe each case separately. I use the Lyman spray lube in a loading block, size, then rinse under hot water with a colander then put the cases in the oven at 180 degrees on a baking sheet. Trick to spray on lubes is to let it dry before any sizing, usually about 1 min.
For rifle I use Hornady Unique case lube and fingers; for handgun, the One Shot aerosol works well IMO (yes, I use it even with carbide dies- makes it a whole lot easier).
I use oneshot for pistol brass, but only with cases laying flat. For rifle I use a dry neck lube along with imperial applied by hand. I tried a lube pad and found it more trouble than it was worth.
rbernie
Contributing Member
I use Imperial Wax for small lots, and Dillon's lube sprayed across a boxful of cases (shaken to distribute, and then allowed to dry) for large lots.
I pretty much use Walkalong's method for rifle cases. I don't load over a hundred at a time but I use mink oil. I just keep a little on my fingers as I handle the cases, it doesn't take much. Occasionally I'll run a shell through dry to clean out the die. I've used a pad and the spray and I find this method less messy to.
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