New 44 Mag brass sticking in sizing die

[TargetTerror]

I reloaded some brand new 44 Magnum brass from Starline tonight. Every case was sticking A LOT in the sizing die. I don't have any brass lube, or I would I tried using some.

Is this normal, though? This is literally my first time reloading 44 mag. I bought brand new Dillon carbide dies. I've loaded 1000s of .357, .38 special, and 9mm and have never experienced such uncooperative brass before.

 

[pinkymingeo]

I'm using Lee carbide dies, and 44mag takes a lot of force in the sizer. So does 45 Colt, but not as much as the 44's.

 

[Eightball]

They're sticking with carbide dies?

Sounds weird. Not that I'm familiar with all things reloading, but this has caught my interest.

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

I spray a little bit of WD40 or gun oil over the case laying flat on a paper towell and I remove the excess. It is a lot easier on the handle.

Thank you

 

[Dave P]

Lube it!

 

[rcmodel]

.44 Magnum cases are thicker & harder to resize then what you have been reloading. They need to be lubed slightly, even if you just lube every 5th. or 10th. one.

I would just get a can of One-Shot case lube and spritz them all lightly.
Then, unlike WD-40 or gun oil, you don't have to worry about contaminating primers if you don't get it all cleaned off.

Because you don't need to clean it off.


rcmodel

 

[dcloco]

Have you cleaned your sizing die? Is it Carbide?

 

[TargetTerror]

I called Dillon to get their opinion. They actually recommended using lube on ALL brass - rifle, pistol, all sizes. They said it extends the life of the machine, the dies, and the cases, and it would alleviate this problem. He also said that Starline brass tends to be a little bit thicker than other brass, so that might have something to do with it to.

I asked about using something like a 3-in-1 lube, and the guy recommended against it strongly. I think his main point was that if any gets into the case mouth, it can contaminate your powder and primer. I ordered some Hornady One Shot from Cabelas, so that should fix things nicely.

 

[Roadkill]

Try Detron II Transmission Fluid. I also load .44/.44mag, its one of the hardest I reload.

 

[Walkalong]

I never lube any pistol calibers when using carbide dies and never have any trouble.

 

[Eightball]

I never lube any pistol calibers when using carbide dies and never have any trouble.

I've read that .30 Carbine needs lube in Carbide dies, just less frequently than non-carbide; seems that .44 Mag is the same way.

 

[Walkalong]

I never lube any pistol calibers when using carbide dies and never have any trouble.

I've read that .30 Carbine needs lube in Carbide dies, just less frequently than non-carbide; seems that .44 Mag is the same way.

30 Carbine is obviously an exception. I never lube .44 Mag cases and they glide through the sizing die with little effort.

 

[Ranger J]

I load a lot of 44 mags in lee carbon dies and don't lub every one but do roll 4 or 5 on the pad occasionally and I can really tell a difference in how they resize. It carries over for a while and when they start getting harder to work again I lub a few more

RJ

 

[cbmax]

I find that ALL new brass sticks on my Dillon 550B. However, the specific die that sticks seems to be the powder die. On the Dillon 550B, this dies also bells the case mouth. This is the main reason I prefer to load once fired brass over new brass. I usually keep a patch with Hornady One Shot on hand and wipe the outside of the powder die every couple of rounds. It's sort of a pain. I've read that people simply put their new cases in a plastic bag, spray with One Shot and shake the bag.

Once fired brass doesn't have this problem as the powder residue acts as a lubricant.

Have you had a similar experience?

CB

 

[cmidkiff]

I use lee carbide dies on .44mag, and have never needed to lube. Never used starline brass though, could be a little heavier as some have suggested. Can't see where it'd hurt to give it a squirt of one-shot once in a while...

I've always heard Dillon makes good stuff, but I suppose it's possible you got one that's a little tight. Does lube help? Do the resized cases measure out properly? Are there any burrs or lines pressed into the brass when it comes out of the resizer?

Does the same problem happen with other brands of brass? How far out of spec are the new starline cases? Possibly a bad run of brass?

With my RCBS press and inexpensive Lee carbide dies, I don't find that .44 mag brass is any more difficult to run through than .357 is. Something doesn't seem quite right here.

 

[Sam1911]

Hey!

I'm currently using Starline .44 Spc. brass and Rem. .44 mag brass and have had no trouble at all with either sticking in the Lee carbide dies in my 550B.

I do not lube straight-walled cases. I remember that on first loading there was a little roughness, mostly on going IN for the first time, but it caused no problem then and I've had none since.

But the 550 does give you a lot of leverage.

Actually, come to think of it, the first batch I did was Mags, and I ran them on the old Lee single-stage. No problems there, either.

Weird.

-Sam

 

[TargetTerror]

I tried loading some 44s again tonight, only this time with some Hornady One Shot Lube. The eyes in this face don't even BEGIN to describe the difference! That is BY FAR the smoothest reloading I have ever done.

I'm a convert! Lube it up!