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Favorite case lube?

TimK

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 13, 2010
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Woodland Park, CO
www.timkulincabinetry.com
I've used Hornady One Shot, which I don't like because it's not very slippery and I occasionally have sticky cases. I use Dillon lube on my progressive press, and it works fine but is pretty messy. What do you guys favor for single stage type reloading?
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Wipeout case lube or Imperial sizing wax.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tim K</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've used Hornady One Shot, which I don't like because it's not very slippery and I occasionally have sticky cases. I use Dillon lube on my progressive press, and it works fine but is pretty messy. What do you guys favor for single stage type reloading?

</div></div>

I've used Dillon and One Shot for bulk loading and One Shot works pretty well if you follow the instructions and one doesn't have to tumble it off, like the Dillon.

My only two cases ever stuck, happened with some decade old Dillon spray lube and both were within 10 minutes and back to back.

I've always used RCBS CaseLube II and the pad and I like that in smaller batches, due to its being able to be wiped off with a damp shop rag. I don't like tumbling lube off because it loads the media up quickly and one has to rotate it out more frequently.

I recently got a tin of Redding Imperial Sizing wax and this seems to be working really well. I can remove it with a dry cotton tee shirt and again, for smaller batches, it's perfect.

Chris
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bohem</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Redding imperial wax </div></div>

+1
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Imperial, fer shure. For spray wax, Dillon, which is nothing but lanolin in an alcohol base. You can make your own for about 10% of what Dillon charges.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Lesssee, other than Imperial, Unique, Lee, Johnson's Paste wax, Kiwi Mink oil and Snow Proof boot treatments, K-Y Jelly and RCBS water soluable case lubes I don't use any!

All lubes I use are touched with finger tips and thinly applied as I pick each case up for sizing. I haven't used a spray or gritty lube pad for years.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I guess im in the minority as I like the Lee lube. I used the RCBS one and I hate how greasy it is. The only issue is that I use the RCBS lube pad and the lee lube SUCKS with it.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Nessal</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I guess im in the minority as I like the Lee lube. </div></div>

Lee works for me, too. Easier to remove than Imperial wax.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

MINE...or a good (now passed on) friend's formula...10% Lanolin (liquid preferred) 10% castor oil, 80% anhydrous alcohol...ethyl, methyl or isopropyl...dosen't seem to matter which. Spray the cases in a zip lok bag. Shake well. Dump out. Allow to dry about 2 minutes. Size away. You can do 100 to 150 cases at a time, depending upon the size of the bag. Keep the bag. After the first time, less spray is required because of the residue on the inside of the bag. Cheap, no petroleum products to affect the primer, and NO stuck cases. JMHO
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

4 oz lanolin (liquid) and 24 oz isopropyl alcohol. Came up to about $10-$12. Mix in a spray bottle. Shake before use. I used 91% isopropyl but it works fine. I've done 250 in a gallon bag at a time but usually a hundred at a time with one squeeze on the spray handle. I've been using the same bg so it has a little layer of lanolin on the inside too. I think the One Shot was $10 for an 8oz bottle.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

What are you guys using for inside neck lube? Anyone using the graphite powder?
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Imperial.

Swipe thumb, index, middle finger. Pick up case & swirl in fingers. Wipe index finger lightly across case mouth to deposit small amount on inside of case neck. Resize. Load fingers with more imperial every 4-5 cases.

Cases wipe easily clean with lightly dampened microfiber.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Imperial is the favorite among shooters here. But I find that Unique (Hornady) is GTG also in my book. I use it for everything including the 50 BMG.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

+1 for Imperial Sizing Wax. When you have used up your first 1oz tin, you can say you are no longer a newby at reloading. For neck lube, if you are using the expander ball (which I no longer do), you can use Imperial. I you want a dry lube for bullet seating use graphite powder.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

CSAR, I wipe a little of the inside of the bag with a cotton swab and swab the neck of a shell every so often, every six or seven or so. When I feel it drag.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

+1 for the Dillon spray case lube.

I place my cases flat in a tray 100 at a time with just enough room that they'll roll a half turn when I tilt the tray. Spray the cases, then tilt the tray to expose the opposite side of the cases and spray again. Start loading after about 10 minutes.

I'm easily able to lube several thousand cases out of a single bottle of case lube ... and I've never had a stuck case yet.

Works like a champ.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CSAR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What are you guys using for inside neck lube? </div></div>

TiN Bushing dies don't need neck lube.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I've used traditional RCBS goo on a pad when I started, Lee white stuff at a borrowed loading bench in college, two or three bottles of Dillon, two or three cans of Hornady One Shot, and now a little spray bottle of RCBS because I could not find ANYTHING last year.

Overall, I like One Shot best, goo on a pad least, but might return to that for small-lot load testing. (HOLD on--I'm supposed to settle on a load and be DONE with load development...well, we can only hope!) Yes, I have stuck two cases with One Shot, but have learned to not only SHAKE THE FREAKING CAN EVERY TIME, but also have a discerning eye to make sure something besides propellant came out. Scotch ancestry, ya know, we gotta make sure the bloody thing is EMPTY and we got our money's worth, you know.

Oh, I used butter-flavored spray kitchen "Pam" style stuff for more than six months before scoring my last can of One Shot before the current RCBS spray. Works okay, but you REALLY have to get it ALL off. Little bits in the extractor groove can start emitting a faint "ripe" odor after a few months. And residues get harder over time, too...

Where I am, the components shortage was way more than just primers and powder and bullets.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Been using Hornady One Shot for years and never had any stuck cases or even sticky. How are you applying it? I use a ziploc bag and lay the cases in it flat in it. Then spray, roll around and spray again. You need to let them rest for about a minute to let the propellant evaporate.

Here's a little video I did for a friend who was just getting into reloading and wanted to see how I lubed my cases. Only one case as it's hard to do with one hand but you get the idea. I do hundreds at a time like this. Quick and easy.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LOBL202</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Imperial Sizing Wax! Use it for .223 all the way up to 50 BMG.</div></div>

same opinion here
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Dillon case lube works for me. Suprisingly Midway's case lube works just as well.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I had all sorts of problems with Hornady one shot--stuck cases, etc. The old school pad and lube is a non-starter.

I now use Dillon lube. I put about 50 cases in a round plastic tub, spray on one side, shake, spray on the other, wait 5-7 minutes and load.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I was okay with Hornady 1-Shot until I started shoulder-bumping. My Redding body die will rip the rim off the case when extracting it with any lube I've tried except Imperial. In three different calibers, no less.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Iosso.

Spray on, water soluble, when you are done just throw them back into your tumbler for a while- it is also a polisher. Doesn't smell as bad as one shot either.

If you have a die that is stubborn just rub a dab of Imperial Wax around the shoulder of the case on top of the Iosso lube.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Another +1 For Imperial.

Inside neck lube chores are taken care of with a plastic bore brush and what is now a concoction of powdered graphite, powdered mica and moly. As my original supply of graphite began to dwindle, I just added some of what was on hand to bring ilt up to a useable amount. No worries about powder or primer contamination. Bullets seat nicely, too.

Paul
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Imperial is the slickest I've used. Dillon, Midway, Red Rooster, RCBS and others I can't recall work well. One Shot, regardless of how closely you follow the directions, brings up the rear.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I like Imperial wax but when resizing large quantities of brass I do like a spray lube. I have had great luck with all of the spray lubes except One Shot, I use One Shot exclusively for a release agent when bedding.

For the last couple of years (8-9,000 rounds) I have used the 10% liquid Lanolin, 10% castor oil, 80% isopropyl alcohol, put into a spray bottle shake well before spraying the cases in the plastic bag and start resizing. I have not had a stuck case with roll your own lube, recently I full length resized 7 gallons of LC 308 brass with out a hitch.

Now for smaller batches I have used a mixture of 50% liquid lanolin and 50% castor oil mix it up, and use it like you would Imperial sizing wax.

wade
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Hornady unique from here on out. Cheap, no stuck cases, non toxic, and easy cleanup. Admittedly, I haven't gotten my hands on any imperial wax, no Lynn intended ...
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I've used RCBS Water Soluble Lube exclusively for the past decade or so. Same technique as others use with Imperial, I wipe it off with a shop rag dampened with regular rubbing alcohol. Very effective, and I end up with utterly degreased brass.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I also use lanolin in isopropanol. Put a couple hundred cases in a zip lock bag and give a could of squirts. Shake the bag about and then pour onto a cookie tray to dry, and then size.
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

I use the RCBS case lube II and the pad, I tried the Hornady one shot and all I got was a stuck case. I think I'm going to try the Imperial wax to see if it's any better. Until then I'm sticking with the pad and lube...
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Santo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Dillon case lube works for me. Suprisingly Midway's case lube works just as well. </div></div>

+1

they seem like the same thing
 
Re: Favorite case lube?

Imperial Wax!

I just got through resizing some military brass that was fired out of a machine gun. Holy smokes it was a tough go, but not one stuck case.

Couple of times I thought - UH OH - but imperial came through!

Next time it'll be even easier, as these will now be fire formed to my chamber. All in the quest to have cases that are as tough as Lapua's for a lot less money.

Nicest lot of military IVI brass that I've ever seen - that's after doing the usual prep and then SS tumbling!

Cheers, Carl