Anyone else lube cases?

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stressed

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For carry ammo that's loaded a while, I'll put a dab of oil on each case, brass or nickel - rub it in and around the hollowpoint then wipe it off and load. I know this is not required, but I figure whatever aid in feeding and gliding over each round and into chamber it cannot hurt, not to mention it can keep moisture at bay from temperature changes going indoors and outdoors often.

If you carry rounds for a long time, notice how dark they get? Don't have as much problem with this after lubing.
 
Very bad idea...perhaps you should just shoot the ammo rather than fondle it?

Oil can & will seep into the primer pocket and around the bullet. Neither do you any good
 
I've done this to some rounds that were carried for over a year, then shot and all functioned fine. I don't mean lather in oil, everything is wiped off just giving slick surface.
 
Two things:

1) If your gun needs to have it's bullets lubed to feed, there is something wrong with it and it isn't reliable enough to be used for defensive carry.

2) If your rounds are getting dark in your magazine, you're leaving them loaded too long. you should be cycling your carry rounds during your regular practice...say, once a month or at least once a quarter
 
VERY BAD idea!

As stated, oil can & will eventually seep into primers and render them inert.

If you just HAVE to put something on your ammo?
Use a carnauba wax like Johnson's Paste Floor Wax.

It will dry and not migrate to the primer pockets, or bullet / case joint and eventually kill the ammo.
And is way slicker then any oil.

Bottom line?
Cease & Desist with the oil already!!!!!!!!!

PS: Now clean all the oil & collected dirt it attracted out of all your mags and lube them inside with Remington Dry-Lube spray, or the same paste floor wax.

Only then will you have uncontaminated ammo and magazines that you can rely on 100% in a SD gun.

rc
 
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I don't ever wipe on the base of the casing and primer, only along the sides and bullet.

The oil/primer issue has been debunked: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot39_3.htm

Even though the rounds are wiped dry, I think the drylube may be a good idea for the insides of magazines. I'll take apart one of my carry mags here to see if it's collected any dust. I do wipe all oil off when I lube something, so nothing is wet behind. To folks here actually leave the oil on?
 
NO!

Oil on ammo is bad!

Mmmkay?


The oil/primer issue has been debunked:
If you want to believe that one test, gofer it.
But it has been proven over the last two century's to be in fact, true, depending on how well the ammo in question was sealed at the factory.

rc
 
I don't expose my ammo to any element that could inadvertently make it's way to the primer or powder.

Including all the reasons described by RC, it is also a bad idea to shoot ammunition that may have any residual oil on it. When a cartridge is fired it momentarily seizes to the chamber wall until pressures have started dropping. This is a necessary function, in which, a seal is created that prevents gases from blowing by. When hot high pressure gases make contact with the chamber and breach face, eventual and repeated exposure will damage those areas.

And it is also very hard on the breach face when a case head is slammed hard against it by peak pressures. The normal function of any cartridge requires case seize, firearm damage will be an eventual and imminent result without it. One of the methods used by firearm manufacturers to test certain aspects of firearm integrity is termed as proofing. Proofing is performed using normal full pressure ammo that has had lube applied to the brass. And additionally, liquids don't compress, which could result in damaging the barrel, breach face/bolt, or the chamber.

But don't take any of our advice on this, you can pick up just about any reloading book or related literature and read it for yourself. You'll find that lubing ammunition, barrel, or the chamber of a firearm, is a bad practice and can seriously damage a firearm.

GS
 
I've used oil on my carry ammo for the last 35 years. I lightly oil a rag and coat the brass only. I have kept this ammo in my revolver for over a year and then fired all 6 cylinders with no problems. I then clean my Model 19 and hope I never have to use it. To make a long story short. BE CAREFUL. If you can feel the oil, your using to much. Hank
 
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Doing the same thing wrong for 35 years doesn't mean that others should emulate that practice. ;)
 
You'll find that lubing ammunition, barrel, or the chamber of a firearm, is a bad practice and can seriously damage a firearm.
Excessive lube in the barrel or chamber of a firearm is a bad thing. Running a lightly lubed patch down the tube follwed by a dry patch is a pretty common ritual.
 
touched upon above the breach pressure problems associated with lubricated ammunition is a concern


Firearms designers take into account some very precise calculations on variables that you may not even know exist. One of these is the coefficient of friction between the case and chamber walls while the cartridge is under pressure from being fired. And resultant change in bolt thrust.

This is especially important in autoloading handguns ask any FN5.7 reloader how critical it is to get this balance right with oiling cases a surefire recipe to get this balance WRONG
 
Oiling cartridges goes in the same category as coating your motorcycle tires with "tire shine/protectant/dressing" crap. I have tried to explain to so many guys why this is a really bad idea but they insist on doing it any way. To some people "looks" are everything.:banghead:
 
I read about a fella that shoots IPDA (or one of those acronyms) that does it. Except he just dabbed some on the first round (top). Will post source if i can find it again.
 
I agree with the stated fact that if it is needed to run, get another gun, as well as the one where if they are getting dark, it needs to be rotated. Plus oil can collect grit and lint, which is far more likely to affect feeding/function than a dry round.
 
If your worried about the bullets feeding that much then just polish the bullets to a spit shine mirror finish and you're good to go, lol jk. On a serious note I would suggest cleaning magazines every three or four months and replacing or cycling carry ammo every couple of months as well. Or at least unload and wipe off the cases about every three weeks or so depending if you're a sweaty man or in a muggy or harsh environment. You might be surprised what gets in there from temp changes and where you carry your gun. Especially appendix carry. I just unloaded my carry gun after a month of carry and leaving in car with -temps and some or the cases had some grime on them.
 
Back in Bullseye we all used to put a drop on the first round, don't know if it was good or bad but never had any problems and we kept our guns wet for sure.

But wiping down ammo with oil really seems like an answer to a non-existent problem.
 
R. W. Dale is 100% correct. The main reason for not putting lube on any cartridge is the fact that when a brass case expands, it needs to "grab" the sides of that chamber for the nano-milli-micro-second (tech term) before the brass returns to its "normal" size. Lube will cause more pressure on the bolt.

Likely more important with center fire rifles, but still a factor in any breech I do believe.
 
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