Resizing lubricant

I use imperial size wax and I have sized probably a thousand rounds and still have probably another thousand to go until its gone. I like it a lot as it doesn't take much. I swipe a finger and rub down a case and don't need another swipe for 10 cases.

I like the Frankford/Dillon spray lube. Lanolin in alcohol.

$13 for 8oz
https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Ar...535&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=frankfort+case+lube

Recipes posted here, will need to find one to link.
Lanolin is available and you need low water content alcohol, seem to recall people using fuel drier -Heat??
Do not know how much you would save making it at home.

Imperial Sizing Wax probably costs less to buy than anything you can make and it's also the best lube I have ever used. The small 2oz tin lasts forever. For real, you will not be disappointed.

The best I can advise is castor oil. $8 for 34 oz and you will never finish the bottle. Castor oil is the best industrial oil used for extrusion, and that is what resizing is about. Lanolin, as Dudedog advised is another excellent option.

One word of caution: some castor oils might have a small acid degree, so it is better to clean the dies once you are over. Mine was neutral, not acid so I even used it to protect weapons from rust in the past.

BTW, Happy New Year for all of you!!

I'll get the popcorn!

I make my own, lanolin & alcohol , never had a stuck shell.

you don't specify which case lube you want to try to duplicate but, yes there are several ways to make your own lube. If you search case lube and stroll through the results you will find a bunch. FYI, that small bottle of lube you bought should go a long, long way. You really don't need to use a lot so you have plenty of time to look for what you want.

Lanolin and alcohol
Alox and alcohol
Bees wax, mink oil
yada yada yada.

One word of advice, don't use petroleum products like oil or trans fluid.

I have a tin of Imperial sizing wax I bought for about $5 three years ago. I haven't even used 25% of it yet. I figure making my own case lube is not worth my time.

Rule3 said:

I'll get the popcorn!

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(Ahem!)

I use Hornady OneShot. It is easy and I have never stuck a case. In fact, my hairline has stopped receding and women find me more attractive lately.

Enjoy, @Rule3.

In fact, my hairline has stopped receding and women find me more attractive lately

Click to expand...

Looks like I need to change to Oneshot

Regards,
hps

I use Hornady Unique (similar to Imperial Sizing Wax). You apply it with your fingers, no pad needed. I paid $3.99 for a tub of the stuff at Academy, I'm about 15,000 rounds into it and you can barely tell I've used any at all. I'm guessing the tub will be good for anywhere between 60,000 and 70,000 rounds.

I decap, clean, acid wash, resize, trim, and then chamfer/deburr as needed. To remove the lubricant and any residual brass shavings, I tumble the cases in walnut media which imparts a nice final shine on them. I know applying Unique with your fingers may sound messy, but the amount you should use is so surprising small that you won't have much on your thumb and index finger and that means you won't be spreading it around.

I’m still using the Lee lube that came with my turret kit.

Imperial for me for bottleneck stuff.
For handgun, even though you don't have to use any with the carbide dies, I still put them in a ziploc baggie and give a spray of liquid lube. Right now we have some made by Frankford Arsenal and it works fine.
I may try and make some up like in that video above. That's a lot of lube for not much money.

I use tap magic, it's unorthodox, but works great

I use One Shot, or Pam cooking spray if I run out.

Hornady Unique paste lube for loading rifle on single stage and homemade lanolin/alcohol for spraying into zip lock bag when loading pistol on progressive.

Froglube on larger cases and one of the Dillon lube variants on all else. I’ve found froglube to work better than imperial.

Hornady' case lube - $4.99 a bottle at Cabelas.

The WSSM cases are a real challenge for case lubes. Imperial squeals like a banshee when sizing 243 WSSM cases fired in an AR. Hornady Unique rules in the WSSM world.

The only case I ever stuck in 60 years of reloading was the first 30-06 sized with One Shot, BUT, in all fairness, I did not read the directions, lubed cases and sized immediately. Did not wait for alcohol to evaporate and did not clean out any residual (Unique) lube left in die first. Have since used OS on standard cases, following instructions, and it worked well and much more convenient that hand applied lube. I think I shall not tempt fate, however, and will continue to use Unique on the WSSM's.

Regards,
hps

The Imperial wax is actually a good deal for how far it goes. But for really stubborn cases, a tiny amount of Imperial followed by a light coating of synthetic gear lube works for me. But that also requires a cleanup step right after resizing.

Pam for me, it will eventually gum up a die though. Put cases to be prepped in a cut out milk jug, spray Pam, jostle. Repeat every time you pull an inch or 2 worth out.

I use rcbs spray lube if I’m not going to clean cases after sizing.

Average Joe said:

I make my own, lanolin & alcohol , never had a stuck shell.

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Yup same here - Can't remember the ratio off the top of my head tho.
I "think" it's 10 to 1, alcohol to lanolin.

Caution: Use the alcohol marked 91% or 99%. The cheaper 71% has too much water in it.

Just about any lubricant will work for sizing cases but you want to avoid as many side-effects as possible. You want a minimum amount to avoid sticking yet not so much that you dent shoulders. Unless you want to lube separately you'll need to get inside case necks also for bottle neck cartridges. If your process includes a through, immaculate cleaning after sizing, you'll avoid problems too.

Not too long ago, I found myself starring at a gallon of .223's that I wanted to size. I poured them into a bucket & sprayed them with WD-40 & massaged it in by hand until I felt they were lubed enough with some in the necks. None stuck & all sized fine without a hitch. Now the problem with WD-40 is that just a slight amount making it's way into a primer will kill it. But I soapy rinsed all & then put them through the pin tumbler. All traces of lube was removed from inside & outside.

Now if you are doing just a smaller amount at a time, do what others have already suggested; buy a can or two of Imperial which should last most shooters a lifetime of reloading!...

Sort of off thread but,

WD-40 is that just a slight amount making it's way into a primer will kill it.

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I would not get WD40 on primers I planned to shoot, but some tests seem to show that primers are a lot harder to "kill" than some people think. (various ways/solvents were tired, most failed)
I wouldn't think WD40 and powder would go play well together.

The only primer I would trust to be dead is one that has been set off.