Can I just avoid using lube with a carbide die?

No you don't have to use it, but as you've found, it makes the job easier

You don't have to use lube with carbide pistol dies.

But you don't have to use enough to have to remove it either.

A light spritz of spray lube on 100 pistol cases and then hand stirred around in a mixing bowl will get enough on all the cases to make life easier sizing.

If one in 3 or 4 has a trace of lube on it, it will carry over in the die until the next one comes along.

And there will not be enough left after sizing to worry about removing it.

I tumble loaded rounds 15 minutes or so after I'm finished loading them to get any remaining lube or fingerprints off anyway.

rc

I tumble loaded rounds 15 minutes or so after I'm finished loading them to get any remaining lube or fingerprints off anyway.

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I do the same thing for loading rifle. I don't lube pistol brass. If you have a carbide rifle die you will still have to lube.

Another POV, I've done many many 10's of thousands of .45, 9mm, .38, .357, and .41 Mag., all with carbide dies and no lube ever.

I do tumble the cases clean but not necessarily shiny and shake them inside a towel to remove media dust before loading.

All case mouths are lightly chamfered with a sharp knife before first reloading and flared only enough to avoid shaving lead.

The additional force to size is small and not significant compared to the effort to seat the primer - this is on an old Dillon 450.

Lubing these cases is an unneeded step in my experience. Mr. Model's idea may be the best of both worlds.

I've never found it necessary to use any lube on my pistol brass with carbide sizing dies.

GS

Try it, you'll like it!

Especially with things like .44 Magnum handgun brass.

rc

i recently started loading .30 carbine with a RCBS carbide sizer. stuck a case, so now i lube them. as rc mentioned, i've also found it helpful when sizing .44 mag with a carbide sizer.

Try it, you'll like it!

Especially with things like .44 Magnum handgun brass.

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This 100%.
I don't always lube small stuff like 9mm or .40 but if I'm loading .45 Colt, I fill a ziploc about 1/3 of the way full of casings, spray a spritz of lube in and shake em around in the bag. Put them in a loading block for about 10 minutes and start sizing. It do make things easier, no doubt about it.

A little lube on .357 brass can't hurt anything. I stuck one good. In RCBS carbide dies. So yea, I use a little lube on them now.

I've never even felt the very least indication of sticking a case with carbide's, and I've loaded a gob of 44 mag and 45 lc.. But I also tumble for a 1/2 hr. or so before resizing to knock grit off, soo. I also clean my resizing die after each session.

GS

Resizing 44 mag with no lube using the Lee Hand Press makes for a good workout!

to those who've never tried a smidge of lube because they use carbide dies...you really oughta try it. When you do,you may just become a convert.
I have a tub of Hornady lube,and just put a thin smear on my fingertips and go to loading.No need to remvove it ,by the time you're done processing it,it's pretty much gone.

another way is to lube just the top edge of say 10-15 cases,set them aside,and grab one every 10th round or so. It sure makes the press fly.

After about a thousand pulls on the press handle, you may come to appreciate just a little lube on even 9x19 cases----I SURE do. It DOES decrease the force needed noticeably!

I use a small "plant mister" spray bottle. 1 Part LEE water soluble case lube to 10-15 parts rubbing alcohol. A couple of strits on a two hundred 9mm cases laying flat makes life way easier. Dries fast and doesn't need any cleaning afterward.

NeuseRvrRat said:

i recently started loading .30 carbine with a RCBS carbide sizer. stuck a case, so now i lube them. as rc mentioned, i've also found it helpful when sizing .44 mag with a carbide sizer.

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Generally, the manufacturers of 30 Carbine carbide sizer dies still recommend the use of lubricant when resizing 30 Carbine.

Many folks do not.

rcmodel said:

Try it, you'll like it!

Especially with things like .44 Magnum handgun brass.

rc

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With carbide sizer dies, I've never used lubricant even with 45 Colt and 44 Special. Recently, I got a 44 Magnum and a little lubricant makes resizing these cases easier.

My idiosyncrasy is to clean the cases after sizing anyway so no big deal for me.

As others have said you don't have to lube most pistol rounds. Even if you have a carbide die for a bottle neck case, you do have to lube.

I loaded pistol rounds for decades without lube and decided to try it one day. Now I don't load anything without lubing the case first.

Again like others, I post load tumble to knock the lube off.

Not required for Carbide dies. I have the Hornady TiNi and these are slicker and smoother than carbide. Also require less force to size than carbide. About 40% less.

I like the RC method on my pistol brass. Makes life easier.

Question though, If Im using the Lee lube (diluting with alcohol) or One Shot for that matter, am I supposed to let the lube dry before it goes into the sizer? Im just talking about a bit of lube on pistol brass here.



Edit: I see now, another thread, theyre supposed to dry.

I use unique lube. I run my finger lightly across the lube. Good for about 10 cases. Makes it much smoother. I didn't always do this either until I stuck a case. After using it on .357mag cases after that happened I started doing it on all cases.

I spray a quick shot of non-stick cooking spray on large pistol brass anyway. It helps, carbide dies or not.

I give all pistol cases a light spray of Blaster brand dry Teflon lube, picked up a case of it a few years ago at Menards on one of their rebate and get it free deals.

Do I need to do this? No, but since Arthur has moved into my bod on a permanent basis I like to make life as easy as possible.

There's a BIG difference between "don't need to" and "it's better" about carbide sizers and lube.

We had no tumblers when carbide sizers arrived with their "no lube needed" instructions. Cases would always have some tarnish, traces of smoke and bullet lube on them; that light surface coating provided all the lube carbide dies needed. Then we got into tumbling to "keep from scratching my dies" and removed every trace of what had been serving as case lube; that's when dry cases started galling tiny bits of brass onto dry carbide sizer rings and that scratches cases in dies that actually have no scratches in the true sense.

Lube the damp cases a little bit and galling won't happen.

I use the lee lube. I mix one tube of that in a 16 ounce bottle of 90% or higher alcohol and put it in a spray bottle. I put the cases in a ziplock bag, hit them with a few light sprays of the mixture and shake them around for about 20 seconds. Then I just let the alcohol evaporate for a few minutes and they are good to go. It leaves such a light trace of lube that you can't even see it but it is enough to really help out with larger cases.

The only brass that has ever "argued" with me in a carbide sizer is 9mm. Since I've started using a couple of cap fulls of Nu-Finish in my tumbler media even that has diminished. The trick is to tumble the brass within a day or so of running it into the sizer. If it's been sitting for a while I just dump it back into the tumbler for however much time it takes for me to get the press put together.