Case Lube Recipes
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gifbohane
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Would give this post ^^^^^^ a triple thumbs up if I could. And it is easy to make.
Yes the homemade lanolin lube or Dillion's works great on the RCBS lube pad. One spray will do many cases before you need another squirt. I lube .223 to 50 BMG with lanolin lube on my RCBS pad. I do use a nylon neck brush to lube inside necks. I tumble in corn cob media to remove the lanolin lube. Don't recommend walnut media as the dusty walnut sticks to the lanollin and makes a gunky mess especially in necks. No mixture more than 10-1. More lanolin makes it too greasy. At 10-1 in is close to Dillion's lube.
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Yuup! Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!
Around here in my neck of the woods a gallon of 99.9% alcohol goes for $50 and 2 oz. of pure Lanolin goes for $12-15!!!
Worked pretty good and lasted for quite awhile but it is just too expensive for my blood.
After that mixture ran out I went to Hornady liquid case lube that come in a little bottle, looked like a gooey light beer solution.
Made a similar concoction and again it worked okay and lasted for awhile.
After that mixture ran out I went to Hornady Unique case lube and will not use anything else. This stuff is perfect!!!
One tub has lubed over 10,000 pieces of brass and I have barely made a dent in the tub of lube. I'll probably
be dead before I use this stuff up! (might have to put the remaining lube in my will!)
Haven't even come close to a stuck case and you just need to use just enough to ever so slightly put a film on the case.
Clean up is quick and easy.
You can also use it to treat your boots/shoes, a leather jacket or a baseball glove!!!
Yuup.
Spraying your brass gets the solution inside the neck even if you spray your brass from the base.
You'll also need to roll your brass around a bit to get the lube all around the cartridge. Spraying gets the solution on your reloading gear/bench. The mist goes everywhere and puts a slight slimy film on other stuff.
A tub of Hornady Unique case lube does everything I need it to do and doesn't get all over my other stuff and goes a long long long way!!!
Skip the "lanolin/alcohol" elixir, Unique case lube is waaaay better and cheaper! Trust me!
gifbohane
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I have used the Hornady paste lube. I still have it and occasionally use it.. My problem is that one out of ten times I use too much and the case neck dimples. I am between a rock and a hard place, too little and the withdrawal from the die is hard and too much gives me dimple.
Hmmm....a selling point for Hornady Unique case lube is that it will not cause neck dimples no matter how much lube you put on your brass.
I put that statement to the test and it's true. Now in the interest of clarity and transparency, I've only used the stuff on .308 brass. It might not work as well on other calibers.
I have found that using just enough lube to put a thin film on your fingers is more than enough to prevent stubborn or stuck cases in my dies.
I haven't come close to a stuck case since switching to Unique.
I put that statement to the test and it's true. Now in the interest of clarity and transparency, I've only used the stuff on .308 brass. It might not work as well on other calibers.
I have found that using just enough lube to put a thin film on your fingers is more than enough to prevent stubborn or stuck cases in my dies.
I haven't come close to a stuck case since switching to Unique.
Does this problem occur when using the lanolin+alcohol concoction?
FROGO207
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No the Iso- lanolin does not leave lube dents on your brass. You can get lube dents on 30-30 brass though with unique lube. The way to stop getting lube spray on everything is to put your brass in a ZipLoc freezer bag spray some lube in and close. Then massage the brass around for a bit, tnen pour out on a beer flat or other shallow container. Leave for 10 minutes or so to let the alcohol flash off before resizing. Eazy peazy!
gifbohane
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No it does not. But it leaves the extraction a bit difficult to perform.
I have tried to dip the tip of the rifle cartridge into the (Redding?) carbon powder first, before spraying, but it eventually build up in the die like a black sludge.
CoalCrackerAl
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This......
I don't use the Iso/alcohol/lanolin concoction anymore since finding out about Hornady's Unique case lube.
Way faster and less messy and haven't had a dented case neck since using it.
Best stuff out there and way cheaper. A tub will probably last decades if not more and if you find that you need to lube the
inside of the case neck (I don't anymore) just roll a q tip in the paste and use that to lube the inside.
Best lube out there in my opinion.
bullseye308
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I used the Imperial sizing wax for years and almost used half of it. That stuff flat out works, will easily do tens of thousands of cases, and I never stuck a case with it loading 223, 308, 7.62x39, or 7.62x54R. If my arthritis wasn’t getting worse I’d still be using it, but not having to lube every case individually with the heet/lanolin spray is so much easier on my hands I couldn’t not do it. I praised the Imperial for years and got many folks to try it and love it as I did and have no regrets. You younger guys give it a try and Imperial sizing wax will be your new favorite, or if you don’t want to handle each case the heet/lanolin is the stuff of dreams.
Would a richer mix of lanolin to alcohol help with that?
After many years reloading I have tried them all...One Shot works for me and is easy with no mess. I just rotate the loading block and spray at angle to get inside the necks. Never a stuck case and I don't have to wash after use. I just roll the brass in a towel to remove any excess and be done. Yeah it may cost a little more but the time saved and ease of use wins it for me...ymmv
gifbohane
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Might be worth a try. Maybe go to 8 to 1 from 10 to 1. Or try to bet more spray inside the throat.
My cheap nature tells me that the home brew is best for me. It works as good or better than the other stuff I tried.
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Lennyjoe
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I’m lazy and use Hornady 1 Shot for most. Only thing different is Imperial wax for 45-70 and .50 Beowulf.
WeekendReloader
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I use the LEE resizing lube that comes in a 2oz toothpaste tube. Half a tube dissolved in 10oz of 70% isopropyl alcohol. Works great and goes a long way. Just lightly spritz the handgun cases, let them dry, and they glide through the press. Rifle gets a couple of spritzes.
gifbohane
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I lot of guys here will jump in on this. Some are machinists and some have reviewed studies on lubing metal parts. I have come to the conclusion that a little lube on my carbide dies helps.
But like everything it is your call.
Sure, it definitely doesn't hurt.
Oh and by the way I am a machinists or was, I'm retired now.
Though I still have most of the tools and machinery I used. About $75K worth.
Well good for you but not all pistol cases are straight walled, e.g., the “Big 3” WCF cartridges: 44-40, 38-40, and the 32-20. My focus is on the 32-20.
Oh BTW, all of the “Big 3” WCF cases have thin neck walls.
Spare Parts
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I use Iso-Heet and 80W gear oil 10:1 for 5.56. Dual use, both from the local auto parts store. The 80W is leftover from the last transmission oil change, and the Iso-Heet can go in the gas tank this winter.
Pistol cases seem OK in the carbide resizing die, but the die likes an occasional thin film of 80W on a case.
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