Is this normal?

[presspuller]

I started reloading 9mm Luger the other day for the first time and while sizing the force required to size them was quite noticeable. I said what the heck and got out the lube pad and rolled about every fifth case across it and it sized like butter.
The dies of course are carbide, is this normal? I have never felt it this tight on .357, .44 mag or .45 acp.

Thanks.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Yup...9mm X 19s are a tapered case when loaded so they will slip into the chamber easier. After firing they tend to expand and loose their taper. When you resize them you re-establish the taper hence the difficulty to resize. The lube or no lube won't hurt with carbide dies...

 

[ReloaderFred]

+1 to what The Bushmaster told you. It won't hurt at all to lube them. In fact, as you've found, it makes sizing them much easier.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[evan price]

...this does assume, however, that you cleaned the cases before you started loading? Even with carbide dies, any grit or residue on the case will make it sticky and hard to resize. A tumbler was not something I thought would be necessary at first, how wrong I was.

 

[JDGray]

A little Lee lube, mixed with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle, will greatly improve the sizing effort Don't know how people do without