Resizing Lube for 223

[Ifishsum]

I use Imperial sizing wax (now sold by Redding) with my fingers, just enough to feel slightly greasy on the lower 2/3 of the case and I do every other one. And a little swipe on the case mouth every 3-4 with whatever is still on my fingers. It's a little slower than a pad or spray, but it gives me a chance to handle and inspect each piece. I don't usually bother removing it either (I do tumble to clean prior to resizing); by the time I charge and seat the bullet there is no detectable greasiness left, either it dries or comes off during other handling. When/if I do remove it I use a rag, as I feel like tumbler media loaded with case lube is not really removing as much as redistributing it anyway. YMMV of course

 

[loadedround]

Been rloading for close to 50 years now and have used just about every type of lube there is. have decided on the Hornady One Shot Sizing Lube as the best so far. Second choice is Imperial Sizing Wax. Good stuff, but much slower to use. Box sizing lubes have to be cleaned off your cases in a tumbler.

 

[Skeptic13]

I use lanolin and alcohol applied with a squirt bottle. I put the cases in a cardboard box top, lightly apply the lube and them shake them around to get full coating. After I resize them I put them back in the tumbler to remove the lube. Has worked great for me.

 

[DMW1116]

I use the Lee sizing lube that came with my starter kit. I put a little on my fingers and then lube the case body. I then rub a bit on a case neck brush and do the inside of the case neck. Now that I look back, I haven't done that many. Two hundred 30-30, one hundred 223, and a few dozen 308. I may change if I start doing larger volumes. I wash it off with soapy water or wipe it of with a rag/old shirt after the rounds are completed.

 

[AR. Hillbilly]

Tumble it off with plain corn cob, I keep it separate from the corn cob with polish.

Been thinking about this. I think I’d like two tumblers in the future. One with walnut as a pre size clean and corncob as a finish media.

 

[sacnho]

Imperial case wax and a occasional dip in their dry neck lube I use both sparingly then wipe case down with a rag

 

[Lennyjoe]

I’m lazy and just use Hornady 1 shot for .223. I don’t rub it off after either.

 

[Bob in MO]

Thanks for all the replies, greatly helps.
Another question on bullet size for 223.
Can I use .224 or does it have to be .223?
I see things like this:
.223 Cal (.224) BULLETS
Could I use this bullet?

 

[Bob in MO]

What primers do you guys recommend for 223 to reduce the risk of slam fires?

 

[WeekendReloader]

I use the Lee sizing lube that came with my starter kit. I put a little on my fingers and then lube the case body. I then rub a bit on a case neck brush and do the inside of the case neck. Now that I look back, I haven't done that many. Two hundred 30-30, one hundred 223, and a few dozen 308. I may change if I start doing larger volumes. I wash it off with soapy water or wipe it of with a rag/old shirt after the rounds are completed.

I also use the LEE sizing lube in a tube.
I dissolve1oz into 10oz 70% isopropyl alcohol and use it as a spray. One spritz lubes a lot of pistol brass. A few sprays lubes my 30-30 brass. I spray, roll them around and let them dry, then size. For 30-30 I also spray some on a Q-tip and wipe a little inside the necks. I don't clean the lube off afterwards. It's a wax based lube. It does not have an 'oily' feel at all.

 

[Blue68f100]

Thanks for all the replies, greatly helps.
Another question on bullet size for 223.
Can I use .224 or does it have to be .223?
I see things like this:
.223 Cal (.224) BULLETS
Could I use this bullet?

That's the same bullet I use for my general blasting ammo. I buy the 6000 count box when needed. And yes 223R is .224" dia, the correct bullet.

The recommended primer is the Mil Spec CCI #41.

The Rem 7 1/2 work without any problems too. On Fed you must go with their AR primers.

 

[DMW1116]

I've been using CCI BR4 bench rest primers. I didn't really pay that much attention when I bought them back in May, and they were all the store had at the time.

 

[entropy]

Well fellers I've loaded pistol rounds for several years. But now I'm wanting to start loading 223 and I got some questions.
What product do you use to lube when resizing?
How do you apply it?
How do you remove it (if you do)?
thanks

Hornady One-Shot.

Spray it on.

Wipe off with a rag. (Though it's not necessary.)

I used the RCBS system 243winxb shows in his post for years before One Shot came out. It works well also.

What primers do you guys recommend for 223 to reduce the risk of slam fires?

I use CCI #400's, never had a slam fire with them. If you're worried about it, use CCI #41's.

 

[Bob in MO]

That's the same bullet I use for my general blasting ammo. I buy the 6000 count box when needed. And yes 223R is .224" dia, the correct bullet.

The recommended primer is the Mil Spec CCI #41.

The Rem 7 1/2 work without any problems too. On Fed you must go with their AR primers.

For clarification, are you saying that brass stamped with Fed must use AR Primers?

 

[DMW1116]

Federal makes a primer for AR style rifles with the same purpose in mind as the CCI #41.

 

[Bob in MO]

Federal makes a primer for AR style rifles with the same purpose in mind as the CCI #41.

Yes, but my question is, does brass stamped with Fed, must use AR Primers?

 

[Bob in MO]

Yes, but my question is, does brass stamped with Fed, must use AR Primers?

Or in other words, do I have to treat brass that is stamped with Fed differently in regards to the primer that is used?

 

[Akula69]

Or in other words, do I have to treat brass that is stamped with Fed differently in regards to the primer that is used?

No, but there are several 'gotcha's' and caveats to consider:

1) You should sort brass by headstamp (all PMC to PMC, all Lake CIty (LC) to lake city, etc) before loading. Different cases are...well, different.
2) You should use a primer rated for 'slam fires' i.e. one that has a slightly thicker metal cup to avoid the floating firing pin from setting off the round when the bolt goes into battery. CCI #41 is the prime example, but Federal makes a primer that is similar.
3) Most bottle neck cases (223 is a prime example) need to be checked for length before reloading. This ensures the case will actually chamber in your weapon. The reasoning is the case will "form" to the chamber of the weapon it was fired from. If all the cases you are reloading were fired from your weapon, this step may not be required - but you should still invest in a case gauge to ensure they are correct.

And - I just realized I drove way off topic.

 

[GBExpat]

I use Hornady One Shot Case Lube on my 5.56 & 7.62 rifle cases (among others).

Years ago I prepped the long, flat corrugated cardboard box that a fluorescent utility lamp fixture came in to help me coat them consistently.

Seen from the end, it opens like a wide W with a short center point/ridge/hinge. I can line 127 5.56 cases down each side (101 7.62) and there is ~½-case-width remaining on the end. I carefully spray down each of the two rows then lift the end of the box a bit to make all of the cases make a ½ rotation and spray the rows again.

I found this approach to result in a more consistent coverage than the old spray-the-cases-in-a-sack-and-agitate-for-awhile method.

After spraying them I leave them for at least 30 minutes in a breeze to help the carrier & solvent flash-off before beginning the resizing portion of the program.

With One Shot I have never found the need to clean the cases afterwards ... and I have never gotten one stuck in the sizing die.

Just one more method ...

Enjoy!

 

[Bob in MO]

No, but there are several 'gotcha's' and caveats to consider:

1) You should sort brass by headstamp (all PMC to PMC, all Lake CIty (LC) to lake city, etc) before loading. Different cases are...well, different.
2) You should use a primer rated for 'slam fires' i.e. one that has a slightly thicker metal cup to avoid the floating firing pin from setting off the round when the bolt goes into battery. CCI #41 is the prime example, but Federal makes a primer that is similar.
3) Most bottle neck cases (223 is a prime example) need to be checked for length before reloading. This ensures the case will actually chamber in your weapon. The reasoning is the case will "form" to the chamber of the weapon it was fired from. If all the cases you are reloading were fired from your weapon, this step may not be required - but you should still invest in a case gauge to ensure they are correct.

And - I just realized I drove way off topic.

Akula, thanks for the info. Can you explain why I need to sort the brass by headstamp? I don't understand how it makes any difference in the loading process. thanks

 

[Akula69]

Cases from different manufacturers can vary substantially in weight, some by several grains, as well as case length issues (you may need to trim some cases depending on your weapons' chamber size). If you check your reloads by COL and weight after completion (I do to ensure I didn't miss a double powder charge) sorting cases by head stamp can avoid gross 'over weight' concerns.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I also use the LEE sizing lube in a tube.
I dissolve1oz into 10oz 70% isopropyl alcohol and use it as a spray. One spritz lubes a lot of pistol brass. A few sprays lubes my 30-30 brass. I spray, roll them around and let them dry, then size. For 30-30 I also spray some on a Q-tip and wipe a little inside the necks. I don't clean the lube off afterwards. It's a wax based lube. It does not have an 'oily' feel at all.

This.

Incredibly inexpensive, the wax lube goes a long, long way.
No need to clean it off, it's not sticky or greasy.

I've been using this method for years. Many times I've been gifted the Lee lube from folks who don't know what to do with it.

Yep, I'm cheap.

 

[Bob in MO]

Cases from different manufacturers can vary substantially in weight, some by several grains, as well as case length issues (you may need to trim some cases depending on your weapons' chamber size). If you check your reloads by COL and weight after completion (I do to ensure I didn't miss a double powder charge) sorting cases by head stamp can avoid gross 'over weight' concerns.

Got it. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Cemetery21]

On sorting by headstamp - different cases have different internal volumes, so there can be a difference in the pressure generated therein upon firing. Different pressure can mean different velocity and that usually means bullets hit at a different place on the target.
So, what amount of hitting at different places do you expect from your handloads? If you want all bullets to hit in the same hole always, that's not going to happen and sorting brass is only one of many, many variables. So, how much time, money and trouble do you want to invest in the results you expect? Everybody has to answer that for themselves.

Unsorted brass may not give you as tight of groups on paper that sorted brass may. That is just one of many (seemingly endless) variables that shooters may or may not be able to control.

No real danger in shooting unsorted brass if you are not loading max charges. The slight internal volume differences (in 223/5.56 brass) probably won't get you in trouble with high pressure if you are starting low and working up as you should be.

Sorting should get you batches of brass with similar internal volumes, even though still not identical. Theoretically, each batch would be closer than unsorted. Will you see a difference on the targets? Try it for yourself and decide. I don't know since I've always sorted and never mixed batches between rifles - just my way. It doesn't have to be your way.

 

[Whiterook808]

What do you use on the pad if I may ask?

RCBS lube!