Rifle rounds and Lube

[Keeperfaith]

On .223 cases, do they need to be lubed top to bottom and inside the neck or just the neck and/or body?

Are there carbide dies that can be used with rifle cases or are carbide only for handgun ammo?


Lubing is a time consuming pain. Any suggestions to avoid lubing or doing it quickly?

Also does the lube need to be removed at any point during the reloading process or is that optional?

Thanks

Steve

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

i lube my rifle cases on the body and a little inside the neck. i've also found some cases to need just a tiny little bit on the outside of the neck. i never put any on the shoulder.

there are carbide .223 dies, but they still require lube and they're very expensive.

a lot of folks use spray lubes with success and they would seem to save you some time. i use imperial die wax. it comes in a tin sort of like shoe polish. i touch the fingers of my left hand to the wax every few rounds. the case body gets rolled around in those fingers and lubed on it's trip from the container to the shell holder. i use a nylon brush with a smidge of imperial wax on it to lube inside the case necks every few rounds. they will leave some lube on the expander ball so i only have to use the brush about every 5 cases. my right hand stays lube-free to operate the press handle and the nylon brush.

i always tumble the lube off my cases before i load them. some folks tumble the loaded rounds, which is fine. i tumble before loading because i don't like the idea of a small film of lube between my bullet and case neck.

the only way to get around lubing is to neck size, which doesn't usually work for semi-automatics.

 

[MtnCreek]

If you're looking to speed up lubing .223, use a spray lube. I use a cardboard box (clean flat rate box). Duct tape the bottom (from the inside) so brass doesn't get in the cracks. Dump clean brass in box. Give them a couple shots of lube (Dillon works well), shake and repeat. Let them sit for a few min and you're ready to go.

Lube will need to be removed before firing. I like to batch size .223 then tumble to remove lube.

Edit: If you go w/ the spray lube, keep in mind you don't have to hit every case with the spray. When you shake/stir the brass, lube is transfered from lubed cases to the others.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

Lube will need to be removed before firing. I like to batch size .223 then tumble to remove lube.

yep, this is what i do. size, clean, then prime, charge, seat, and crimp on a progressive. sizing separately makes the operation of the progressive much smoother. if you don't use the very fine media, a universal decapper in the sizing station will knock out any media that got stuck in the flash hole.

 

[gamestalker]

The only real rule is never get lube on the shoulder, (lube dents). I have been lubing the inside neck, lightly of course, a dab on the outside neck, and the body and have never stuck a case in a die in over 30 yrs. of using this method. To much lube will create cause lube dents as well.

GS

 

[GLOOB]

For 223:

Materials:
Frankford Arsenal Spray lube
9x12" Plastic bag

Spray 2 pumps in the bag. Then dump 100 cases in. Roll around for 30 seconds. Dump out and let air dry for a few min.

Refresh with another pump for each additional batch of cases.

Spraying the bag, first, before putting the cases in keeps the lube from getting inside some of the case necks and clumping up the powder. I don't do any inside neck lube.

 

[jwrowland77]

I use mink oil shoe wax. Works great. Just put a little in your thumb and first finger and rub lightly. Then I take a q-tip and put a light coat on it. Then I take the q-tip and give the inside of the neck a quick once around and I'm good to go.

I did this once without doing the inside of the neck and got the case stuck on the decapping pin. Not fun to get stuck case off.

 

[highlander 5]

I use several types of lube forFL sizing. If I'm loading a few case I use a lube pad and RCBS lube easy to clean as it's water soluable. Otherwise Dillon spray or One Shot on mass resizing. My expander balls have been replaced with carbide button so there is no need to lube the inside of the neck.

 

[brickeyee]

Carbied dies fr bottle neck rifle rounds are available, at a large coat and lube is still required.

The contact area of bras to carbide is so large lube cannot be omitted.

The carbide in a straight wall case die is a very short length of ring in the die, with a small contact area at any one time on the brass.

 

[Walkalong]

On .223 cases, do they need

to be lubed top to bottom and inside the neck or just the neck and/or body?

The body needs to be lubed. The shoulder and neck need no lube, although we often get a hair on them when lubing the body. Many folks use a brush rolled on a lube pad to lube the inside of the necks. I like to use carbide expander balls when I can. I do not use an expander on any serious target ammo.

Are there carbide dies that can be used with rifle cases or are carbide only for handgun ammo?

Dillon makes carbide .223 dies, but you must still lube.

Lubing is a time consuming pain. Any suggestions to avoid lubing or doing it quickly?

You must lube. Find a way you like. I guess the easiest is the spray lubes or the RCBS lube die.

Also does the lube need to be removed at any point during the reloading process or is that optional?

Tumble it off after sizing, or sizing/loading.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I use RCBS lube and lube pad, roll them on it about 30 at a time. They all go in a bucket, and when I'm done sizing, I wash them in hot, soapy water (I like Palmolive with Oxy) and then arrange them on a cookie sheet and bake them at 180* for about two hours to thoroughly dry them.

As an aside, I've discovered that lemon jiuce is a superior method for cleaning primer pockets, as it removes no metal. Just apply liberally in the pocket with a Q-tip, let sit for 10-15 minutes, then wipe out with another Q-tip. Lemon juice will also make the inside of the cases look like brand new brass, if one cares.

 

[ranger335v]

There is nothing unique about working with any .223 cases.

 

[hentown]

I do a lot of biulk .223 loading for my ARs. I use the RCBS X die, to cut down on the trimming. I use one of the spray lubes, e.g. Frankford Arsenal, etc. Have tried Hornady One-Shot with inconsistent results. I lay all my brass down flat in a cardboard box and spray. The lube migrates around the case. I don't lube inside the case mouth.

I tumble loaded rounds for a few minutes in corn cob media, in order to remove the lube.