Volume Lubricating Rifle Cases

[BWB]

Got my first progressive press, and a question. What's the easiest and best way to handle lubing rifle brass in quantity? How do you handle residual lube issues, if any, since you obviously can't clean the cases between steps?

 

[ole farmerbuck]

Hornady One Shot sprayed on them standing up on a flat surface so lube gets in the neck. I use a loading tray (one where the case doesnt go too deep in). Set it on a bar stool in the middle of the room and spray them and move to the loader. Works fine.

 

[loadedround]

Get a plastic container with a lid. Toss your brass in and give one or two quick shots of spray lube and shake. let dry for several minutes and load. At present I am using Dillon's spray lube in the plunger bottle...environmentally safe w/o propellent.

 

[JimKirk]

Get a Gallon zip lock bag, put a 100 or 200 cases in, spray several squirts of spry lube and roll the cases around in the bag. Spread them out on newspaper or a cookie sheet to dry.

Jimmy K

 

[sniper5]

I cut Lee case lube 10:1 with 91% alcohol and do the ziplock bag trick with just a small squirt. Then dump them out on a towel and let dry (doesn't take long for the alcohol to evaporate off). Cheap and works well.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I have a towel I lay cases on facing me in a few rows. I then give em a liberal snort of non stick cooking spray. I then fold one end of the cloth over the cases and while pressing down roll the cases back and forth a bit to spread the lube around. Then I size, tumble and rejoyce.

 

[SteveW-II]

+1 for Jim Kirk's method. After the reloading sequence I then tumble the loaded rounds for about 30 mins to remove the lube.

I have been successful in bulk reloading for 223 in this way. Larger brass, not so much. I adjust the FL sizing die so cases that have been through it fit correctly into a Lyman cartridge gauge. The bigger the brass, the more 'cam over' the press seems to want to size the brass to the correct dimension. I now resize and decap such brass on a single station, but reload that brass progressively. It also gives you the opportunity to have a long look at each piece of brass.

 

[W.E.G.]

Dollop on palm of hands.

Spread around like sun-tan lotion.

Grab handful of cases, and roll between palms.
Allow just a smidgen of lube to enter case neck every now and then.

Chuck lubed cases in plastic bucket.

Grab another handful, repeat until first bucket is empty.

Resize.

Wash cases two or three rinses in hot water.

Set cases out to dry.

 

[fguffey]

"How do you handle residual lube issues"

There are times I size, then tumble, prime and finish with the progressive, if nothing after loading with the progressive press I wipe the cases with a paper towel or use a chemical on the towel that dissolves the lube.

Then there is tumbling after loading.

F. Guffey

 

[JimKirk]

I have to say that on my larger cases .243 and up, I used Imperial case wax or Bonanza(Forster) case lube and wipe off with a shop rag.

Any of the small rifle or pistol cases(even though I have carbide dies), I do the zip lock bag trick. Makes sizing slick as snot on glass! I tumble after I finish sizing for a for minutes to remove most of the lube.
I have tried wire lube, the wax kind that they sell at Lowe's and Home depot, I cut it with alcohol about 1 to 8, it works good and cheap , but will build up in your sizing dies and cause problems if you don't clean your dies after using. The alcohol will cause rust too, so you need to oil the dies after you clean them. I just wash them out with a can of ether and reoil, the ether will cut the wax and oil and blow out any other crud in the dies. Wear glasses to protect your eyes, ether does not feel good in your eyes, ask me how I know.

Jimmy K

 

[Slamfire]

I have a Thumler's Tumbler, which is a rotating barrel rock tumbler. Works great for tumbling cases.

I have an extra barrel. Before I had an extra barrel I used an empty powder can. I half way fill the can, or barrel, with at least 100 308 cases, and tumble the cases with a slightly wet patch of RCBS water soluble case lube.

If the patch has too much case lube then I get too much lube on the cases. So I have learned, through trail and error, how much lube to put on the patch.

While I am volume sizing cases, I have the barrel rotating away on the tumbler.

 

[jmorris]

I have a cardboard box I throw them in give two squirts of Dillon’s lube shake them around and another two squirts then throw them in the case feeder. After I am finished loading them they go back into the tumbler to get the lube off before they get case gauged.

 

[HOWARD J]

I use Lee case lube---squeeze about 2" of it on my hand--rub hands together--run hands thru about 200 .223 or 7.62 X 39 case in a bowl.
Clean later with a tumbler..................

 

[GW Staar]

Got my first progressive press, and a question. What's the easiest and best way to handle lubing rifle brass in quantity? How do you handle residual lube issues, if any, since you obviously can't clean the cases between steps?

In Speer's manual, in the section talking about progressive presses, this 2-step rifle reloading process is described...and sounds fast and easy:

Step 1: (starting with tumbled or otherwise cleaned brass) In station one put an RCBS lube die, in station 2 put your Sizer/Deprimer. Run all your cases through the two stations.

Then, off press, prep the now resized cases, trimming, deburring, chamfering, etc., then tumble in corncob for 15 minutes to delube the brass.

Step 2: In station one mount a universal deprimer die to clean primers holes of tumbling media, at station two prime only, drop the powder in station three, in station four mount a powder check die and finally, in station four, seat the bullet.

And guess what! Your automatic case loader (if you have one) gets to run clean...no lubed cases to cause build-up there.

Here's one happy user

 

[BWB]

Gentlemen, Thank you for all these useful suggestions. Once again, more than one way to skin the proverbial cat.

 

[chagasrod]

Isn't easier to use the Lube die from RCBS?
Just asking!

 

[BWB]

Sounds like a good idea too. The link G W Staar posted above takes you there. Hadn't heard about that one.

 

[Damon555]

Get a Gallon zip lock bag, put a 100 or 200 cases in, spray several squirts of spry lube and roll the cases around in the bag. Spread them out on newspaper or a cookie sheet to dry.

Jimmy K

I learned that trick here too...it works great for 223 brass....as far as cleaning off the lube I simply take 50 cases or so after priming, wrap them up in an old rag, and just massage the wad of cases for a minute or 2 and they come out dry as a bone. I hate tumbling brass more than once.

 

[GW Staar]

Sounds like a good idea too. The link G W Staar posted above takes you there. Hadn't heard about that one.

If you want to see how a genuine pro does it, using the RCBS Lube die and a Dillon trimmer. Check this thread out in Calguns.

He sells ar15 barrels for a living and has 650's and 1050's set up for "each" caliber he reloads......by the "bucket loads".

This is only "one of his benches.

 

[rodregier]

Stalwart case lube rack and spray lube. Use Redding dies with carbide expander ball so I don't need to lube the inside of the necks. Dry corn cob to remove the case lube in a case tumbler afterwards. Biggest pain is the corn cob sticking in the flash holes. I'll be switching to a smaller grind corn cob to resolve that issue once my current stocks are used up. Could take a while, I bought a lot :-(

Sinclair also makes case lube racks.

 

[Plas62]

I used the RCBS Lube Die #1 on a LNL AP and have had good success with it.

 

[Shrinkmd]

Hornady one shot spray in a gallon plastic bag with the cases inside. I haven't bothered wiping it off after resizing, and so far no problems at all. They say it doesn't contaminate primers or powder. I'm not sure I would trust it if I was putting up ammo for long term storage, or for hunting/SD, but for making up the monthly batch of plinking ammo, so far so good.