Which case lubricant?

[ReedTX]

I am very new to reloading and have reloaded so far <50 rounds. I have been using the Lee lubricant that came with my press and have been applying a thin film with my fingers as per instructions. I have noticed though that when this film dries it dirties my cases and I have to go back and wipe off each case which is a bit of a pain.

Are there any case lubricants out there that do not mess up the cases and do not require cleaning off afterwards?

Thanks

Reed.

 

[ericuda]

I use imperial for smaller batches. I don't think so, I always tumble or wipe lube off after sizing.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Make your own lube. Mix 10 to 1.
Red plastic bottle of dry gas from Walmart and liquid lanolin from e Bay. Pick up a semi-see thru spray bottle from the dollar store.
I bought a spray bottle from Walmart for $2 that has cheap cleaner in it. I tossed the cleaner out and used the spray bottle for my lube.
Been using it now for three years and still going strong.
I took a sharpie and drew a line five inches up the bottle and another line a half inch higher.
Fill it up to the first line with dry gas the finish it up to the next line with the liquid lanolin.

Spray your cases and let them sit for them minutes for the alcohol to dry before resizing..
If you don't wait until the cases get dry you will get stuck cases.
I use to use Hornaday One Shot at $10 a spray can, the home made stuff does a better job and is a lot cheaper.

 

[westernrover]

There are two basic kinds: lanolin-based lubricants like the Lee you've used or Imperial which is probably the most popular, and polymer-based lubricants that are typically spray-on with Hornady One-Shot being a popular example.

The lanolin type lubes should be wiped off or tumbled off in a wet tumbler with detergent (it will probably come off in dry media but will contaminate the media and require more frequent changes).

The spray-on type, in my experience, does not lubricate as well but does so sufficiently for most routine sizing. It does not require cleaning it off, but I do. I use it with carbide dies where it works very well indeed -- smooths up the operation of a progressive press so there's less shaking. With steel dies it works fine especially if I am just bumping the shoulder and sizing necks with a bushing or mandrel and collet die.

 

[.38 Special]

I prefer Imperial as well.

I have been informed that neck sizing is no longer popular with the cool kids. When it was, powdered mica or graphite was often used as a lube which did not need to be removed afterwards. I have no idea if it works for full-length sizing.

 

[Thomasss]

I use Hornady "Unique". I barely touch the surface with a finger, etc....... BUT I keep a piece of paper towel on my lap and wipe them off as soon as they are resized. The nice advantage is that I have eliminated ALL cartridge dents when reloading. Going on 4 years and still have plenty to go. I load 500 .30 cal. cases a year.

 

[westernrover]

I have a tin of Imperial but I use One-Shot far more. For one thing, I'm not about to use Imperial on all my handgun cases. I absolutely use One Shot on my handgun cases even though all my dies are carbide. You know you can run a gun without lubricant too and it will work, but it works better with lube.

If I'm resizing a lot of rifle cases like a carbine, AR, intermediate type cartridge, I will use the One Shot too. The only time I'd reach for the Imperial first is if I had twenty magnum rifle cartridges in front of me to resize.

Get some Hornady One Shot gun cleaner and lube and some One Shot case cleaner. They're both awesome and as far as I can tell they're the same thing except I suspect the cleaner has more solvent base in it. If you spray the cleaner/lube on pretty heavy and wait for it to evaporate it will work as a case lube. Similarly, the case lube will work good as a lubricant and protectant but would be costly as a cleaner. What's great about these One Shot sprays is they don't leave any oily residue when you wipe them off. Stuff like Ballistol and Breakfree leave too much oil. One Shot for everything. Just don't try it as a desert topping.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I use Imperial and don't bother wiping it off. I do tumble in walnut media and polish after sizing. IMO, for some rifle cases, a little lube above the shoulder is not a bad thing. But, that's just me and opinions vary widely. It might help to know what you are reloading.

 

[markr6754]

I use either Hornady product - Hornady One Shot for pistol cases (mainly 9mm) to ease resizing; Hornady Unique for rifle cases, as one stuck case experience is enough for my lifetime.
I don't wipe after One Shot, I immediately wipe on microfiber towel after Unique.

 

[mdi]

All case lubes that work will leave some residue/film. I discovered Mink Oil Boot Dressing Cream quite a while ago (not a lot of stores carrying reloading stuff in LA). I was cruising the local Walgreens and in the shoe polish area I saw a tin of the cream. That was 25+ years ago and I still use it. Works as well as Imperial, but readily available...

 

[johnjohn]

Imperial for me. However ever case I ever stuck was with Imperial. Makes no differince they came out easy enough.

 

[Blue68f100]

I have a tin of Imperial but I use One-Shot far more. For one thing, I'm not about to use Imperial on all my handgun cases. I absolutely use One Shot on my handgun cases even though all my dies are carbide. You know you can run a gun without lubricant too and it will work, but it works better with lube.

If I'm resizing a lot of rifle cases like a carbine, AR, intermediate type cartridge, I will use the One Shot too. The only time I'd reach for the Imperial first is if I had twenty magnum rifle cartridges in front of me to resize.

Get some Hornady One Shot gun cleaner and lube and some One Shot case cleaner. They're both awesome and as far as I can tell they're the same thing except I suspect the cleaner has more solvent base in it. If you spray the cleaner/lube on pretty heavy and wait for it to evaporate it will work as a case lube. Similarly, the case lube will work good as a lubricant and protectant but would be costly as a cleaner. What's great about these One Shot sprays is they don't leave any oily residue when you wipe them off. Stuff like Ballistol and Breakfree leave too much oil. One Shot for everything. Just don't try it as a desert topping.

They are not the same and you will stick a piece pf brass in your sizing die using the cleaner. The Case Lube is a spray on wax that does not need to be removed.

 

[Charlie98]

I use Hornady OneShot... works well enough. Read. The. Directions... Follow. The. Directions... and everything will be fine. You do not have to remove it after use, although I do.

 

[Bazoo]

I use imperial or hornady one shot for rifle cases. I either dry tumble or wipe each case with a wet rag to remove. Pistol cases I don’t lube unless they are spotlessly clean. Then I normally tumble them so there is some dust on them so they don’t gall the sizer.

 

[runner3264]

I use Hornady sizing wax and Hornady One shot case lube. The wax does a better job sizing with ease but the one shot spray is quicker and more convenient to lube cases.

 

[koni]

I use imperial for small batches, and load work up. Hornady one shot for batches of a 100 -200. And lanolin / alcohol mix for large batches 200+. I have found using the lanolin mix it builds a super small layer of lube in your dies. After using the lanolin mix I take my dies apart and soak them in mineral sprits and wipe clean. I always wipe my brass off after sizing with 90% or better rubbing alcohol and a shop towel.

 

[WeekendReloader]

I am very new to reloading and have reloaded so far <50 rounds. I have been using the Lee lubricant that came with my press and have been applying a thin film with my fingers as per instructions. I have noticed though that when this film dries it dirties my cases and I have to go back and wipe off each case which is a bit of a pain.

Are there any case lubricants out there that do not mess up the cases and do not require cleaning off afterwards?

Thanks

Reed.

I have been using the LEE lube for years.
Mix half of the tube into a bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (about 1oz lube with 10 oz alcohol) and shake, shake, shake it. I put this into a spray bottle and spritz the brass, roll around to evenly coat them and let dry (I use a heat gun to dry the brass quickly). This results in a very small amount of the LEE wax lube on the cases and the brass slides through the dies with ease. After going through the dies, there really isn't anything left on the cases. I don't clean anything off after loading.

 

[highlander 5]

Alchohol and liquid lanolin for lube and it's what I use. I thought the Lee lube was water solvable rinse in hot water with a little Dawn if the water is hot enough the cases will dry on their own.

 

[AK Hunter]

If you are loading pistol you need to get the carbide dies, they cost a little more but you don't need lube to size your cases.
On rifle I use the lanolin & alcohol mix very lightly & don't need to clean after.

 

[mrawesome22-250]

Throw each sized case in a bucket as you size. Dump the bucket of cases in the tumbler for 10 minutes to remove lube.

 

[bihj]

1 part lanolin & 10 parts Heet (red bottle)

 

[lightman]

Just about any lube that you use will need to be removed. Its said that Hornady OneShot spray does not have to be removed. But, reloaders either love or hate OneShot.

I use the Alcohol/Lanolin lube when full length resizing and Imperial when neck sizing. I use Brake Cleaner to remove the lube.

 

[westernrover]

They are not the same and you will stick a piece pf brass in your sizing die using the cleaner. The Case Lube is a spray on wax that does not need to be removed.

I looked into it just now and I determined that they are the same. I thought the cleaner had more hexane but they're both about 65% hexane. The lubricant/protectant is not wax. They contain no wax. They use a polymer mixture.

For the purpose the "cleaner" can is used, the hexane serves as a solvent/cleaner. In the "case lube" the hexane is just a carrier and it evaporates leaving the polymer film.

The "stuff" is not made by Hornady, but by Multi Marketing Corporation who licenses it to Hornady as a gun cleaner and/or case lube. Their name is "Dynaglide Plus." They also sell it to woodworkers as a tool protectant. There is only one formula. Hornady just puts it in a smaller can for case lube and sells it at a higher price per ounce.

I will say that this stuff is not a perfect case lube. Stuck cases are possible. It's typically a result of not letting all the hexane evaporate, but there are some jobs where I'm going to use Imperial. Most of the time though, I prefer One Shot.

I'm not going to buy the little 5 oz cans anymore. I can get the 10 oz cans for only a couple dollars more.

 

[splattergun]

I have been using the LEE lube for years.
Mix half of the tube into a bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (about 1oz lube with 10 oz alcohol) and shake, shake, shake it. I put this into a spray bottle and spritz the brass, roll around to evenly coat them and let dry (I use a heat gun to dry the brass quickly). This results in a very small amount of the LEE wax lube on the cases and the brass slides through the dies with ease. After going through the dies, there really isn't anything left on the cases. I don't clean anything off after loading.

This.

 

[Herman B]

Are there any case lubricants out there that do not mess up the cases and do not require cleaning off afterwards?

Hornady One Shot for handgun brass. Post-lube wiping/tumbling adds a step I can do without.