Best case lube?

6pakzak said:
Ok first I started with one shot spray, thought it was great till I got a shoulder gauge and shoulders were everywhere, sometimes I could feel a big difference in sizing force, so then I shook it and sprayed them up real good, let dry, started sizing, took a break, when I came back, i again feeling difference in force and then got stuck case, so done with that. Next lee lube mixed with rubbing alcohol, worked good but messy, had to use ultrasonic cleaner after, rinse then dry. Third was Hornady unique which works very well, little messy but can just wipe off, last I tried imperial case lube wax but found it less messy but harder to apply than unique so went back to unique. Just wondering what you guys think works best and what would you use on inside of neck as a lube between bullet and case, reason I ask is cause I came across some 223s I loaded over a year ago which shot fine then and now I'm getting a hard bolt lift when extracting the spent cases so I'm figuring the bullet created a little bit of a weld to the brass causing a pressure spike.
Click to expand...
I too use unique after trying others. It takes so little and easy to keep off the shoulder. For inside neck I just scrape a tiny bit of residue off a finger about every fourth case and no problems after 3 years.
 
Looks like imperial and unique are the front runners, guess I stick with what I got, if I do large batches I'll go with lee mixed with alcohol, that Hornady one shot is pretty pricey, 15.00 at Cabela's for an 8oz can, was just there other day, won't use it anyways, better as release agent but may try coating bullets with it.
 
6pakzak said:
Ok first I started with one shot spray, thought it was great till I got a shoulder gauge and shoulders were everywhere, sometimes I could feel a big difference in sizing force, so then I shook it and sprayed them up real good, let dry, started sizing, took a break, when I came back, i again feeling difference in force and then got stuck case, so done with that. Next lee lube mixed with rubbing alcohol, worked good but messy, had to use ultrasonic cleaner after, rinse then dry. Third was Hornady unique which works very well, little messy but can just wipe off, last I tried imperial case lube wax but found it less messy but harder to apply than unique so went back to unique. Just wondering what you guys think works best and what would you use on inside of neck as a lube between bullet and case, reason I ask is cause I came across some 223s I loaded over a year ago which shot fine then and now I'm getting a hard bolt lift when extracting the spent cases so I'm figuring the bullet created a little bit of a weld to the brass causing a pressure spike.
Click to expand...
On pistols use carbide sizing dies which makes lube unnecessary. I do load pistol for production but not anywhere close to as fussy as I am with my rifle reloads. Few people can tell the difference in 1/10th of 1 grain difference when shooting a pistol at 50 feet or less. I am however particular about my rifle loads. Without going into great detail I generally use RCBS or Lee case lube. It's a bit messy and one has to clean the sizing dies from time to time to get rid of the buildup but I get consistent pressures when running the cases through the dies. I have tried One Shot. I found that you have to do the resizing when the cases are at least still damp. Too soon after spraying one gets dimples on the shoulders, too long after and the cases have a tendency to while not quite sticking but requiring a lot more pressure on the reloading press handle. Since I load more for accuracy than production I don't mind taking the extra time, which in my opinion makes my ammo more consistent.
 
6pakzak said:
Looks like imperial and unique are the front runners, guess I stick with what I got, if I do large batches I'll go with lee mixed with alcohol, that Hornady one shot is pretty pricey, 15.00 at Cabela's for an 8oz can, was just there other day, won't use it anyways, better as release agent but may try coating bullets with it.
Click to expand...
I'm getting a 16oz can for $17.81. Stop shopping at the Gucci of hunting stores.
 
jimbires said:
I've gone full circle . I started with a lube pad , I'm back to a lube pad . I use RCBS case lube II . I tried one shot, and imperial grease . the RCBS lube seems to be as good as any, and I think it's easy to work with . I use a Q-tip with graphite in the neck .
Click to expand...


Me too. Started with the old lube pad then tried the new stuff but have returned to the old reliable. I do have imperial for necks but have not found that I have needed it. I roll on lube pad and push neck down on pad and expander feeds in smooth and sizing is great. I use a towel to clean cases before charging

Just how I do it

Thanks

Buck
 
17 dollars is still to much to pay for junk, I've had the same experience as Teri Anne, you gotta pick that perfect time frame to reload, measure your shoulder, one shot is not consistent, and if it's a little slicker on one side than other can probably contribute to runout. I can buy a tub of imperial or unique and and it lasts forever, I've made everything consistent in my reloads so I'm not gonna add something in that creates variables, yes it works but in my experience it makes it harder to make keep everything consistent, always had to readjust my die to put shoulder where I want it with one shot, if using a FL die I would have to run it through again after adjusting and now I'm working the brass again, actually another reason to get a body die cause if you don't bump shoulder enough you're not working neck again if you have to run it through again to get desired bump. So I'm wondering if anyone who really likes it is actually measuring shoulder to see if it is consistent, I did and it is not.
 
17 dollars is still to much to pay for junk, I've had the same experience as Teri Anne, you gotta pick that perfect time frame to reload, measure your shoulder, one shot is not consistent, and if it's a little slicker on one side than other can probably contribute to runout. I can buy a tub of imperial or unique and and it lasts forever, I've made everything consistent in my reloads so I'm not gonna add something in that creates variables, yes it works but in my experience it makes it harder to make keep everything consistent, always had to readjust my die to put shoulder where I want it with one shot, if using a FL die I would have to run it through again after adjusting and now I'm working the brass again, actually another reason to get a body die cause if you don't bump shoulder enough you're not working neck again if you have to run it through again to get desired bump. So I'm wondering if anyone who really likes it is actually measuring shoulder to see if it is consistent, I did and it is not.
 
I've used the Dillon spray lube. Only got a case stuck when I did not wait long enough for the alcohol to evaporate.. i still have my RCBS pad from when I started reloading back in the 60's (also have a bottle of Pacific lube along with a couple of the RCBS tubes).
 
6pakzak said:
17 dollars is still to much to pay for junk, I've had the same experience as Teri Anne, you gotta pick that perfect time frame to reload, measure your shoulder, one shot is not consistent, and if it's a little slicker on one side than other can probably contribute to runout. I can buy a tub of imperial or unique and and it lasts forever, I've made everything consistent in my reloads so I'm not gonna add something in that creates variables, yes it works but in my experience it makes it harder to make keep everything consistent, always had to readjust my die to put shoulder where I want it with one shot, if using a FL die I would have to run it through again after adjusting and now I'm working the brass again, actually another reason to get a body die cause if you don't bump shoulder enough you're not working neck again if you have to run it through again to get desired bump. So I'm wondering if anyone who really likes it is actually measuring shoulder to see if it is consistent, I did and it is not.
Click to expand...
One shot is the expense I am willing to pay after trying multiple DIY home made sin concoctions and stuck cases. I haven't stuck a case in 16yrs with it. I spray all 4 sides and the diagonals in a 50ct plastic tray with necks up. I get some spray in the mouths. Wait two 3 minutes before sizing. When I place on the shell holder I rotate the case and use my fingers to rub them down from case mouth to case head. That is about a 2-3 second step. I do this to prevent hydraulic sizing. (I've sized cases with a week-old spray on them too, no problems)

I constantly check shoulder bump on fired vs sized cases. I bump .002" from fired state. I have a straight force press, no snap/cam over. I do have to keep my press stroke consistent and feel where I need to stop on the down stroke. Too little pressure on the downstroke, shoulder not bumped enough. Too much pressure on the downstroke and bumped too far. I get .002-.003" bump with my method. Maybe I have worked around the downfall of this lube hydraulically sizing cases, or the issue it creates. I wonder if I were to use a snap/cam over press if I'd loose that ability of feeling where I need to be with the press stroke. Hmmmm.
 

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