Lube with carbide dies?

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

I'm new to reloading and working on 9mm, 40 S&W, 38 spl, and 357 mag.

I was given the advice to use case lube even when using carbide dies on pistol calibers. This individual is knowledgeable, but said the lube would just make things go easier even though not required for carbide dies.

I'm on the fence as to whether the additional effort of lube+clean up is worth it to make sizing easier in light of the fact that I've already deprimed and wet tumbled this brass in advance of sizing.

I'm just curious what Calguns does in practice.

[Dooder]

I use Hornady One Shot spray with all my pistol brass going through carbide. It really does make things so much easier. Requires a lot less effort which means I can run the press faster haaha. No clean up required with One Shot. Its a dry lube. Spray it on light, let it dry, load up and go.

I spray the brass first, then set up the rest of the stuff like primers and projos. My buddy uses a really diluted lanoline mix and sprays a super light mist. No need to clean that off when its that light

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[anyracoon]

When I'm sizing/loading pistol calibers with carbide dies I place clean brass in a Ziploc bag, spray a little Hornady One-Shot in bag, shake for maybe 5-10 seconds, than toss them into shell feeder and crank away.
For sizing with carbide dies for rifle I clean brass, hand lube, size, trim, swag if needed, toss them into stainless pins for a couple of hours. Than rinse, let em dry, load them up, shoot than start all over again.

[ironhorse1]

The only cases that I lube with carbide dies are for the .30 carbine. They are really a workout to size. Yes they are a pistol caliber too.

After I just wipe the case with a cloth. No need to lube any other pistol cases with carbide unless you just want to do extra work.

irh

[anonymouscuban]

Is it required with carbide dies? No.

I lube because it does in fact require less effort on the pull. However, the most resistance comes from the deprime/resize step so the fact you're doing this I'm advance may minimize the need.

One thing, wet tumbling actually creates more resistance on the dies than dry tumbling. I only mention this because you called it out. Sounds like you think wet tumbling will make it easier.

I recommend you try it both ways and see which you prefer.

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[ironhorse1]

anonymouscuban Makes a good point that I've seen mentioned before.

Dry tumbling leaves a residue of the polish in the media on the cases.

irh

[bohoki]

i rub one of my 9mm cases on a candle about every 50 to keep things smooth but my die is lee

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

One thing, wet tumbling actually creates more resistance on the dies than dry tumbling. I only mention this because you called it out. Sounds like you think wet tumbling will make it easier.
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That's an interesting point. I didn't actually think that would make a noticeable difference at all. I wet tumble to minimize dust and do it in advance of sizing to avoid any potential build up in my resizing dies. I decap in advance because I like to clean primer pockets.

I mainly threw that out there because I was hoping that I wouldn't need to clean the brass again after spraying on some one shot since they're already clean otherwise.

[ghideon]

I use Dillon carbide dies for 9mm and 38/357. I only use case lubricant for .223. This is on a 650.

[anonymouscuban]

I make my own lube with lanolin and alcoholic. Works well. I also use the process mentioned earlier of spraying the inside of a large ziplock bag, putting the brass inside and shaking it.

I do tumble my completed rounds for 10 minutes afterwards just to remove the lube. It's not functionally required. They shoot the same without this step. I just do it because it makes me happy. LOL

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[Divernhunter]

no lube for carbide dies. I do tumble in treated corn cob media before sizing so the brass is clean

[sofbak]

For those that wet-tumble brass, if you use a car wash/wax liquid instead of dawn or other soap, you get a thin layer of carnuba wax installed on your brass. The thin layer of wax provides a dry lubricant for resizing ease and a corrosion barrier against tarnishing your shiny brass.

[NoHeavyHitter]

Dry tumbling leaves a residue of the polish in the media on the cases.

This^ so I don't use any additional lubricant..

[Gryff]

When I started with my Dillon 650, I didn't feel the need to lube the cases. But when I moved to a full-length sizing die, I started using case lube because of the additional force needed for that die.

The downside is that the finished rounds come out of process feeling tacky to the touch. So, I throw them back in the tumbler for 30 minutes (yes, Karen, I know that it is an abomination to tumble live rounds).

[Cowboy T]

I use several models of Lee presses, and all my dies are likewise Lee. All my handgun dies are the carbide sets. You do not have to use case lube with carbide dies, and indeed, that's kind of the point of buying carbide dies.

However, with .45 Colt and .44 Magnum, there's enough contact surface, and the cases are long enough, that I do notice that pulling the handle is rather easier with a little Hornady One-Shot. You don't need much, and for that reason, you don't have to cover the entire case with the lube. Again, it is definitely not required to do so. Were I reloading, say, .460 S&W Magnum or .500 S&W Magnum, I'd certainly use a bit of One-Shot to help out with the friction. But those are really big handgun cases.

With .38/357, 9mm, and .45 ACP, I don't bother.