Problem Using Case Lube For the First Time

[Qwigs]

I just reloaded 50 rounds of .30 Carbine and I used lube for the first time as all my other die sets are carbide. I had a problem though and I think I already know what the answer is.

I was using RCBS case slick lube and trying to use as little as possible.

My problem is that the powder was sticking to the inside of the brass so when I would seat the bullet a few flakes would get crimped in between the bullet and the brass.

Is this dangerous? My father, who is not a reloader, said that the powder could ignite just from the squeezing pressure but that sounds unlikely.

Afterwards I figured that I should have lubed and sized/deprimed the brass and then cleaned the lube off before continuing.

[Sub95]

after being sized you should throw them back in the tumbler to take the lube off.

on the powder being caught like that, i would say no it wont go off, but you just never know.

[popeye4]

I just reloaded 50 rounds of .30 Carbine and I used lube for the first time as all my other die sets are carbide. I had a problem though and I think I already know what the answer is.

I was using RCBS case slick lube and trying to use as little as possible.

My problem is that the powder was sticking to the inside of the brass so when I would seat the bullet a few flakes would get crimped in between the bullet and the brass.

Is this dangerous? My father, who is not a reloader, said that the powder could ignite just from the squeezing pressure but that sounds unlikely.

Afterwards I figured that I should have lubed and sized/deprimed the brass and then cleaned the lube off before continuing.

No, I don't believe the powder will ignite from that sort of pressure.

You should probably clean off the lube before you load the rounds, especially if you are not using a progressive. But you shouldn't be getting lube inside the case, either. Use dry lube for the neck (like graphite or mica). You absolutely need to clean off the case lube before you shoot!

I prefer Imperial Sizing Wax: http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/pi...perial_Die_Wax

[Qwigs]

So would there be any danger shooting those rounds with a little bit of powder crimped in there?

[BigBronco]

I doubt it, however I would not count on that powder burning properly and causing a variable in the accuracy. Use Imperial sizing ax wan and you should not get lube inside the case. Also clean the lube from your flaring stem.

[Waldog]

Powder will not ignite while seating the bullets with powder grains sticking to the inside of the case. See the SAAMI website for further info.

There will be no perceptible effect on the powder charge. We are only talking about a few flakes of powder. And, that power will be pushed back into the case as you are seating the bullet.

This is based on 45 years handloading and about a GAZILLION rounds for my family of 5 competitive shooters.

[Qwigs]

Powder will not ignite while seating the bullets with powder grains sticking to the inside of the case. See the SAAMI website for further info.

There will be no perceptible effect on the powder charge. We are only talking about a few flakes of powder. And, that power will be pushed back into the case as you are seating the bullet.

This is based on 45 years handloading and about a GAZILLION rounds for my family of 5 competitive shooters.

Thanks for the info.

You are right, it is only a few flakes of powder, however they are not all pushed down into the case because of the flare at the top. There is definitely some powder crimped in there.

I am resolved to simply clean the cases after they are sized in the future. It is a pain because I am trying to do this quick and easy for plinking purposes but I don't want to risk an injury or damage.

[popeye4]

.30 Carbine is straight walled, correct? Can you just get a carbide sizing die?

[Whiterabbit]

If you are talking plinkers then you are talking hundreds of casings. I'm willing to bet more casings than your tumbler fits. So it's pretty easy to re-tumble after depriming without losing time. You can use the press to perform an operation on other brass while waiting. Only takes a few minutes for me.

[gunboat]

If you are trapping a "lot" of powder in the flare, your flare is too big. It only need to be a few thou larger than the bullet used -- You also may be using too much lube on the inside -- I generally only lube the very inside mouth every third or fouth case.

[Waldog]

If you are loading straight wall cases like MOST pistol cases AND the 30 carbine. You can save a lot of time by using carbide dies and Hornady "One Shot" spray lube. With carbide dies you don't NEED to lube but, it makes loading a whole lot easier. If you do use spray lube, use sparingly and you won't have to re-tumble to clean the lube off.

Most high volume pistol reloaders do it this way.

[thenodnarb]

Straight walled cases really don't need lube on the inside. Lubing the inside of rifle cases is only for the purpose of lubing the expander ball. Since the 30 carbine is straight walled, it doesn't need it. Just lube the outside, and get carbide dies when you have the chance.

Personally I clean the cases by hand one at a time. I don't re-tumble. But you can clean the lube off by hand with a towel after they are loaded if you are concerned. The problem with lube on the cases comes when it is being fired, which can cause excessive pressure on the bolt and locking lugs since the case can't "grip" the chamber at max pressure.

Just use a lube pad and only lube the outsides.

[Qwigs]

Thanks for all the advice.

My decision to not buy carbide dies was due to the higher cost. I regret that I didn't just pay the extra $30 and get carbide.

At first I was assuming I needed to lube inside and out but after a few rounds I changed to just lube the outside. My technique was to lay 6-8 cases on a rag with the neck facing away from me and squirt once with Case Slick and then roll them back and forth. This seemed to do the trick but I think I got lube on the expander part of the die which transferred to the neck of the case every time I sized. Also I was using a very fine grain powder (Win 296) which probably also made it stick easier.

I was also thinking about getting some kind of narrow drop tube for my powder measure so it actually goes inside the case and past the neck instead of around the outside.

[Whiterabbit]

You can always (later) buy JUST a carbide sizer. That's what the person who sold me my equipment did. I have 4-5 dies for 357 and 44, both carbide and non carbide.

Two suggestions:

If you have a tumbler, it really does only take 5 minutes or so with dry media to remove the lube. It's not a big deal to tumble lube off.

If you DON'T have a tumbler (and don't want to spend the $50 at HF for one), I'd suggest lining up all the cases facing down or up, doesnt matter, then hitting them with your lube. Then alternate lube and dry case.

OR, you could follow the one-sot spraycan directions and lube the DIE, not the case. That might work too.

All these methods would reduce your reliance on specialized equipment.