Question on case lube??

[DaveTN]

I've read many, many conflicting articles on case lube, and some pretty amusing articles about what to use (kinda like "favorite gun oil" stories). So I thought I would ask here.

If I ever get powder, my first rifle loads will be .308 WIN. I get the whole idea behind case lube, especially on non-carbide sizing dies, which is what I will be using (LEE 90507). My question is about inside the neck?? It seems to me if you have lube inside the neck, the powder would hand up on the inside of the neck and it would also it would contaminate the powder? Is this not a problem? Many of the videos I see of rifle case lube, the people are either spreading it on or rolling the cases around in it. Doesn't seem to me that would get much, if any, lube inside the neck.

I have these, that were with different things I bought. And I have most every kind of quality metal lube known to man.

 

[Specializedjon]

Dave, I don't have any experience with the two on the left but I use the Dillon case lube pretty regularly. I don't lube inside the neck for the reasons you've stated. I simply put 50-100 on a piece of cardboard and lightly mist the casings, then roll them around. Should be "wet" just slightly greasy feeling. Hope that helps.

 

[Jcalder]

I don't use any you listed but I do use Hornady one shot. I usually just squirt a little in the die itself before I start and everything works as it should. A little goes a long ways.

 

[fullstream]

I don't use any you listed but I do use Hornady one shot. I usually just squirt a little in the die itself before I start and everything works as it should. A little goes a long ways.

Yup same here, can always through em back in tumbler if concerned with excess lube.

 

[Omega]

My preference of those three would be imperial, but only for the outside of the case, inside the neck I would get a bit of this, it's just a sort of graphite powder, a little dab in the neck and your golden. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking carbide dies don't need any lube on bottle necked cases, they always need it. On straight walled cases then yes, you can probably forgo the lube, but I still use it on the longer cases. The listings below are representative, I think Frankford Arsenal makes something like this too, and a bit cheaper.
Lyman 7631360 Case Neck Dipper

Redding Imperial Convenience Pack Dry Neck Lube Plus Application Media

 

[backyardtndeer]

I use one shot case lube as well. I may use it a little differently than most though. I will use a medium sized ziploc bag, and spray the brass in the bag. I used to spray the brass after putting it in my loading blocks, a lot quicker to just drop them in a bag. For the resized brass, I clean after resizing, trimming, and deburring and chamfering.

 

[Jcalder]

I use one shot case lube as well. I may use it a little differently than most though. I will use a medium sized ziploc bag, and spray the brass in the bag. I used to spray the brass after putting it in my loading blocks, a lot quicker to just drop them in a bag. For the resized brass, I clean after resizing, trimming, and deburring and chamfering.

I've used a bag/box with the shake method. Somehow the lube gets where it needs and also clean as my last step. Just works better that way for me

 

[MUP]

I'm a little different yet, as I use unique wax, and have a Qtip swab laying in the cup that keeps a light coat of wax on it. I use the Qtip to lightly swab about every 3rd or 4th case, to keep the neck mandrel lubed. I then put the cases into the dry media tumbler to clean any residual lube off them before loading.

 

[EastTNHunter]

The sizing wax is the way to go. If the die expander catches then you can use a little bit of motor mica, or just a touch of the sizing wax on the case mouth. I usually only need that for 223/5.56 and 270. My expanders don't give me problems for any of my 30 cals for some reason

 

[mr.big]

I use the spray lube also ,on calibers that I use bushing dies there is no need for inside the necks to be lubed as there is no expander plug, on calibers I use regular dies with an expander plug I spray some lube on a nylon brush and insert it in the case.

I much prefer the bushing dies and no inside lube as I like to leave the carbon inside the neck, the carbon inside the neck seems to me to help with consistency in seating and in velocity readings

 

[skipperbrown]

I use Hornady case lube after the brass is in the loading block. Just takes a brief spray from 2 sides. I hold the spray at a 45 degree angle and enough gets in the case mouth to lube it. After it dries, it won't affect your powder.

 

[fairchaser]

I use a dab of unique case wax on my finger and rub each case as I pick it up to size and only on the outside using a bushing die. After sizing I wipe it off with a towel. Before I use a mandrel to open the neck, I use a Qtip to swap the inside of each neck with dry neck lube. This is enough to lube for the mandrel and the bullet. The powder does not adhere to the dry neck lube.

 

[Safari Hunt]

I use RCBS lube and roll the cases on the foam pad before sizing. Once I forgot and had to send the die to RCBS to get the case removed. I periodically clean the die to get any crud out of it.

 

[rifle02]

I guess I am lazy. I stand all the cases on end on a piece of cardboard and spray them with Hornady One Shot. Some goes in the neck I'm sure but I have never had powder hang up on it and it says it won't contaminate your powder. Seems to be true.

 

[Olevern]

I've read many, many conflicting articles on case lube, and some pretty amusing articles about what to use (kinda like "favorite gun oil" stories). So I thought I would ask here.

If I ever get powder, my first rifle loads will be .308 WIN. I get the whole idea behind case lube, especially on non-carbide sizing dies, which is what I will be using (LEE 90507). My question is about inside the neck?? It seems to me if you have lube inside the neck, the powder would hand up on the inside of the neck and it would also it would contaminate the powder? Is this not a problem? Many of the videos I see of rifle case lube, the people are either spreading it on or rolling the cases around in it. Doesn't seem to me that would get much, if any, lube inside the neck.

I have these, that were with different things I bought. And I have most every kind of quality metal lube known to man.

I do lube the inside of the neck but use a lanolin-based lube (Hornady Unique) that will not contaminate powder.
Even so, it will cause powder to stick to the inside of the case neck and sometimes block up the neck so that you spill powder where it "bridges" in the neck. Solution is to reverse the application process, ie: where you rolled a q-tip in the lube cake and then coated the inside of the case neck with the lube, to remove you would get a fresh q-tip and rub it around the inside of the case neck, thereby removing the case lube.

Lubing the inside of the case necks has the benefit of easing the ball in it's travel down inside the neck and , most particularly, makes for a smooth and easy withdrawal of that sizing ball back out of the case thru the neck. With no lube there my concern is that the pulling of the ball back thru the neck without lube creating a lot of friction and can sometimes pull the shoulder that you just sized or bumped back a bit forward.

Just my procedure worked out over fifty years of reloading, both for competition, hunting and plinking.

I used to use Imperial sizing wax, but find I like Unique lube from Hornady better.

BTW, little is better using Unique, too much on the case body and you get a buildup in your die and hydraulic dents, and, likewise, just a hint of lube in the case neck eases the processs considerably.