What case lubricant do you use.

What case lubricant do you use when loading your pistol ammunition? I am loading 9mm, 38 and 45 brass stainless pin washed cases (Lemmy Shine & Armor All Wash & Wax) in either Dillon, Redding or Star carbide dies and finish tumbling completed rounds in corn cob & Dillon polish to remove lube. I like to lube the case to keep resizing effort more consistent and smoother-or less jarring to the other filled cases in the shellplate. Haven’t verified this scientifically, but thought it might help with more consistent headspace/sizing(?)

I used to use Dillon spray lube which worked great, but wanted something less messy. Spray pump bottle was handy, though. Lee, RCBS, Redding required hand rolling. Imperial sizing wax was out of the question as it had to be applied by hand. 

Tried Hornady One Shot and found it to be the best so far. Lay clean cases on baking sheet, spray, quick shake of pans to roll and respray. Pans don’t get crusaded out as fast either.  Trick is to do not too many, enough for one bowl of cases in case feeder seems to cut waste.

Anyone else have a better method?

I don't lube straight wall cases with carbide dies. I load .32 S&W-L, 9mm, .38 Spcl, and .45acp. Bottle neck rifle cases get a little Hornady One Shot.

Hornady One shot, when I size the cases.

Hornady Case Lube but only find it necessary with new brass.

No, I'm not joking.  I dump cases in plastic box.  Put minimal amount of Vaseline on my hands, rub hands against each other first, then rub them on cases inside of the box.
AP

PhotoEscape wrote:

No, I'm not joking.  I dump cases in plastic box.  Put minimal amount of Vaseline on my hands, rub hands against each other first, then rub them on cases inside of the box.
AP

How does that reduce the friction between the expander and the inside of the case?  

I use One-shot.

I couldn't come up with a double-entandre way of asking.

One Shot, scoop up about 50 cases in a plastic coffee can and spray a shot or two while shaking in a circular motion.  I may put on more than I need but I do let them sit a while before dumping them into the case feeder.

I've tried more "wet" type lubes they work well but they also tend to gum up the press.

- Dave 
ps if I didn't get enough One Shot inside the cases (rare) I will put a little on my fingers and rub it on the expander.

I use a square baking pan and shake the cases around, which gets at least half to stand up case-mouth-up.  Roughly half having lube inside is sufficient to not have expander stickiness.

Aprilian wrote:I use a square baking pan and shake the cases around, which gets at least half to stand up case-mouth-up.  Roughly half having lube inside is sufficient to not have expander stickiness.

I use my own PTUs.  They don't stick, even full length Wadcutter ones need very little force to retract expander.  Feel free to read reviews mentioning the same on UniqueTek's website - http://uniquetek.com/product/T1582?all_reviews_171467806=true

AP

Greetings,

I also use Carbide sizing dies for the straight wall cases.

The 9mm, which I load rarely, does need a wee bit of lube even with Carbide dies due to the taper of the case.

Star used to recommend "wet your finger tips with a bit of lanolin and stir the cases prior to loading". This worked rather well for me and I do not recall any mess to clean up.

Cheers,

Dave

For loading in carbide dies, you don’t need much.

A technique I’ve used is to load up my hands with Hornady Unique case lube. Cover the palms of both hands like your greasing your hands to keep a batter from sticking. Then pour a few hundred cases into a square baking pan and then run your hands through the pile like your mixing the dry portion of cake batter. The lube will get on the cases but not too thick and is quick and easy. Wipe off the excess lube on your hands. About 400 38 cases can be done this way.

A side benefit of the hand rubbing technique is that it gives you another chance to hear the ring of a cracked case.

One Shot seems to be the way to go for now.

Drowning-I am going to try your coffee can technique.  Will be more efficient spraying the lube in a confined space vs. over a large making pan. 

Thanks everyone.

One Shot
I dump the cases in a big plastic bag , spray for a moment, shake the bag , spray again, shake again.
Done, works great.
Keeps those cases  from sticking in the dies , lots less wear on my right shoulder !

I've been using Lyman spray lube. I spray it on an old t-shirt. I pour in brass; pull up the corners and massage the lube into the cases. At my age, anything that makes working that handle on the press easier is a plus for me. I'm sure that Hornady One Shot is as good or better.

Using a single stage I resize/decap before cleaning 9mm brass.  The carbon deposit outside the case causes much friction on the carbide die.  To overcome the excessive pressure needed to resize I spray the corner of a t-shirt section patch with Rem Oil and twist each case mouth area in the oiled patch.  Caveat is I only use single stage for handloading.

I mix 4 oz liquid lanolin with 12 oz 90% alcohol in a spray bottle. Put the cases in a pan and spray. The lube works it way into the necks of the cases. This mix works great and is much cheaper than commercial lubes.

Hornady One Shot for the pistol rounds loaded on a progressive. Easy and helps the machines run much smoother.
Tried all kinds of stuff for rifle, Unique, RCBS, Lee, Lanolin, ear wax...PAM. Some worked some not so much. Used a square of carpet backing pad soaked with RCBS for years loading for High Power. Washed them in a bucket of alcohol outside. I could get the alcohol free back then and it dried fast.