The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - When do you use lube when reloading straight cases?

David Wile · February 21, 2010, 07:28 PM

Hey folks,

All of my pistol die sets are carbide now. I still have old 9mm, .357 Mag, and .44 Mag die sets that are not carbide, but I have long ago replaced them with carbide sets. I do not use any lube with any pistol carbide die sets. I do use an old fashioned lube pad for bottle neck as well as straight walled rifle calibers.

Back around 1960, I bought a regular three die set for loading 9mm Luger rounds. It was not a carbide sizing die. After a few months of lubing and loading the 9mm with the regular steel sizing die, I looked at the taper of the 9mm and wondered if I could get away without using any lube for sizing. I did the first case very slowly buy running it up a little, backing it out, and running it up again in several stages until it was fully sized, and it did not get stuck. After doing more with fewer strokes, I realized I could size these 9mm cases without lube and without getting them stuck. I simply ran a case up the sizing die somewhat slowly and never had a problem.

Over the years, I continued to size my 9mm cases in that same sizer die without any lube whatsoever. In 1984, I was loading a bunch of 9mm cases with the same old die set and no lube when I found a case come out of the die with two scratches on its side. I did a few more cases, and they all had the same scratches. Apparently, one of my earlier cases got something inside the die that scratched the die which then started scratching the cases that followed.

I figured I had over 20 years of not bothering to lube those 9mm cases and that it was worth the loss of the die, and I really did not mind replacing the 9mm die set with a carbide die set. By the time this happened, I already had all my other pistol die sets in carbide sizer dies.

In spite of my success in sizing 9mm without lube in a regular steel sizer die, I never tried sizing any .357 or .44 cases without lube when I was using the old steel sizer dies. I would not recommend that anyone buy an old steel sizer die set for 9mm and do what I did back in 1960. The cost of carbide die sets is a lot less now than what they were compared to regular die sets in the 1950s and 1960s.

The appeal of the carbide die set to me was the fact that one does not have to use lube for sizing, and I am one of those who never uses lube with my carbide die sets. I never have any problem sizing without lube with the carbide sets, so I am surprised to find those who do have such problems.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

February 21, 2010, 07:28 PM	#21
David Wile Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2001 Location: Mechanicsburg, PA Posts: 585	Hey folks, All of my pistol die sets are carbide now. I still have old 9mm, .357 Mag, and .44 Mag die sets that are not carbide, but I have long ago replaced them with carbide sets. I do not use any lube with any pistol carbide die sets. I do use an old fashioned lube pad for bottle neck as well as straight walled rifle calibers. Back around 1960, I bought a regular three die set for loading 9mm Luger rounds. It was not a carbide sizing die. After a few months of lubing and loading the 9mm with the regular steel sizing die, I looked at the taper of the 9mm and wondered if I could get away without using any lube for sizing. I did the first case very slowly buy running it up a little, backing it out, and running it up again in several stages until it was fully sized, and it did not get stuck. After doing more with fewer strokes, I realized I could size these 9mm cases without lube and without getting them stuck. I simply ran a case up the sizing die somewhat slowly and never had a problem. Over the years, I continued to size my 9mm cases in that same sizer die without any lube whatsoever. In 1984, I was loading a bunch of 9mm cases with the same old die set and no lube when I found a case come out of the die with two scratches on its side. I did a few more cases, and they all had the same scratches. Apparently, one of my earlier cases got something inside the die that scratched the die which then started scratching the cases that followed. I figured I had over 20 years of not bothering to lube those 9mm cases and that it was worth the loss of the die, and I really did not mind replacing the 9mm die set with a carbide die set. By the time this happened, I already had all my other pistol die sets in carbide sizer dies. In spite of my success in sizing 9mm without lube in a regular steel sizer die, I never tried sizing any .357 or .44 cases without lube when I was using the old steel sizer dies. I would not recommend that anyone buy an old steel sizer die set for 9mm and do what I did back in 1960. The cost of carbide die sets is a lot less now than what they were compared to regular die sets in the 1950s and 1960s. The appeal of the carbide die set to me was the fact that one does not have to use lube for sizing, and I am one of those who never uses lube with my carbide die sets. I never have any problem sizing without lube with the carbide sets, so I am surprised to find those who do have such problems. Best wishes, Dave Wile