[Unclenick]

If your straight wall pistol dies are carbide, you don't need to lube for them. That's why people buy carbide instead of steel. Lubing for them is just makework, IMHO. A group of us gets together for a big shooting and loading week every fall up in Maine. The host owns a 1050 and we run about 2000 rounds of .45 ACP a day through it while we are there. Haven't lubed a one yet. The only time it slows is when we accidentally get a steel Wolf case in there, but it has successfully loaded a few of those, too.

Get a tumber, if you don't have one, and clean the cases well and the carbide dies will do just fine unassisted. Steel pistol dies need lube, same as steel rifle dies. Carbide dies for bottleneck cases (rifle or pistol) also need lube, as I proved to myself by accident at one point. Redding claims their carbide is a smoother microscopic form, and might load with less resistance. I haven't tried it.

Cleaning after lubing is unnecessary if the lube is one that dries or if you are sure you didn't squirt it inside the case. I wouldn't trust it in an accuracy load, if for no other reason than introducing inconsistent start pressure, though practical pistol loads aren't precise enough to care. As long as you don't store them for an extended period, they should be fine.

The idea straight petroleum-based lubes will cause excess breechface or boltface thrust is pretty well put to rest on Varmint Al's web site. You would have to use moly all over a rifle case to get a significant increase. In a low pressure pistol case like .45 ACP or .38 Special, even that won't matter a whit. You could probably tumble your pistol cases in motor mica safely if you want to try to slick them up for the progressive reloading machines. I think it would be less messy. I'm thinking here of the mess on your hands an in your gun from loading and firing oily cases. Haven't tried this, either, so it is just a thought.

Cheap lube is just a $1.50 blue plastic bottle of STP from Wally World, mixed with oderless mineral spirits or denatured alcohol to thin it for spraying.

Nick