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View Poll Results: When do you use lube when reloading straight cases?
Never 34 64.15%
Sometimes 12 22.64%
Always 7 13.21%
Voters: 53. You may not vote on this poll

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Old December 2, 2019, 11:27 PM   #26
Ben Dover
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I use Dillon spray lube on nearly everything.

Imperial wax on the big magnums and for case forming.
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Old December 2, 2019, 11:52 PM   #27
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My answer today would be the same as if I had posted it in this thread 10 YEARS AGO...

carbide dies, no lube all others, lube.
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Old December 3, 2019, 06:47 AM   #28
zeke
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Am using carbide (or whatever depending on make) for pistol brass and a little lube now and again during the run makes it so much easier. When doing 1000 cases, easier is better for this old boy. Not enough to worry about cleaning the cases after ward.
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Old December 3, 2019, 10:00 AM   #29
Ben Dover
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There is no NEED for lube with carbide dies in most straight wall calibres.

Nevertheless, a light lube, such as Dillon spray lube makes the process much easier, especially on progressive presses.

Since the lube is so easily removed with tumbling in corncobs with a dash of mineral spirits, I see no reason not to use it.
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Old December 3, 2019, 10:27 AM   #30
zxcvbob
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If you consider .30 Carbine to be a straight case (it's tapered), you do need lube for that one even with carbide dies. Lube also helps a little although not really necessary with 9mm (also tapered)
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Old December 3, 2019, 10:28 AM   #31
AgedWarrior
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With carbide dies I do not lube, otherwise for all else I do.
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Old December 3, 2019, 11:23 AM   #32
Wyosmith
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Carbide dies require no lube,. BUT if you roll the cases on a pad and give them a very light coat you'll find the reloading process is easier and slicker. I like to lube even when I don't need to. If you have a lot to load use a spray lube.

It's not uncommon for me to load many thousands of cartridges when I set up for a given caliber on my Dillon, so making each stroke easier and faster is worth it to me. The Hornady spray lube is super fast and easy and you use so little of it when using carbide dies that to me it's worth the extra step. I often place a sheet of news paper on the floor and cover it up with a blanket of cases so it is not uncommon to have well over 1000 on the sheet. I then spray over the lot of them with the Hornady lube. After about 1 minute I put them all back in a clean bucket and that's how I dispense them onto the machine. Fast, easy and super slick.
If you try it I'll bet you like how it works.
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Old December 3, 2019, 12:25 PM   #33
Unclenick
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AcridSaint,

While I've not encountered your issue, I am wondering if your chambers are generous enough to exaggerate the taper on your brass. That would make carbide ring sizing, which makes the case straight as far down as the ring goes, more difficult. But I am still surprised by how difficult you are reporting it to be. I've accidentally run a .45 Auto case into a .44 Mag sizing die before and not noticed anything was wrong until I withdrew it and realized I had inadvertently created a new wildcat. This die was a gold nitride-coated carbide die, so the extra lubricity may have helped, but even so, I am wondering if you got some brass-plated steel cases into your mix. Steel makes resizing much harder. Double-check with a magnet.

If that isn't it, the taper is all I can think of. Since it is giving you grief, the only solution possibility that comes to mind is to buy a smoother type of carbide dies, like the Redding titanium carbide die. These dies are smoother and slicker feeling than standard carbide dies (and more expensive). But no guarantees on my part. You've got an odd situation there.
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Old December 3, 2019, 02:08 PM   #34
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Unclenick,
this is a resurrected zombie thread, AcridSaint last posted here in 2010, I'm pretty sure he either solved his problem or moved on since then.
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Old December 3, 2019, 02:39 PM   #35
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Yep! Brain Gas. I looked at the end and then didn't read the dates when I went back to the start.
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Old December 3, 2019, 06:27 PM   #36
labnoti
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I've always used carbide dies, and did not lube. Then I read advice that lube improves the process even with carbide dies. Now I always lube when resizing and expanding. I use Hornady One Shot case lube. I spray the cases, then load them in the case feeder on my progressive press. I get very smooth progress.

I clean the cases in the wet tumbler before I load them. I always start loading with clean, dry, sized and primed cases. I generally store most of my unloaded cases in this condition. The only thing that's varies is the priming.

My cases do not have lube on them when I charge with powder, seat the bullet and crimp.
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Old December 3, 2019, 08:11 PM   #37
Kevin Rohrer
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1. Never for pistol cartridges as it is not necessary.
2. Always for rifle cartridges (e.g. .30 Carbine, 45/70) because it is necessary.
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Old December 4, 2019, 07:39 AM   #38
RaySendero
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I didn't vote.
None of those options fit me.
I always lube the 1st case.
From there, I may use lube, some lube or may not.
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Old December 4, 2019, 09:11 AM   #39
Road_Clam
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I lube all my straights both pistol and rifle. For me its purely a situation of applying the least amount of abuse on my press operating arm. I gave myself tendinitis when i was new to handliading and that was miserable pain ! There is a big difference when using casing lube especially after loading a larger 100+ lot of ammo.
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Old December 4, 2019, 11:07 AM   #40
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Old December 4, 2019, 11:32 AM   #41
Nick_C_S
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I spray lube all my pistol cases (with carbide dies). It makes the lever effort much easier and that would seem to be a good thing with my meager knowledge of machining.

However, I only bother do it because I know I'm going to tumble all the brass in ss pins after sizing/flairing to get them all nice n shiny (which is important to me). I figure, since the brass is going to get a bath that'll wash off the lube anyway, why not just take a quick moment to spray lube them?

So, I kind of "backed into" lubing my cases, but I do none-the-less.
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Old December 5, 2019, 07:11 AM   #42
waldens
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Yep, a little teensy bit of lube even on straight wall is a good defense if you ever feel any arm or shoulder pain from reloading. Advice I’m going to start following myself.
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Old December 5, 2019, 08:56 AM   #43
Steve in PA
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Never. Been reloading since about 1991 and I’ve never used lube on a single straight wall pistol case. I use carbide dies for those cases and found the need to lube them before sizing.
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Old December 5, 2019, 11:16 AM   #44
TX Nimrod
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Ten-year-old zombie thread. But in the spirit of togetherness - I never lube carbide dies including .30 Carbine. Why bother to buy carbide dies if you’re going to use lube?

I always lube steel dies for handgun cartridges and the .45-70. Hornady OneShot or Imperial sizing die wax.



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Last edited by TX Nimrod; December 5, 2019 at 11:32 AM.
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