newbie here - how much is too much case lubricant?

[gbr7519]

Hey guys, I'm new to reloading and of course ran into some issues. I did my first round of .223s and got a few squibs. I took them all apart and got a new powder thrower and redid them all (checked very often). I decided to redo my first round of .308s and found the powder clumped together inside the casing. I was having to smack the case against my work bench multiple times before the powder would come out, and then it came out in clumps. My only thought is that I overdid it with the case lubricant. Can any reloading vets confirm this, or have any other ideas? Thanks for the help!

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Did you have case lube inside your necks? Only put case lube on the body of the case, and use it very sparingly. Do not get it on the shoulder or the neck and definitely not inside the neck

 

[jepp2]

I overdid it with the case lubricant.

What lube did you use, how did you apply it, and as @Dusty Stevens asked, where did you put it?

I use 12:1 Bootleg case lube and spray the entire case. BUT it is very forgiving and at that mix, I never get dents from excess lube. I remove it by tumbling in plain 20-40 corn cob for 30 minutes.

 

[CJ6]

If you're getting dents in your cases (neck, shoulder, body) you have WAY too much lube on them.

 

[Ned Ludd]

I use Hornady One Shot Lube, and I pretty much hose down the cases on the outside, as well as down into the necks because I need the inside of the neck lubed inside for a subsequent mandrel sizing step. This approach has not caused me any problems with respect to sizing such as dented shoulders, etc. The likely reason for that is that a major component of One Shot Lube is the solvent (hexane), which evaporates very quickly. However, if one uses as much as I do, there can be a sufficient amount of the actual lubricant (I don't know what compound that is) inside the cases after the hexane dries to cause the kind of powder clumping you described. For that reason, I re-clean the cases after lube/sizing by soaking them several times for 10-15 minutes in the same Dawn/Lemishine mixture I use for the initial tumbling with SS pins. The cases are then rinsed several times with hot water and dried.

 

[gbr7519]

What lube did you use, how did you apply it, and as @Dusty Stevens asked, where did you put it?

I use 12:1 Bootleg case lube and spray the entire case. BUT it is very forgiving and at that mix, I never get dents from excess lube. I remove it by tumbling in plain 20-40 corn cob for 30 minutes.

I'm using One Shot and I sprayed 50 round tray at a 45 degree angle on all 4 sides, and I did that much because I got one of the .308 cases stuck in the die and I thought I almost ruined the die getting it out (the de-priming pin bent back fine). When I pulled all my .223 rounds the powder poured out fine. The .308 rounds are clumping terribly. You think they're safe to shoot?

 

[gbr7519]

I use Hornady One Shot Lube, and I pretty much hose down the cases on the outside, as well as down into the necks because I need the inside of the neck lubed inside for a subsequent mandrel sizing step. This approach has not caused me any problems with respect to sizing such as dented shoulders, etc. The likely reason for that is that a major component of One Shot Lube is the solvent (hexane), which evaporates very quickly. However, if one uses as much as I do, there can be a sufficient amount of the actual lubricant (I don't know what compound that is) inside the cases after the hexane dries to cause the kind of powder clumping you described. For that reason, I re-clean the cases after lube/sizing by soaking them several times for 10-15 minutes in the same Dawn/Lemishine mixture I use for the initial tumbling with SS pins. The cases are then rinsed several times with hot water and dried.

So you size them and then clean them again? I use a Lee auto press and do the sizing, priming, powder, bullet and crimping all at once. Do you think the lubricant will affect the way they shoot?

 

[M-61]

Do you have some reloading manuals? Or a friend who is experienced?
Everyone starts somewhere. It’s great to see you’re reloading but if clumped powder in a case due to lube I think maybe taking another read or talking to a reloading buddy would be time we’ll spent

 

[jepp2]

The .308 rounds are clumping terribly. You think they're safe to shoot?

Were the 308 rounds compressed powder charges? I've had clumping when the powder is compressed.

So you size them and then clean them again?

Well, what I really do is anneal, clean them, lube & size, and remove the lube. I just find it simpler to toss them in the tumbler to accomplish this.

and I did that much because I got one of the .308 cases stuck in the die and I thought I almost ruined the die getting it out

I'm not a One Shot user. But some folks have issues with it IF they don't:
1. allow it to completely dry
2. thoroughly clean their die of the previous lube before switching to One Shot.
A recommended video before using One Shot

 

[Ned Ludd]

So you size them and then clean them again? I use a Lee auto press and do the sizing, priming, powder, bullet and crimping all at once. Do you think the lubricant will affect the way they shoot?

That is correct. I have always done it this way because of the amount I use, which is quite a bit, and the fact that I am also lubing the inside of the necks, which leads to more of the actual lubricant getting inside the case. Unless one needs to lube both the inside and outside of the cases/necks when using both a bushing die and mandrel sizing step as I do, there should be no reason to get much of the spray down inside the cases. Just spraying the outside of the case is sufficient, and very little will get down into the case. According to Hornady and a few shooters I know that do it this way, a tiny bit of the lube inside the case won't cause a problem with powder clumping or ignition. However, when you soak them down like I do, it is a concern. If I knew what the actual lubricant(s) were, I might have more insight, but the lubricating ingredients are proprietary. The MSDS only list hexane and a petroleum derivative as solvents/carriers, not the lubricating compound itself.

I don't know with certainty whether clumping of powder kernels by the lubricant residue inside the cases would create issues with ignition/velocity, but I strongly suspect it might. I really don't want to find out the hard way. That is why I clean the cases again after lubing/re-sizing them by soaking them in Dawn/Lemishine. Note that I do NOT tumble them a second time with SS pins, I just soak them a few times in the hot water/detergent to get the lubricant out of/off of them. Again, if one doesn't need lubricant inside the neck, it is relatively simple to spray the cases from the side such that very little, if any, goes down inside the case. In that scenario, just wiping off the outside of the case is probably sufficient.

 

[243Lapua]

By any chance did you clean or polish the brass using the stainless steel / detergent wash. Then let the brass dry. I ran into something like your issue. Problem was that the brass wasn't fully dry on the inside. Powder would clump.

 

[GLO123]

For lubing the inside on the cases I just put some lube on the pad and run a small plastic brush over the lube pad to get a tiny amount on the tips of the bristles. Then run the brush inside each case.

 

[itchyTF]

I’m a One-Shot user and rarely have any problems. If it feels a little hard going in, I’ll add more lube. Doesn’t happen very often. To get lube in or out of the necks I use a Q-Tip. Dry to get it out and sprayed to get it in.

 

[RICK SMITH]

Royal case lube. The spray kind. 4 to 5 sprays on 100 cases. Period

 

[K22]

It's difficult to diagnosis your problem without seeing what you're doing and how you're doing it.

I used One Shot** for many years and never had a stuck case or the problem you described. I used a Sinclair Lube rack and sprayed the cases covering the entire circumference avoiding the inside of the case. I let the cases set for a few minutes until dry then sized them.

Are you using ball powder? The only thing I can think of is that you are getting lube inside the case and it's still in liquid form when you add powder. Ball powder would be more susceptible to clumping due to the interaction with wet lube. Still, it difficult for me to image One Shot causing this kind of issue if it's allowed dry. One Shot, because of its nature, rarely deforms a case when sizing. It's almost fool proof in my experience.

If you need to lube the inside of the necks, the best way I found was to use a nylon caliber specific brush (a cleaning type which is slightly undersized from nylon lube brushes) and apply a very small amount of lube to the brush and rotate the brush just in the neck portion of the case. Then I lube the body. Afterwards, I wipe the cases clean with a shop towel and run a separate clean (no lube) nylon brush (the oversized lube bush type) into the neck to remove any residual lube which there is seldom any excess. I've found that lubing the inside of the neck is rarely needed if you tumble clean your cases first and have a polished expander button.

** (Several years ago, I switched to Imperial sizing wax because it's much cheaper and lasts much longer. I'm not suggesting you switch because it requires some skill to apply the proper amount of Imperial without deforming the case when sizing. For a beginner, One Shot is a good choice.)

 

[DNorton]

By any chance did you clean or polish the brass using the stainless steel / detergent wash. Then let the brass dry. I ran into something like your issue. Problem was that the brass wasn't fully dry on the inside. Powder would clump.

This perhaps.

 

[nilebartram]

One shot is good for .223 and 6BR. But for 308 and 30-06, imperial wax is the best. I use one shot on a 308 and I got a stuck case. Luckily I add a stuck case remover. There is a learning cure to the wax. Find a re-loading buddy. Bet there is one on this forum that lives in your area of Texas, that will help you. Just a suggestion. Good luck, be safe.

 

[Kymike]

After sizing and de-priming and trimming(if required), my next step is to wash the brass in hot water and Dawn dishing washing detergent and then a very hot rinse. I used to air dry for a few days but on a few occasions found small amounts of water still in the brass. I then bought a brass dryer and solved that problem. This washing and drying process removes all the lubricants from the brass. I then used compressed air and blow through each case to remove any type of remaining contaminants and verify there is no remaining moisture. This gives me a very clean and dry case to prime, charge with powder and seat a bullet in. This may sound a little excessive, but when i pull the trigger i want the best possible odds of a round firing properly and safely. Do not take short cuts when reloading. Make sure your ammo is safe and reliable. good luck

 

[Bill K]

Probably most of you are too young to remember but " A little dap will do you" the old Brylcream hair cream.
Sound like you are putting way to much down the neck, into the case and it is not drying before you load the powder and getting contaminated.
One shot or Imperial, used sparingly on the upper case/should/neck area is all you need.

 

[std7mag]

I use Dillon spray lube, but probably not the way it's intended to be used.

I'm old, Polish, & Lysdexic.

I spray the lube on a Q-Tip. Quick swipe inside the sizing die & on the madrel before i start sizing.
Then wipe inside & outside the case neck & around the body. Leaving the shoulder alone.
Just wipe off after sizing with a paper towel.