Alternative case lube?

[Heavies]

I recently ran out of my usual lube and did not have time to head over to the gun shop to pick up more. So, on the net, I saw that some folks were using Kiwi Mink Oil shoe polish to lube their cases.

I cleaned up my dies and touched my finger to the polish. I ran my finger around the base of the case with a VERY light coat of wax applied to the case. First shell there was a little resistance while the freshly cleaned die was coated with the polish, but a lot less force applied than with the other lube I had been using. Thereafter, the cases slid into the sizer SUPER SLICK. To remove the lube I used my normal method of NeverDull and rag wipe during my trim/chamfer operation. A very light coat goes a long long way with this stuff, and shoulder bumps were super consistent. No more excess lube messing up the bump.

Has anyone here used this to size cases, and are there any cons to using this product for this application?

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[DennisH]

I don't see a problem unless there is something in the polish that would damage your brass.

My favorite is the Hornady Paste. It's the best IMO.

 

[FergusBailey]

I have been using Hornady Unique case lube for years to resize 6PPC brass at the range - it works better for that than anything else I have found. The packaging also advises it can be used for waterproofing boots and shoes.

I dont know what it is, but I always assumed some Hornady tech tried some shoe product as a reloading lube, and found it worked so well, the firm went out and bought it in volume to relable for the shooting market. Who knows how many sets of packaging the same stuff is sold under?

 

[5spd]

The wax toilet ring is perfect for sizing as well. Its pretty much where the canned solid lubes started from eons ago.

 

[amlevin]

My favorite is the Hornady Paste. It's the best IMO.

And just like Mink Oil, you can use it on your shoes 8) 8)

When done lubing cases, just wipe the excess on the boots. With everything getting expensive we've all got to economize wherever we can ;D ;D

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Smilin' Mink Oil (paste) = Hornady Unique Lube

Been using it for years. It is a lanolin product.

 

[Heavies]

Thank you all for the responses. Looks like it'll work just fine.

 

[BoydAllen]

For me the biggest issue for case lubes is how convenient they are to use, and a big part of that is how difficult they are to completely remove from cases. IMO the worst, in this respect, are the old anhydrous lanolin products products like the original RCBS case lube, and among the easiest to remove is RCBS Case Lube II, which is water soluble.

 

[Barrett Driver]

Since I shoot the 50 caliber cannon shells, my case lube consists of a mixture of liquid lanolin and isopropyl alcohol at 99% purity. I hit upon the ratio of 15 parts isopropyl and one part lanolin in a spray bottle. Laying out 40 or 50 of these cases on a cookie sheet, I spray them down and roll them on the sheet to distribute the solution and then let them sit for a few while the alcohol evaporates and leaves the lanolin on the case. Full length resizing and decapping is next and I wipe each case off after this first step. Dillon sells this in small spray bottles and I made my own for less money. Shake before using. A little lanolin falling out of solution means you have a saturated mixture with just a hair extra in the bottom of the spray bottle.

 

[lpreddick]

another anhydrous lanolin fan here. i mix mine with automatic transmission fluid , 10-w30 synthetic oil and marvel's mystery oil...an eyeball guess. if too thin, add more lanolin. the stuff is really slick but does require removal. a little goes a long way.

 

[amlevin]

Anyone ever try AstroGlide? Water soluble and nice and clean. 8)

 

[Heavies]

Anyone ever try AstroGlide? Water soluble and nice and clean. 8)

LOL ;D

 

[BoydAllen]

What is this about a lube not requiring removal? A lubed case can really increase bolt thrust. It is for that reason that I believe that the admonition to remove lube after sizing is pretty much universal. I also dry my chambers after cleaning for the same reason.

 

[Johnboy]

When I first started reloading I too used the ( old timers ) way.( lanolin )It was and still is a great lube BUT I found it to be a mess or too hard to clean off for my taste.Then one day I needed some shoe polish and came across the Mink Oil shoe polish.After reading the label and buying a can that I still have and use to this day I haven't used any other lube. For me I just put the lubed/resiszed cases into the corn cob and let it go for about 30 minutes.

The best thing I have found to useing Mink oil shoe polish is that its cheaper and comes in a bigger can.With the same can I have loaded many cases of many cals and still have over half a can of polish/lube.

 

[hoverp]

Best I've ever used was , and still is , Imperial wax.

 

[Leaddog]

+1 for Imperial.

 

[amlevin]

Anyone ever try AstroGlide? Water soluble and nice and clean. 8)

LOL ;D

Hey, it's mostly glycerin and that makes a good lube, doesn't it?

A comment from "Team Sinclair FAQ's"

Jeff Rorer – I use a Redding neck sizing die for this process after full length sizing. I shoot mostly Lapua, so I will use my measurements for this brass. I lube the outside of the neck with glycerin and set the die to size almost all of the neck with a 0.338 bushing.