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Full Sizing - Lube

K22

What are you guys using to lube your cases for full length resizing. I'm especially interested in the neck area since I've been experiencing some galling in the necks of my cases (308). I follow all the standard procedure of brass prep. and routinely clean my dies so when this started happening I was totally puzzled.

The Rep at RCBS told me that this is caused by brass particles embedding into the die over time which is what I suspected but completely puzzled why it happened since I'm very careful preping, cleaning and lubing my cases. He said adquately lubing the necks will prevent this which I thought I was doing but apparently not good enough. :(

I've been using Hornady One Shot for years and never had any problems until recently.

The Rep at RCBS told me to send the die to them and they'll either refurbish the die or replace it. When I told him that the die is over 20 years old he merely said, so what - Wow - that's customer service in the extreme - :)

I've been reloading since 1970 but apparently there are some things I still need to learn. :( This "old dog" is willing to lean new tricks. ;) Any advice you guys can offer would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hi K22,Hi all
I've tried 3 different lubes,all in paste or thick liquid(Lee,RCBS N°2,Hornady one shot wax)I put it by rolling the case between my fingers,a bit gooie but efficient if you pay special care to avoid the shoulder,and the best results so far are with RCBS n°2,I also use it for neck turning,works nice.Hornady wax is good too,but not as good.I even tried Johnson furniture beeswax,OK with me.In any event,don't put too much and stay away from the shoulder.Just my 2 cents.
 
A j shooter said:
Redding Imperial sizing wax . Last forever and works great
One shot is no good . For spray use dillon case lube.
Click to expand...
I use hornady one shot all the time I don't under stand some one saying it is no good I decap my casses and wash with iosso case wase and spray with one shot after drying wipe with cotton cloth then load and shoot. the only problems I ever hade was not useing enough. if you polish gently the inside neck of your die with 600 grit wet-o-dry you should have no more problems. I also use imperial sizeing die wax if I'm doing just a few casses or if I'm pushing shoulders back i.e. makeing shorter casses
good luck ,treeman
 
I tried about everything and I have settled on Imperial Wax because I can control the amount and where it is applied. Rcbs II lube is good, but messy and the pad is constantly picking up dirt. One Shot .....I never liked......spraying lube indiscriminately over the entire case does not seem like a good idea. There is also a misconception that One Shot doesn't have to be wiped off. I especially don't like the idea of spraying inside case necks .....this is where I definitely want to control the amount of lube ( if using an expander button). Not to mention the label claims it is flammable and to avoid prolonged breathing of vapors and contact with eyes and skin.
I definitely wouldn't use for sizing competition cases, as you will quickly start getting cases from the same batch that will start "clicking" due to the lube not being dispensed equally on all the cases.
 
I agree with most of what has been said, been using One Shot for many years, it goes on evenly from the spray & is just too easy. I use Imperial for heavy sizing. I'm going to have to get some of that RCBS II to try, as the price of One Shot seems to be climbing through the roof. I am wondering how the OP cleans his dies. As was mentioned before, you not only need to clean the lube out occaisionally, you need to also polish the trouble spots back out, too. I have used crocus cloth on a wood mandrell in a drill, and recently tried using 600 or 800 grit lapping compond on a patch over a cleaning swab spun by a drill, both with very good results. You could also use an abrasive bore cleaner on a patch probably - that would be a little kinder to the die maybe.
 
Imperial for heavy sizing and necking up.

For normal neck-sizing or full-length sizing I use Ballistol spray in the white can. It is clear, thin, VERY slippery, and it will clean the carbon off your necks as you apply the lube. It doesn't gunk up your dies and it comes off easily with a paper towel. It also emulsifies with water.

HR_427-006-00_ballistol_lube_6oz.jpg


I loathe the gummy sprays and the stuff applied with a rubber pad. Slow, messy and a byatch to clean off. Not a fan of One-Shot. The new RCBS lube is much better than it used to be.

If you have a good die to cartridge fit, Ballistol may be all you need. I spray a little on a cotton patch. Leaves your brass clean. The Ballistol goes on thin, clear and evenly with no thick spots.

If your FL sizing die is really crunching your brass then you'll need to use a thicker, heavier lube, such as Imperial die wax.

I'm sure Boyd Allen will chime in and say Ballistol smells funny.
 
Most every lube that I have tried worked. For me the big issue has always been how easy that they are to get off cases. Using that as the standard, RCBS Case Lube II is a good choice. I don't do a lot of volume loading, so I apply it with my fingers, which gives me a lot of control, starting with a small amount on the tip of an index finger. To remove it, I use an old washcloth, that is pretty wet, paying some attention to use different parts of the cloth as I go through a batch of cases. On the Ballistol, I got a bottle of the liquid, and although I didn't have any problem with how it worked (I got it to clean barrels.) I did have a problem with the smell. As a result, I gave it to a friend who had expressed an interest in trying it. On the other hand, the Forum Boss uses the aerosol version, and has voiced no such complaint, so maybe there is a difference.

One thing that I will pass along is the story about a friend who was having trouble getting his cases to be as straight as he wanted after sizing. This was not an average situation. He was dealing with turned Lapua cases, and a bushing die, without an expander. It turned out that his lube pad was not applying lube evenly to his cases, and that that unevenness caused a slight but measurable increase in after sizing runout. This was verified by test. Who would have thought?
 
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/758495/hornady-unique-case-lube-4-oz-tub

Place a little of this in your hands, rub your palms together and you are ready to size 100s of cases.
Roll the cases in your hands and go.

Works great!
 
On the Ballistol, I got a bottle of the liquid, and although I didn't have any problem with how it worked (I got it to clean barrels.) I did have a problem with the smell.
Click to expand...

The aerosol, as Boyd did note, is completely different. Much, much thinner. The liquid, however, can be diluted with water to thin it down. But the aerosol is very convenient.

I haven't found any other lube that removes the carbon as well or wipes off as easily, and I've tried pretty much everything out there.

"Ballistol spray in the white can" -- Is there a different product in other color cans?
Click to expand...

Supposedly the Ballistol Aerosol in the GREEN cans is the same stuff. But I've never tried it to verify that. I buy the white can stuff here:

http://www.amazon.com/Ballistol-Samp-Sample-Pack/dp/B002A3364M/ref=sr_1_fed1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1354291936&sr=8-13&keywords=ballistol+oil

Looks like they may be switching to bright green packaging.
 
i have tried all of the above ...sprays being the most inconsistent. i like to 'roll my own'. i melt anhydrous lanolin in a double boiler, then add automatic transmission fluid, synthetic 10w-30, and a little of stp oil treatment...amts vary depending on thickness after cooling. this stuff is VERY slippery. rub on with fingers and cases slide in and out without noise. a little messy but i made this myself. leave out the lanolin and the next three agents make a great lubricating oil that will not run.
 
Since he is talking about inside the neck, i use the mica with a brush, i believe it is a forster 3 brush holder with the bottom filled with mica.
 
Many thanks to all for your suggestions. Sounds like a lot of guys are using the Imperial Wax so I may give that a try first.

Just to clarify my orginal problem, it was the outside of the necks that were being galled (shallow longituduial grooves being cut into the outside of the neck around the circumference). As I stated previously, the RCBS Rep claimed the problem was due to brass particles being embedded into the neck portion of the die and he said the prevention was so lube the outside of the necks.
 
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