Help! Lubing up, am I doing it wrong?

[JonProphet]

So I have been having some powder spills while loading rifle rounds. I am using Hornaday's wax lube. I can see that the powder is jamming at the mouth and it seems I'm getting lube inside the neck. I am using a full length sizer die. Should I only be lubing the shoulders on the case? Or should I try a differ lube?

Thanks.

 

[ckcollins2003]

From what I've read and what I've done, you shouldn't be lubing the shoulder of the case at all and you are supposed to lube the inside of the neck.

If you have powder sticking to the lube after resizing and while charging, you need to clean the lube off before charging your case. This is why most people tumble after resizing.

When I lube, I lube the case from the case head up until about 1/8" or so from the shoulder, then wipe my finger on both sides of the inside of the neck.

 

[boostedtwo]

I personally lube the outside of my cases.

 

[billybob44]

Tumble after Size+Trim..

If you are NOT getting stuck cases, or lube dents in the case, then you are doing it right. Yes, you should also lube the INSIDE of the case neck. Not the OUTSIDE of the neck, or the shoulder.

I usually lube the entire case, lube the inside of about every 5th case (with a Q tip), wipe off the outside of the neck+shoulder,and FL size. If needed, I trim next.

After this is done, all brass goes in the tumbler for an hour or so "Ride", and then I am ready to prime+powder...Bill.

 

[Leo]

I lube the outside, neck and all. I am careful not to spray any inside the case mouth, as you really cannot control how much gets in there. I lube the neck with a "Q" tip every few pieces of brass. It takes very little. I don't even spray the "Q" tip, I just wipe it inside the pan I lube the brass in.

A few pieces of brass will stick some powder to the inside of the neck. It does not hurt anything, seating the bullets will wipe the last few flakes into the case anyway.

Like a the man above said, if the cases are not sticking and not getting lube dents, you are not in too much trouble. Good Luck

 

[JonProphet]

Remember I'm using the wax not the spray. Should I switch to the spray?

 

[CQB]

I like the spray and a quick roll on a lube pad for the outside. I use a Q-Tip and mica powder inside the neck after the outsides have dried. I only dip the Q-Tip in the mica once every 25-30 cases. Whatever you use, do it sparingly. A little goes a long way. Gotta rep you for the thread title. With that title how could I not look? Laughed my ass off.

 

[sloughfoot]

get spray lube. Don't be afraid to use it. I don't understand why folks are reluctant to lube their cases.

stop by sometime and I'll show you how I do it.

 

[Broom_jm]

Huh, reloading never ceases to surprise me.

Get a tin of Redding Sizing Die Wax, or use the stuff you already have. With the thumb and forefinger of one hand, wipe the body of the case, exactly as CK explained. That is all you "have" to do, really. I've sized thousands of cases this way.

For the inside of the neck, there are different schools of thought. Some folks are convinced you "have to" lube, but the fact of the matter is you don't. I've lubed the inside of case necks when expanding from a smaller diameter to make a different cartridge, like going from 30'06 to 35 Whelen. But, for just resizing brass, you can use a brush to clean the inside of the neck and that is frequently all you need.

Test it out for yourself by trying it both ways. You'll likely discover that simply brushing out the inside of the case neck is all you need to do to keep case stretch to a minimum...lubing doesn't make any appreciable difference, if any difference at all. Try it and see.

 

[billybob44]

The easiest way..

Redding Carbide Button Kit - Std/Type S | Sinclair Intl
^^^This works for me.

Once you use this system (With Redding Dies) You will NEVER go back...Bill.

 

[1$Chuck]

Huh, reloading never ceases to surprise me.

Get a tin of Redding Sizing Die Wax, or use the stuff you already have. With the thumb and forefinger of one hand, wipe the body of the case, exactly as CK explained. That is all you "have" to do, really. I've sized thousands of cases this way.

For the inside of the neck, there are different schools of thought. Some folks are convinced you "have to" lube, but the fact of the matter is you don't. I've lubed the inside of case necks when expanding from a smaller diameter to make a different cartridge, like going from 30'06 to 35 Whelen. But, for just resizing brass, you can use a brush to clean the inside of the neck and that is frequently all you need.

Test it out for yourself by trying it both ways. You'll likely discover that simply brushing out the inside of the case neck is all you need to do to keep case stretch to a minimum...lubing doesn't make any appreciable difference, if any difference at all. Try it and see.

Are you brushing the insides of all your cases or just some of them? I ask because you've posted before about how brass only needs to be clean, but not polished. I like my brass to be very clean and pretty darn shiny (personal preference), but I never have to brush out the necks, because they are very clean and bright after they come out of my tumbler.

For what its worth, I use spray lube. Some of the pieces might get some lube inside the necks, but not a lot of them.

 

[JonProphet]

Guys, also, I'm using a progressive press. I keep leaving out valuable info out of my question.

-Jd-

 

[gopwins]

You are using too much lube. I have found that RCBS clear lube is the best lube by far. I just put a drop or two on my index finger and rub my fingers together a bit and then grab a handful of cases and very briefly run the cases through my fingers. I leave the lube on my fingers as I resize. This is easy and requires very little extra time. Works very well. By having the lube sparingly on your fingers, no excess lube can get into the case.

I never lube the insides of my cases.

 

[Broom_jm]

Are you brushing the insides of all your cases or just some of them? I ask because you've posted before about how brass only needs to be clean, but not polished. I like my brass to be very clean and pretty darn shiny (personal preference), but I never have to brush out the necks, because they are very clean and bright after they come out of my tumbler.

For what its worth, I use spray lube. Some of the pieces might get some lube inside the necks, but not a lot of them.

This is only for bottle-necked cases, or round like 44/40 and 30 Carbine, where you will have to trim if they get too long. By brushing the case neck with a nylon or even bronze bore brush, it removes residue that might hang on the expander button, stretching the case.

I avoid spray lube like the plague. Read 10 stories about stuck cases and 9 of them will include Hornady One-Shot. The Dillon spray is better. I stick to sizing die wax or conventional case lube, but I'm not loading on a progressive, either.

I think a lot of the differences are between guys loading a relatively small number of very precise rounds, versus a high volume of ammo on a progressive press?

 

[1$Chuck]

This is only for bottle-necked cases, or round like 44/40 and 30 Carbine, where you will have to trim if they get too long. By brushing the case neck with a nylon or even bronze bore brush, it removes residue that might hang on the expander button, stretching the case.

I avoid spray lube like the plague. Read 10 stories about stuck cases and 9 of them will include Hornady One-Shot. The Dillon spray is better. I stick to sizing die wax or conventional case lube, but I'm not loading on a progressive, either.

I think a lot of the differences are between guys loading a relatively small number of very precise rounds, versus a high volume of ammo on a progressive press?

Id fall into the low volume precise round crowd. The spray lube I use is lyman brand. The only time I ever really had a problem with stuck cases was with some military 30-06 rounds. I think they had been fired in a machine gun or something weird. I have recently picked up a tin of sizing wax to try though. I don't like how the spray lube gets all over everything.

Still, you might try cleaning the rounds you mentioned better and see if you can get by without having to brush out your cases. I have really good luck using a diluted toilet cleaner presoak and then tumbleing.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I like using a pad to lube. I just roll the case, use a brush to put a small amount inside the case mouth every so often, then whipe the neck off.