Here's why you use sizing lube even with carbide dies.

First topic message reminder :

In the past I've always used spray lube but occasionally try without as I really don't love how you end up with tacky ammo after you're done. I stainless pin tumble so the brass is extra clean. Today while loading some 38sp I pulled out the carbide ring on my Dillon die. I noticed the press ran smoother for a couple rounds lol, caught it when I was going to seat the bullet. 

Even after getting the ring off the brass and pressed back in it came out with the next piece of brass. Maybe I should try loctite? I really need to give hornady one shot a try. 

Tried a light spray of Hornady one shot tonight, I'm loving it, not sticky at all compared to my old Dillon sparay lube and ran the press well. I actually bought some 99% iso and a tube of lanolin like Andrew said, I was thinking of not using it fearing it would be tacky but sounds like I still need to try it. 

Also think I fixed the sizing die with blue loctite, tried a few pieces of 38sp with one shot applied and the ring stayed put.

The blue stuff may hold for a while but I'd put my money on it failing when you are most in need.
Your shoe lace only breaks when you're going someplace.

I mostly follow all the advice here.  I bought a "Thumbler's Tumbler" Ultra-Vibe 10, which makes noise for a few seconds, and then gets quiet to where I barely hear it.  Cases come out shiny, and before reloading, I spray with Hornady One Shot, at an angle, as described in the instructions.  Easy to use, and everything works just as easily as back when I used the RCBS case lube on the "lube tray".  

From discussions here, and some searching, it seemed to me that Redding dies were as good, or better, than anything else I might buy/use, so I switched to Redding for 38 and 45.  No issues to date.

I'm way behind on reloading though.  I'm spending far too much time on photography and image processing, and I keep putting off the reloading.  I also bought some remanufactured ammo from Wilson and Georgia Arms, but I will only shoot my reloads in my 52.


A friend of mine at the range decided he is too old to continue reloading for all the club members, so he as a Star Reloader for 38 and 45, with lots of extra parts, available for sale soon.  I've seen videos of the Star in operation, and if I had the space, I might be tempted.  He's taking photos of all the gear so I can post it in the forum.  If anyone here wants it, send me a PM and I'll give you his phone number.  For how little I reload, it's probably over-kill for me.....    and with me living in a tiny condominium, I don't have the space to set it up.  

I used to do just fine with my RCBS Big Max.  Now I hear it's worth a lot of money as an antique.  I dunno.  I used to load 44 and 45 on it - it took hours, and my hands ended up looking like they were chrome plated, which I now realize is a huge no-no.  This was back in the 1980's.  Oh well.  Maybe all that lead messed me up......

A friend of mine, who was on AMU rifle team for over a decade, wet tumbles, gets the pins out and dumps the brass into a tub of Palmolive (straight or dilute ratio I don't know) then sizes while wet with that.  Then he washes off the Palmolive and air dries.  I haven't tried it myself, but he reloads a lot of different calibers and it works well for him.

BE Mike wrote:I knew a fellow once who never tumbled his brass. His cases almost looked black. His ammo shot very nice groups at 50 yards, however.

I wonder what his blood lead level is from handling that brass. Something to think about. I started to wear nitrile gloves a few years ago when I processed my brass and in cleaning my guns. My lead levels came down.

Bill

Lead has to be ingested. It is not absorbed through the skin.

DA/SA wrote:Lead has to be ingested. It is not absorbed through the skin.

To take this one step further - lead has to be effectively removed from your hands and possibly hair to avoid ingestion. 

I use the Dlead hand soap, shampoo and laundry soap.  And as mentioned, I use gloves when handling spent brass. I use the Harvey deprimer and a hand reamer for range brass primer pockets. Those specific activities with spent brass leave my hands smelling like a box of swaged Zeros, so I use nitrile gloves as well when performing them.

My friend who got me into Bullseye said he tested alarmingly high for lead years back. He started taking a shower after each range session and his levels went down relatively quickly. His theory is lead in the hair transfers to the pillow and then possibly ingested through drool, eyes etc.

SingleActionAndrew wrote:

DA/SA wrote:Lead has to be ingested. It is not absorbed through the skin.

To take this one step further - lead has to be effectively removed from your hands and possibly hair to avoid ingestion. 

I use the Dlead hand soap, shampoo and laundry soap.  And as mentioned, I use gloves when handling spent brass. I use the Harvey deprimer and a hand reamer for range brass primer pockets. Those specific activities with spent brass leave my hands smelling like a box of swaged Zeros, so I use nitrile gloves as well when performing them.

My friend who got me into Bullseye said he tested alarmingly high for lead years back. He started taking a shower after each range session and his levels went down relatively quickly. His theory is lead in the hair transfers to the pillow and then possibly ingested through drool, eyes etc.

I wash my hands with Dlead hand soap after each range session. I use the Dlead hand wipes at matches before snacks and lunch. I have used the shampoo but not consistently. I didn't know they made laundry soap. It all contributes to lower lead levels.

Bill

I resize/de-prime before cleaning the cases.  I use a single stage press and usually only 40 rounds to resize.  I wipe a silicone/oil impregnated rag to wipe each case before resizing.  This allows minimal lever pressure.  If the cases are dry it takes quite a bit of lever pressure on the carbide die to complete. My $.02.
Dave

BE Mike wrote: I started making my own spray lube. So far, it does the job for much, much less.

Will you share your formula?

Not BE M here, but I use 15% lanolin in isopropyl alcohol - the less water the better.  That is, 91% Isopropyl + anhydrous lanolin.  I do think less than 91% is not satisfactory, but it is hard to get lab grade 100% isopropanol.

A note of caution - I do not know what all is in Iso-heet, and it likely contains additives.  I would stick with as pure of isopropyl as you can find - use above at your own risk.

I use 10% lanolin and 99% isopropyl alcohol. I get the 99% from my pharmacy; she has to order it from her distributer.

Amazon has 99% iso alcohol.

Steve K wrote:I get the 99% from my pharmacy...

Depends on the "source" of the IPA.  Local stores (department and drug) here in the NW carry 99% IPA on the shelves, though right now, it's a bit hard to find (people buying it for surface cleaner due to COVID).  Funny thing is the stocks of 91% IPA (NOT good for making case lube) are still on the shelves.  Go figure????

Asa Yam wrote:

Steve K wrote:I get the 99% from my pharmacy...

Depends on the "source" of the IPA.  Local stores (department and drug) here in the NW carry 99% IPA on the shelves, though right now, it's a bit hard to find (people buying it for surface cleaner due to COVID).  Funny thing is the stocks of 91% IPA (NOT good for making case lube) are still on the shelves.  Go figure????

The fun part is in microbiology labs they taught us 99% ISO is least effective for sterilizing and that's probably why everyone bought it.  No osmotic pressure to pull the alcohol into the microbe cells if I recall correctly.