first time reloading, broke my die

OK, I had a bit of a brain burp.... or other bodily gas discharge :d I wasn't thinking about the need for a shouldered casing to have to fully seat in the die to set the shoulder height correctly. So a slight camming feel does make sense. Sorry for any confusion.
 
I have been using Mobile 1 Synthetic oil since I started sizing 50 BMG brass and now I use it for everything from .378 WBY down to .223. You do not get those dimples on the shoulders when doing .22-250 or Swift brass and a litre jug will pretty much last you the rest of your loading days for cheap. I use the RCBS foam pad and just smear some once in a while using my finger and you will be amazed. No more stuck cases. Just try it and you will wonder why you spent all that money on various case lubes looking for something that works.
 
You can get just the pins, unless you bent the wole thing (hard to believe)
You should also clean out the dies every once in a while, crud, dry lube and dirt build up making sizing harder and can scratch cases. Especially if they are older as you say.
hmr-hound said:
Thanks for all the responses.

I'm using more lube now with much better results. I found the replacement decapping unit too, only $15.
Click to expand...
 
I figured it was likely you just weren't getting enough lube inside the neck. Although it's not perfect, even one shot lube should work better than you were experiencing.
 
kawicrash said:
You can get just the pins, unless you bent the wole thing (hard to believe)
You should also clean out the dies every once in a while, crud, dry lube and dirt build up making sizing harder and can scratch cases. Especially if they are older as you say.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to clean out the vent hole when you clean out your dies and inspect it periodically to ensure it is not plugged. This will help to prevent shoulder dents in your cases.
 
Dogleg said:
My life got better after I threw all my spray lubes away. Mystery misfires went away too.
Click to expand...

Agree 100 percent. I use a lub pad, give them a roll pop them in the sizer and away you go to the races. I believe with the spray there is no controll and getting the shoulders all lubed up is not what should occur.
 
Last edited:
What do you do about the inside and outside of the neck when you use a pad? I've never tried one, I have always used spray or Lee paste style lube and just used my fingers.
Winchester-1897 said:
Agree 100 percent. I use a lub pad, give them a roll pop them in the sizer and away you go to the races. I believe with the spray there is no controll and getting the shoulders all lubed up is not what should occur.
Click to expand...
 
You don't want any lube on the outside of the neck. If any gets on it, the result will be dimples on the shoulder, which are harmless, but not nice looking.
I've tried a dozen ways to clean/lubricate the inside of the neck, but I've found the best for me is just use a bronze brush about right size and give the inside a quick brush out. That works great, without any type of lubrication.
 
yes yes yes....the infamous stuck case....a couple of nuts, a washer, a screw, a drill and a tap is all you need to solve this problem without harming the die. I ruined my first die (a RCBS) and marred my second (redding) before I found this out. If you already have a suitable tap size and drill (most do) it just costs a few cents at the hardware store to get the rest...don't spend 20$ on a stuck case remover and shipping for nothing, not for something simple like this. Not my invention...
 
H4831 said:
You don't want any lube on the outside of the neck. If any gets on it, the result will be dimples on the shoulder, which are harmless, but not nice looking.
I've tried a dozen ways to clean/lubricate the inside of the neck, but I've found the best for me is just use a bronze brush about right size and give the inside a quick brush out. That works great, without any type of lubrication.
Click to expand...

No lube at all?? What brand dies are you using?
Mind posting a pic or link to the type of brush you're using?
I've been using imperial sizing wax for awhile now, I just push the neck of the case into the can straight on, and take off any excess on the outside of the neck. Did get one stuck case, found doing it this way I could do 4 or 5 cases before needing more lube, but tried one too many.
 
TedNugent said:
No lube at all?? What brand dies are you using?
Mind posting a pic or link to the type of brush you're using?
I've been using imperial sizing wax for awhile now, I just push the neck of the case into the can straight on, and take off any excess on the outside of the neck. Did get one stuck case, found doing it this way I could do 4 or 5 cases before needing more lube, but tried one too many.
Click to expand...

Because I use a neck bushing die for most of my sizing, I often wipe the outside of the necks with my fingers that have a trace of Imperial Sizing Wax on them. With the neck sizing die, the die does not contact the shoulder, so there is no danger of lube building up and dimpling the shoulder. I also unthread the decapping rod about every five to ten cases, and wipe a trace of Imperial Sizing Wax on the expander ball. When I do need to use the body die to FL size, I keep the lube away from the case shoulder and neck. With a standard FL die ,I keep lube away from the neck/shoulder area. I would never push the case into the lube container, as you will get way more lube than is desirable on some parts of the case, and not enough where you really need it. I lightly dab my finger into the lube and then run my fingers around the parts of the case that I feel need to be lubed.
 
kawicrash said:
What do you do about the inside and outside of the neck when you use a pad? I've never tried one, I have always used spray or Lee paste style lube and just used my fingers.
Click to expand...

I just roll the casing and make no effort to have the lube get on the neck. Too much lube by way of spraying just gums up the die. Also see post 32 he knows his stuff.
 
I use spray lube most of the time. The trick is to apply it sparingly - too much is just as bad as not enough. The Hornady stuff is worth avoiding.

Hoppe's did make a decent case spray lube at one time but i think they stopped making it. I usually make my own spray lube for light sizing and use imperial for heavier jobs. Dampening a Q-tip in Lee water based lube and lightly dabbing it inside the neck works well too.
 
TedNugent said:
No lube at all?? What brand dies are you using?
Mind posting a pic or link to the type of brush you're using?
I've been using imperial sizing wax for awhile now, I just push the neck of the case into the can straight on, and take off any excess on the outside of the neck. Did get one stuck case, found doing it this way I could do 4 or 5 cases before needing more lube, but tried one too many.
Click to expand...

Over the years I have used most of the standard type dies made. I have never lubed the outside of the neck. It is squeezed in so little, that no lube is required.
I have tried a lot of different ways to lubricate the inside of the neck, but one has to be careful to use a bare minimum of any type lube. I now use just an ordinary bronze brush, designed for cleaning barrels, and use no lubrication, with some type of handle on the brush, so it can be pushed in the neck, with moderate pressure, turned a bit and pulled out. This works exceptionally well.
 
H4831 said:
Over the years I have used most of the standard type dies made. I have never lubed the outside of the neck. It is squeezed in so little, that no lube is required.
I have tried a lot of different ways to lubricate the inside of the neck, but one has to be careful to use a bare minimum of any type lube. I now use just an ordinary bronze brush, designed for cleaning barrels, and use no lubrication, with some type of handle on the brush, so it can be pushed in the neck, with moderate pressure, turned a bit and pulled out. This works exceptionally well.
Click to expand...

I assume you have some lube on the brush?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom