How do you lube your bulk reloading cases?

J

JDMLandscaping

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Hey all. So I started reloading .223 as I find I really enjoy running drills with my AR’s and it saves me a bit of coin plus I enjoy the hobby. Using a turret press. I usually am reloading 20-80 rounds of 6mm CM or 308 so I usually lube on an RCBS pad as I go and it’s ok but I find it kind of a pain doing that when reloading 200 or more 223. I have read some guys use a mix of liquid lanolin and isopropyl alcohol sprayed into a freezer bag full of prepped brass and then mix it around some. What do you guys use to live your large quantities of brass for bulk reloading? I am using the lee ultimate 223 die set. Thanks!
 
I use the lanolin/iso mixture in a spray bottle.
I throw about 50 pieces of brass in a 1 lb margarine container , give it a couple of shots of spray while tossing the brass around.
Haven’t had a stick case yet and the mixture lasts forever.
 
45C said:
I use the lanolin/iso mixture in a spray bottle.
I throw about 50 pieces of brass in a 1 lb margarine container , give it a couple of shots of spray while tossing the brass around.
Haven’t had a stick case yet and the mixture lasts forever.
Click to expand...

Yup, someone said that it will evaporate fast. But I've been using the same eye glass pump sprayer for over a year.
 
I just set mine up in the loading trays and spray with one shot by Hornady. I step outside and spray it then leave the cases for a minute and start resizing. Works real easy. Only issue is that the stuff is toxic unlike lanolin. Just wash your hands or wear gloves.
 
I use a large old cookie pan, throw a coffee can of brass on it and give a couple sprays from a Dillon lube bottle (basically the Lano-Isop mix), roll back and forth a couple times then give another very light spray and then start sizing.

And as far as I'm concerned no matter what lube you use it needs to be removed after sizing...if it's preventing brass from sticking in a die, it also is lubing up your chamber enough to allow much more bolt thrust than was designed into a gun.
 
fingers284 said:
I use a large old cookie pan, throw a coffee can of brass on it and give a couple sprays from a Dillon lube bottle (basically the Lano-Isop mix), roll back and forth a couple times then give another very light spray and then start sizing.

And as far as I'm concerned no matter what lube you use it needs to be removed after sizing...if it's preventing brass from sticking in a die, it also is lubing up your chamber enough to allow much more bolt thrust than was designed into a gun.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I use the same process. I dry tumble the cases in corncob after sizing.
 
45C:
I like the sound of your lubing method.
Care to share the mix ratio for the alcohol/lanolin mixture?
Also, where do you find the lanolin?
Thanks Pard.
 
fuzzy39 said:
I just set mine up in the loading trays and spray with one shot by Hornady. I step outside and spray it then leave the cases for a minute and start resizing. Works real easy. Only issue is that the stuff is toxic unlike lanolin. Just wash your hands or wear gloves.
Click to expand...

I prefer using One Shot also and it does not have to be removed after sizing as it is a dry film lube.

If you do use One Shot just make sure you clean "ALL" the old lubes from the sizing die and spray the inside of the die with One Shot.

Below it looks like the US Army uses One Shot.

Slick Tricks: Techniques and Tools for Big-Batch Case Lubrication
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2018/09/slick-tricks-techniques-and-tools-for-big-batch-case-lubrication/

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biglube1605.jpg
 
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Method I learned here on CGN:
-Place many brass on a sacrificial cookie sheet, use hand to flatten them out, stop adding brass when sheet is mostly full. Spray brass with spray lube, preferably the Lyman orange spray bottle (Hornady One Shot sucks). Shake sheet a bit, dump into case feeder, let case feeder finish spreading the lube around to all sides of all cases.
 
The Cold Lake Kid said:
45C:
I like the sound of your lubing method.
Care to share the mix ratio for the alcohol/lanolin mixture?
Also, where do you find the lanolin?
Thanks Pard.
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly it’s a 10 to 1 mixture.
10 ounces 99 % isopropyl,1 ounce of lanolin.

I got the liquid lanolin at a healt supplement store. It was about $12 for a 4 ounce bottle.

If you can’t find it, let me know and I could possibly get you some and ship to you.
Although shipping may be pricy as I’m in NL.
 
Lanolin/alcohol lube in a spray bottle. Put cases on a large cookie sheet
with shop towels on it. Reuse the shop towels.

For resizing rifle brass, I used Redding wax. Outside with my fingers, inside with a Q-tip.
 
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I use medium or large freezer bags instead of hard plastic container to hold the brass, very little Dillon lube (or lanolin) sprayed on brass. Bags with double zip are the best, you can close them and shake, roll around or kick on the floor... ;) better surface contact between soft plastic and brass and the coverage is very uniform after just 20-30 seconds. Empty the bag on the old cooking sheet (or clean plastic) and let brass dry for 5-10 minutes. Empty bag contains the remainder of lube and the next application takes even less spraying, I actually use the same bag for months and Dillon lube bottle lasts forever.
 
45C said:
I use the lanolin/iso mixture in a spray bottle.
I throw about 50 pieces of brass in a 1 lb margarine container , give it a couple of shots of spray while tossing the brass around.
Haven’t had a stick case yet and the mixture lasts forever.
Click to expand...

That's about what I do. Only difference is I use a larger container and do about 100 at a time. Add 50, light spray, add 50 more, light spray. Shake and roll for a minute and done. The only issue I've ever had was when I was still learning and put too much lube on.
 
Hornady One Shot lube and a margarine container. Throw brass in, spray, put lid on, shake/swirl, and done. make sure and give the case lube can a good shake before use. never had issues. Brief tumble after if you want.
 
For the guys using lanolin. How are you removing the lanolin? I’ve got the stainless tumbling media. If I tumble in the stainless media, is there a risk of the brass changing? Or is the only thing that changes the shape of brass firing it?
 
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