Lube for reforming brass

LEE cut with 99% alcohol sprayed then tumbled to get it all over them.
I'm trying a new lube that's lanoline based, but it's not ment for sizing. I just did 1/2 a 5 gallon pail of once fired 303 brass and never had a problem!
 
I have tried a lot of lubricants for sizing cases.
I have now settled for Imperial sizing wax for all general purpose use, a major factor in deciding on this is its ease of removal from the cases.
For really tough cases to resize, like some magnum cases that should have been annealed, I have found nothing as good as STP, the additive added to the oil of automotive engines.
With 30-06 cases I tried putting some cases in dry, as an experiment. I could easily use two dry ones, one after the other, while using STP and one time actually sized four without lubricating, after using STP.
But, that same feature makes it very hard to remove STP from the sized cases, so that is why I normally don't use it.
 
The Lee lube has always worked well for me but I find its not as smooth and easy as others. Its water based so the dies need to be cleaned and oiled after each use. I mostly use Hornady One Shot now. Its convenient for me to just stand the cases in a tray and give them a quick spray down with One Shot. Cases size smoother and easier than Lee lube and it leaves a corrosion inhibitor in the dies. I like to streamline the process as I don't have as much time to devote to reloading as some do.
 
Mark-II said:
I like the redding stuff for serious reforming, such as making 577-450 from 24 gauge shotshells.
Click to expand...

I have tried a number of commercial sizing lubes and all seemed to work well as long as I did not leave too much on the case so that I got dimples. I also shoot a number of obsolete cartridges and for that reason have to form them from something currently in production. Most extreme would be 8 mm siamese mauser from 45-70 shells if my memory is correct and certainly 38-56 from 45-70 as well as a 22 cf wildcat necked down from 357 maximum.
My current lube is 50% bees wax and 50% bear grease although that is virtually identical to SPG lube for black powder cartridges. I just rub it on the case with my fingers and size away. One lube I used for a while was lanolin in alcohol; just spray it on the cases with a windex type bottle.

cheers mooncoon
 
If I mess up when reloading a case and find it will not chamber, I remove the decapping die rod and full length resize the loaded round using Lee Resizing lube.

This works very well for .44-40 and .45-70 with lead bullets.
 
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