this is a question for hand loaders

[abj]

on reloading ; i have carbide die for my reloading. Lees' says when you use carbide die you do not need resizing lube, because of a couple of reasons , one is if you use too much it may put a bubble in the case. reason number two, is you just dont need it because carbide is extremely hard, and if it picks up a dirt particle it would or might scratch the die if the dirt particle got between the die and the case, thus have scratches on the rest of your cases that you resize. on another place i read to just use Pledge , the least tiniest bit in rubbing alcohol base, the main reason for being careful using sizing lube is contaminating the powder or primer. and what is the difference between rcbs case lube and lees' resizing lube. thanks for your help if you can help me.

[Dand]

Most carbide dies I know of are only for straight cases such as for hand gun cartridges - 38, 357, 44 etc.  Don't use lube with them. It saves time and hassle lubing and cleaning off the lube. Saves money because you don't need to buy lube.

I do recommend cleaning the cases in a tumbler before sizing in a carbide die.  No need to grind dirt into the die and case.

For bottle neck cartridges like 30-30, 223, 30-06 etc you will need to use lube.  Some lubes are oil base some are water base. Water base is easier to clean off with a damp cloth.  I think the Lee lube is water base.  My old RCBS lube was oil base but since I haven't used any in 20 yrs or more don't know about modern lube.  I use Hornady lube in a tub - I think its really mink oil - works great and wipes of easy.  Have some new spray Lyman lube that is supposed to be easy to clean off but haven't tried it yet. The Hornady spray stuff is supposed to be great too.

And yes you want to be sure cases and your fingers and hands are clear of all lube before you handle any primers - that's one of the advantages of using a priming tool like the Lee Autoprime - you don't have to handle the primers at all.

I suggest you carefully re-read a couple of good loading manuals but stick with the basics. Don't ge t caught up in the fancy stuff until you feel well grounded in the basics. Good luck.

[Flint]

I only lube non-carbide dies. like bottle-neck rifle and pistol cases like 44-40 or 38-40.  Dillon makes a spray lube that works well.  Be sparing with it or it will dent the cases.  Tumble clean all brass first.  Nastiest part of the job is removing the lube after reloading.  I pour the reloaded lot into a towel and rub from the outside to remove the lube.  Lubing with a carbide die would make an unnecessary mess, the dies will last forever without lube.  On the other hand not lubing something like a 308 or 30-06 would leave a case frozen in the die that might never come out without damaging the die.

[Pecos]

No need to use lube with carbide dies at all.  For all other types of dies I use graphite for inside lube and for the outside, I use Imperial Sizing Wax.

Easy to use and easy to wipe off.  Gave up on all the other case lubes yrs ago.

Pecos

[Cheyenne Ranger]

Because of shoulder surgery I lube even though I am using a carbide die.  I use the Dillon spray and give the cases, in the loading blocks, a very light spray from each side.  It sure makes sizing much easier.  Think Dillon is even recommending it now.
To clean the lube off I put the completed rounds back in the tumbler and let it run for about 5 minutes.  
Does a great job for me.

[Flint]

Cheyenne, some people cringe at the thought of tumbling live rounds.  I did it for years with 45ACP, in a barrel tumbler, the vibrators won't do the weight.  I put in a shot-glass worth of paint thinner, it worked well.

[Joe Kool]

Don't tumble or vibrate live rounds. It will strip the deterrant coating off the surface of ball powders, and grind all powders into smaller pieces. This will cause the powder to burn faster and can raise the pressure to dangerous levels.   :eek:

[John Traveler]

Commercial loaders tumble loaded ammo all the time.  the just do it for a few minutes with a touch of solvent added to remove grease, oil, and fingerprints.

No harm done if just for a few minutes.

 :shock:

[Cheyenne Ranger]

Figured I'd get some comments about tumbling live rounds.  

All I can say is that I've been doing it for over 15 years.  These are fairly blunt nosed handgun loads and I do them for less than 5 minutes.

Think for a moment about the rounds people keep in their trucks for years on end getting all tossed around as the vehicle hits bumps and such.  I figure that a 5 minute tumble is not doing any more damage to the power than the shaking the cars and trucks produce.  

Life's a gamble--make your own choices.  I appreciate the concern but for me I'll keep doing what has worked for me all these years.

[savageT]

Cheyenne, some people cringe at the thought of tumbling live rounds.  I did it for years with 45ACP, in a barrel tumbler, the vibrators won't do the weight.  I put in a shot-glass worth of paint thinner, it worked well.

Flint,

I asked this before but since you bring up the subject of case cleaners.....What works better, tumblers or vibrators?  You have already answered one other question about weight handling.  Thanks

[Flint]

Tumblers will work with the weight of loaded cartridges, I used a shot of paint thinner and tumbled for 5 to 15 minuters to clean off bullet lube, etc.  I don't use that system anymore.  Vibrators are faster, will handle a lot of (empty) brass, and I use a Dillon, which has served me for about 10 years with no problems.

[savageT]

I've been trying to justify spending $99 for an RCBS Vibratory as compared to Midway's Frankfort Arsenal Tumbler at $49.86.....half price sounds awfully good? or the complete Frankfor Kit w/ rotary media separator at $75.33.  I guess Midway doesn't sell Dillon.

[BruceP]

I have the Midway tumbler and I have no complaints about it.
BruceP

[Tom W.]

When I have to lube cases, I usually throw them back into the vibrator with the corncob media for about 10 minutes, enough to clean the lube off of them. Then I'll  continue with the loading process. I ain't got the cajunas to put live rounds in in the vibrator, even if my own Mother said it was safe.
The Midway kit works well and is not expensive.

[EDG]

>>>All I can say is that I've been doing it for over 15 years. <<<

The first time you mentioned you tumbled cases you did not qualify it by limiting it to 5 minutes.  Qualifying it to 5 minutes is much different than some newbie leaving loaded rounds in the polisher over night because of what they read here.
 Ed

[Plumbrich]

If that is a big IF  a round was to go off in a tumbler the only problem i would see is it would take a while to cleanup the media.Dont see where there would be enough force to even put a hole in anything.As a hodgdon rep told me about 5 years ago.He said i dont see how a handloader could tumble powder any more than it has been tumbled at the factory.Tumbler makers tell you not to tumble live rounds.Most gun makers tell you to never use reloads in there firearms.

[HappyHunter]

Savage T,

I have the midway tumbler and seperater you mentioned.  They both suit my needs well.  

The only complaint I have is the handle on the seperater is a poorly designed joke.  So I do not use the handle, the seperater still works good-much better than a sifter.

I plan to get the moly kit for this tumbler once my wife relaxes her vigal over the visa bill.

I do recommend this tumbler, midway has consumer rating for in on there website.

Fred