by Art Merrill | Contributing Editor
When using steel dies, lubrication is necessary to prevent stuck cases.
Cases must be lubricated before resizing to prevent them becoming stuck in the resizing die. The exception is when using carbide or titanium resizing dies—no lube is required. These dies are for straight cases only; the geometry of bottleneck cases means even expensive carbide or titanium coatings would still require the use of case lube. The exception (there are always exceptions) are a few carbide collet dies from a couple of makers for neck-sizing only. But neck-sizing only is a step beyond beginning handloading, so let’s leave that until after you’ve garnered some experience.
Two basic case lube methods are the lube pad and the spray bottle. In the first you smear lubricant into the lube pad, then roll cases on the pad. Tap the case mouth against the pad to introduce a tiny amount of lube into and onto the neck when it runs into the die. Avoid getting lube on the case shoulder, as a buildup of lube there in the die can cause dents in the case.
When using the spray lube, stand the cases upright in a group before spraying a very light coat on the cases. Enough spray will get into case mouths for lubrication there. Spray where overspray won’t be an issue. Or place your cases in a one gallon plastic storage bag, give ’em a squirt of lube, then close the bag and roll the cases around to distribute the lube. The key with sprays is to achieve only a light coating because it is impossible to keep the lube off the case shoulders. Resize within a few minutes of using a spray lube, before it dries.
After resizing wipe the excess lube from cases with a cloth or paper towel to prevent dust and dirt from sticking to the cases.
