Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Do you make your own Case Lube?

What?

No love of original STP?

I'm going to broaden the question as I truly am not very bright. Years ago I switched to the Hornady One Shot spray. Unless doing small batches of less than ten rounds, at which time I use Imperial or some other "apply by finger/applicator" version, I can't imagine doing it without One Shot. I get the exterior, I get the necks and I don't need to clean it off. Heck, even if they doubled their price, I would still use it. Hey, it works for me. So, for these home brew versions, are they such that they can be used as I just described with One Shot? Thanks in advance.

I use Imperial if I only need to do a small amount of cases. I started making my own lanolin/Iso case lube years ago for bulk case sizing, and IMO it works better then anything on the market (at least the lubes I've tried). Hornady's One Shot has also worked well for me, but it's a bit expensive. I mix the lanolin and 99% Iso alcohol at a 16 to 1 ratio, which is a but thinner then a lot of recipes I've seen online, but it works well for me and I've never had a stuck case. The thinner mix also makes it easier to clean off the cases and also doesn't seem to dirty up my sizing dies as bad. As others have stated, it can be a bit of a PITA to get the lanolin off the cases which is my one major gripe with using lanolin. To clean the lanolin off my cases, I put the cases in an airtight container filled with acetone overnight (outside of my house). I then pour the acetone back into the original container and allow the acetone to flash off the brass (again, outside the house). After the brass is completely dry, I tumble the brass for a couple of hours. I've tried lots of cleaners, soap and water, etc. and the acetone is the only method I've found that reliably gets the lanolin off. YMMV, but it works for me.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

There are other ways to make life harder, lubing cases is not one of them.

One Shot for volume, Imperial for low volume.....................never stuck a case or collapsed a shoulder with either one; mix in some neck sizing on certain guns, done deal, easy peasy.

MM

One Shot and my homemade mix are the two things I use 98% of the time. Both work equally as well. Homemade comes out to be cheaper, but boy is it easy to just pick up a new can of one shot.

Other 2% is when Im loading at the range on the mobile setup and I have a little tube of RCBS case lube in my tackle box.

Wow, that brings back memories.

Forty some-odd years ago when I was a poor college student I started out loading .44's with steel dies and and a lube pad. After my first tube of RCBS lube ran out, I bought a can of STP and used it instead - never stuck a case, but it was murder to get off the cases. Later used it on my first .308, still hard to remove and shoulder dents were inevitable. I still have the lube pad and it still has a film of STP.

I still use and prefer the Imperial Sizing Wax for small batches. But for higher volume, which for me is basically just .223 Remington, I use the DIY Lanolin/99% alcohol case lube.

But instead of purchasing medical grade 99% alcohol, I got the tip years ago to use the red bottled IsoHeet fuel additive. It's MSDS shows it's 99% Isopropyl alcohol and 1% "proprietary additive". A 12oz bottle of red IsoHeet is found everywhere and is also much cheaper than medical grade 99% Isopropyl alcohol (about $2.50 a bottle). I mix 1 ounce of liquid lanolin to a 12oz bottle of IsoHeet which works well.

I've never stuck a case and resizing with this DIY case lube is quite slick. And I haven't had any issues removing the lanolin afterwards. I simply toss each case onto a damp rag after sizing until there is handful on it (6-8 cases) and then quickly wipe them all down at the same time.

I love Imperial Sizing Wax, but for large volume the DIY is so much more convenient and works just as well.

I used to try and wipe them off, now I just throw them in the sink with some hot water, a squirt of Dawn and a rag in there. Agitate them, pull them out and into the oven set at 225* for 20 minutes. I go process more in that 20 minutes and just keep a rotation going. Found that it actually saves me time. That’s just for my bull 223 stuff. Everything else just gets a lighter coat of one shot or my lanolin mix and I don’t worry about cleaning it off. I go pretty heavy on the 223 so it doesn’t hang up in the trim die.

This stuff really works

https://www.als.com/prosho-zero-fri...ZEBtFJbnVSacKKi2u0kUG5QqIRRoCCukQAvD_BwE

Imperial for nickel plated, regardless of volume.

Almost finished with my first tin of the stuff.

Sorry, I just now saw this. It didn't notify me for some reason. I've used the RCBS, Dillon, and One Shot and the home-rolled stuff. I've had the best luck with One Shot. The problem occurs with doing it in bulk or some cases getting a little too much lubricant. Starting with clean dies also helps as well. I'll stick to Imperial or Unique for my lower-volume stuff like match and hunting ammo, but I'll keep on running the One Shot for the bulk ammo like AR15s or varmint/plinking ammo.

I normally use Imperial wax. I have tried bear grease just because the jar was close by. Worked well. That stuff is becoming like Franks Red Hot with me.

Thanks for the follow up...

I have used the Dillon product and do think it could benefit from thinning with a little alcohol. I have been using an alcohol and lanolin mix for what I would consider bulk loading for my target ammo, with no issues for a few years now. I've loaded a couple thousand .308 loads since my last barrel installation in March, and several thousand prior with my small base Redding die. Can't remember the last time I cleaned it, so I probably should. Shoulder bumps typically have a maximum total spread of .001 and those are just a few outliers. I anneal with my Giraud each firing, but that is probably overkill.

As for process, I lay the cases on their sides on a sheet of wax paper, lightly spray them and roll them around a little. 100 cases takes a couple of minutes, with maybe another 5 minutes for the alcohol to flash off.

Sounds like you are satisfied with your system, but thought I'd share the process that has worked well for me and provided a uniform application.

When I began handloading in 1965, I used Vicks VapoRub. I used it for several years and it worked fine for .30-06 and formed .25-06 brass. Plain Vaseline also works.