I have been loading .223 for years in my varmint rifles and neck size only. I really hate using case lube. I just started loading for an AR and I use RCBS case lube in a full length sizer. Wiping the sticky stuff off cases is a PITA. Dunking in lacquer thinner works, but I would rather avoid the extra step.
How do you handle the case lube issue for volume AR loading?
i use hornady one shot case lube and no wiping needed
I use Dillon case lube, works as good or better than Hornady.
I also use a redding sizer with a carbide sizing button so I don't have to lube the inside of the necks.
Spot
I use the RCBS Case Lube II that's water soluble. Simply rinse and leave them in the sun or an oven set at its lowest for a couple of hours.
Annealing temperature is around 800 degrees, so I set an extra cookie sheet on a shelf between the brass and heating element so there is no possibility of radiant heating of the brass.
I load thousands and thousands of .223's a year and use Hornady One Shot. Easy, effective, huge time and energy saving method.
Spray on, resize, throw 'em all on a towel and roll them around a little to get any excess lube off........done.
I use the Dillon spray on case lube, it works well for me. I tried the Hornady one shot, it didn't work as well for me. YMMV
I lube with STP and after sizing I throw then in the tumbler. Lube and size another 200, grab a cup of coffee, switch out first batch.
Jim
I use the Dillon case lube, then dump cases into tumbler and leave them clean for a little while. I actually do this with all my cases.
Thanks for the help guys! I will try both the Dillon and Hornady.
405wcf
When trying the One Shot, clean your resizing die out really well and then shoot some One Shot up in there prior to runnin' any lubed cases up there. The directions, I believe, say that anyway, but many people don't read, much less, follow the instructions. It makes good sense to lube the inside of the die and is easily accomplished. This lube is very, very fine and there is no problem with it gummin' up or getting too much of it on a case or in your die.
Place as many cases in a shoe box that can easily move around when spraying the One Shot so that they all get ample coverage. By them layin' down in the box, no case lube gets in the case mouths. Others that have stood them up vertically have reported that happening. Not a huge issue anyway, but not what I desire to have happen.
Wait about 5 minutes after lubing before resizin' and you should be good to go. I use One Shot on batches involving large amounts, such as thousands of .223 cases. Otherwise, I use Imperial Resizing Wax for small amounts of big game cases.
Let us know how it works out for you.
I use lee water soluble lube. diluted and put in a spray bottle, you can dilute it with acetone as well to speed things up, dont get me wrong both the dillon and hornady one shot works great, but i reload hundreds of .223's be cause im to broke to buy new ones, which means I'm to cheap to spend all that much on spray lube's
Uh buy a tumbler. The RCBS CLII is a great lube.
For volume loading I don't know how I would get by without a tumbler. I tumble once to get somewhat "clean" the brass then sit the tumbler by the press and toss em in as I size to remove the lube. It is very fast and works very well...
I use IMPERIAL case lube. you get it on two fingers of the right hand (no crude comments, please...lol) and each case you pick up you slide the fingers over the case, tap the neck into some graphite neck lube and then insert into the shell holder all in one motion.
this method also allows for a quick case inspection.
using the DILLON, the case is then loaded normally.
for cleaning the lube...just lay a bunch of completed rounds on a towel and spray with alcohol. then fold the towel over the cases and roll them for a few seconds.
works great!
E_8!
I place my cases in a gallon size Ziplock bag and give them a couple of shots of Dillon case lube. Then I rattle them about a bit, & size them. The neat thing is that just enough gets inside the case necks to lightly lube them. I tumble them afterwards, the do my normal case processing ritual, primer pockets, trimmings, etc. I have so much 223 brass that I size & process brass, even when I don't have enough components to load them. I just store them in Ziplocks until needed. This gives me something meaningful to do even when I'm broke. Like now.
I've tried the Hornady, like the Dillon quite a bit better.
since I tried at the begining of July...IMPERIAL case lube, I have used nothing else and will not ever again.
I use RCBS CL2 on a lube pad, hold each case by the head and lightly roll just behind the shoulder, holding it at an angle; then plant the mouth on the pad. I then size that case, hold by the head again while giving it a quick twist in a towel, drop it in the bin and do the same with the next one.
Been doing it that way for years. The factory recommended method is way too messy and uses way too much lube. The way I do it is very quick and easy; in fact I find that I usually only have to lube every other case, due to residual lube in the die.
dump cases into tumbler and leave them clean for a little while.
This is what I do as well.....10 or 15 minutes is all that's needed.
Imperial case wax is old school and a personal favorite
I would say that for spray lubes I preferred Dillon over one shot
The fact is I have a 550B and several single stage presses, I prefer to load 1 at a time single as it is QC at it's utmost.
I am happy to load this way as I enjoy the time spent loading almost and sometimes more that the shooting
Imperial should be on everyones bench, I also use it as a ram lube, die protectantand on occasion a slight amount on bolt of hunting rifle