Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Removing sizing lubricant

After sizing cases, I'm wiping cases with a rag dampened with rubbing alcohol followed by wiping with a dry rag. Effective, but time consuming. What's a better/quicker way to do this?

I should have added that this for big game ammo, loaded in lots of 40 or 60 or 80 rounds. I'm not talking about 300 rounds of prairie dog ammo.

I just do the paper towel with alcohol thing. It air dries.

It seems most people tumble to remove lube but I always figured the media would eventually get loaded with lube and you'd have to replace it more often.

I do a variation on your method. I line up cases 10 at a time on a paper towel and spritz them with a little spray bottle of 91% alcohol, then fold the ends of the towel over and roll them back a forth a few times like one would on a lube pad. Then I pick up the towel, dump the cases into a separate bin and repeat as needed. Case are allowed to air dry which only takes a few minutes.

Couple of mitigating reasons – I neck size every firing and only size the bodies about every 4-5 firings, and generally only work with batches of 100 cases at a time, maybe 200 max, so delubing like this is not a big chore. Someone who would lube, size and delube 500-1000 cases every firing would probably want a different system.

I just rub cases with a dry flannel rag, without any alcohol or other solvent.

Though sometimes the cases seem to be pretty devoid of lube by the time I've handled them during the loading process, especially if they required trimming. Then I often don't bother, especially with smaller varmint rounds where I often use Hornady One-Shot spray, which doesn't leave as much on the cases as heavier lubes. But I normally use Imperial Sizing Die Wax on big game rounds, usually just rubbing it off with the flannel rag.

If you want to clean them by hand, use laquer thinner or acetone on that paper towel instead of alcohol, it'll go a lot faster and no need to follow up with a dry towel.

If you don't want to handle them, just tumble in corn cob. Note that with HPBT match rifle bullets though, some of the tips will get clogged with corn cob bits.

I use scrubs in a bucket, takes lube right off.

I try to avoid additional operations. I use white mica inside the case neck and with a Lee collect die no more is needed. If sizing I use Hornaday one shot and either dry wipe or wipe with a Never Dull polishing swab. If I am careful and only hit the necks with the one shot I just leave it on but not good if it goes much past the shoulder of the case.

Imperial wax gets a blue shop towel with carb cleaner on it. It can migrate in hot weather and will give excess pressure indications if it gets in the chamber.

Hornady One Shot when needed. Have never cleaned lube off the cases at all. Never had a problem.

I just tumble them.

I use a red shop towel that has been washed several times (much more absorbent). Washing not a problem as I recycle shop towels by washing them if not totally messed up and have some that have been washed and rewashed for years. I buy them at HF when on sale ($10/50) but I have noticed in the last couple of years that they have some kind of coating that repels water and don't absorb very well until washed at least once.

I'm still stuck on a lube pad and RCBS Case Lube-2. After the cases have been resized, it's simple enough to rinse the lube off and dry the cases in the sun.

I just throw my cases in the tumbler for cleaning and lube removal.....I thought everyone did.

Imperial lube, wipe with a paper towel, tumbler.
Or not tumble.

Resize & decap
Tumble in SS Pins with soapy water
Air dry brass

Yeah, that's the easy no brainer way... I'm usually dealing with way more than a few cases though... The flannel shirt idea is cute though, especially when we are only talking 20 pieces...

I use Hornady One Shot. I give each finished round a wipe with a paper towel as I box them up, holding the paper towel in one hand and the cartridge by the base, one turn in the paper towel and drop it in the box nose first. No tumbling, solvents or any of that.

I wipe with an Alcohol moistened shop towel most of the time, sometimes tumble.

Denatured alcohol in a small spray bottle. Lay the cases on a towel, spray, fold the towel over and give them a few "rolls".

I went to carbide neck expander so I only have go lube the outside...

That and stainless steel tumbling media... all good