RCBS case lube.

[Ed Dixon]

With some brand new Win. .45-70 cases I found the same trouble when sizing. This time I did a few on purpose to confirm what happened last time -- it did: when I just (lightly) rolled the case over the pad with the recommended amount of lube applied, the sizing die mashed four or five diamond-shaped dents about a third of the way down from the mouth. When I used my fingers and basically massaged a sheen onto a case, it sized with no problem. I even tried a couple with no lube and they came out fine. This is an RCBS Cowboy die and is not carbide. Only lost three cases, as the hand-massaged (oh, boy ) cases didn't get a single ding. What gives? Are .45-70 cases known to be a might delicate? By the way, why aren't there carbide sizers available for every caliber? I'd buy 'em to avoid the heartache (not to mention the degradation).

 

[Southla1]

Ed what you have there is called an il dent or a lube dent. It wont hurt anything but does not look so good.

I use RCBS lube and the pad but SPARINGLY. Not nearly as much as they recommend.

The dents will iron out on firing.

 

[Ed Dixon]

Thanks, Southla. I just used those few dinged cases for a couple of experiments -- what does too much crimping progressively look like, how little belling is really necessary(tried seating a couple of those with no belling & it worked with no shaving but took a little balancing), etc. This is a ramble, but I'm actually learning some things which may help avoid mistakes in the future. Feels good even though I haven't loaded a complete bullet all night. Gonna fall into that next manhole tomorrow whistling a happy tune.

 

[labgrade]

Southla1's kee-rect, Ed.

I use the same lube & just run a very fine bead of it in a squiggle across the pad & then smear it into the pad with my finger tip. You do only want a very light film - certainly not so much as a gooey mass.

Bell only enough to allow the bullet to enter the case mouth without shaving. Probably one of THE major causes for premature split mouths.

Depending on your loading, you'll want to crimp just enough to remove the belling (straighten the case mouth) & then just maybe a 1/3-1/2 turn more of the crimp die. Some loads require a bit more. Trimming your cases to w/in a +/-.002" helps uniformity.

You're getting there.

 

[Ed Dixon]

And thank you, Mr. labgrade. This advice means a lot more now that I've made some mistakes and tried to work through them. I'll tell you some of this stuff strikes me like learning to drive a stick, reading only goes so far and then you've gotta stall your way to really feeling the clutch. Having said that, stay tuned for more stripped gears tomorrow. Again, thanks.

 

[labgrade]

Betcha Ed.

If you haven't caught you cuffs in the spocket, you're not riding a bike with long pants ...... ahahahaha!

How'd you think any of us "old timers" got to know the answers to these type questions?

 

[Southla1]

"If you haven't caught you cuffs in the spocket, you're not riding a bike with long pants ...... ahahahaha! "




Oh yea and mother would raise hell if they were new pants too

 

[Mal H]

I think every pair of blue jeans I had as a kid had that little telltale group of oily stripes on the right leg.

I gave on using the lube pad to roll the rifle bullets and just used it to get a little on my fingers to rub on the cases. Now I use Hornady's spray lube and haven't used the pad in years.

 

[Southla1]

Mal, I bought a can of the Lyman spray lube a year or so ago. It works good too. It's not quite as good a lubricant as the RCBS gel but it is sure easier to clean the cases after resizing.

Friend of mine gave me 2 tubes of Lee Lube. That is kinda like Crisco shortening. Got to rub that on with you hands. It works too but is not my favorite.

One good thing about the pad is I stick about every 5th or 6th case mouth down into the pad and that lubes the inside of the neck, without getting too much in there.

 

[Bogie]

Try using the Imperial die wax that Sinclair's sells - Just a very tiny bit on your fingers, and you've got enough for some heavy duty case forming, much less resizing.