Removal of case lube after reloading

[DeltaM]

I'm by no means an expert on reloading but have been at it now for little over 3 years, probably 11,000 rounds or so, mostly 9mm, .40. .38, .380 and .357 with the majority being 9 and .40  I've not made the jump to rifle rounds yet but plan to next spring.  I have a Dillon 550B.

I know it isn't mandatory to use case lube with carbide dies but have been giving the cases a light spritz of Dillon case lube with the cases lying flat on a newspaper and sit for a couple hours prior to going in the press.  It makes the cranking a bit easier.  Most of my reloads are Berry's plated, Hornadys, and some lead for the wheel guns.  Frankly, I'd rather pay a bit more for plated and clean guns less due to lead but that is another issue.  I enjoy reloading almost as much as shooting, have a chronograph, etc.

On occasion, I run the loaded rounds through the tumbler with corncob media but haven't made a habit of it.  Initial cleaning prior to reloading is soaking , then walnut media, then swab out the innards under a bright light with a toothpick and Q-tip. 

Question, finally:  Lately I've wondered if I need to clean all the reloads to remove the case lube before firing.  Does case lube affect or build up unnecessarily?

[1Buckshot]

I use a spray on lube for my rifle cases and after sizing I just wipe them down with a shop type paper towel. I have never used it on my pistol cases. I would wonder about build up in the smaller sizing dies. I clean out my rifle dies every 100 cases or so. Just a thought.

[MikeBjerum]

I don't lube when using carbide dies, but I do lube many of my loaded handgun cartridges.  I give a light spray of silicon into a bag full of cartridges and keep it that way.  I do this mainly with my open gun and my limited gun.  However, I am not above doing it on my single stack and production before a match.

This practice does raise the importance of hygiene while shooting.  I always carry baby wipes and a clean towel to wipe my hands after loading magazines, and ProGrip is handy as well.

[kmitch200]

 
Question, finally:  Lately I've wondered if I need to clean all the reloads to remove the case lube before firing.  Does case lube affect or build up unnecessarily?

Some case lubes can. I wouldn't want that in my chamber. I imagine it could also raise pressures.
I don't lube pistol brass when using carbide but my rifle brass gets a shot of Hornady One Shot lube, then that gets removed by a towel with some alcohol on it.

on edit: this lube removal happens before priming and loading.

[DeltaM]

Good point about the sizing die.  I haven't given mine enough attention, only cleaning them when the brass gets a bright streak after sizing.  I'll pay better attention.

I keep a pint of EverClear (like used in purple passions), 190 proof grain alcohol to clean my foam ear plugs.  Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol is not recommended.  I had swimmers ear years ago and a pharmacist told me to use EverClear followed by hydrogen peroxide to clear it up.  I've found if I use the foam plugs over to many times without cleaning I end up with a type of otitis externa (like swimmers ear).

I'll use the EverClear to clean my dies and reloads too.

[Sponsor]

[alfsauve]

I only lube rifle rounds. Put a little inside the neck to ease the expander. Don't de-prime.  Then tumble to dry out the lube.

Run the rounds through a universal deprime die to remove primer.

[robert69]

I have several gallons of solvent.  When I have completed resizing, I put the cases into a mason jar (s), pour solvent over them, and shake the jar. This is for rifle cases, I use carbide cases for pistol brass.
I then take a large funnel, put a rag inside the funnel to stop the cases from going back into the can, and pour the solvent and cases into the rag.  The rag catches the brass, and the solvent will go back into the can, minus a small amount of solvent.
I then will put the washed cases into a cardboard box large enough for the cases to lay flat in the box.
leave the box outside until the remaining solvent has evaporated.  It will stink up the house, and is dangerous if it is flammable.
Do not use mineral spirits as a solvent.
When all the cases are dry, I throw them in my Lyman 2500 turbo cleaner, along with Lyman ground up "green" corncob.
After a little time, the cases are spotless, shiny, and look like new. I have a RCBS tumbler media separator which is excellent to separate the media from the cases.
I do have to check the primer pockets for small pieces stuck in the flash hole, but that is easy to remove with a small phillips screwdriver.  Be sure that you do this, as a piece stuck in the flash hole can cause grief.  
I read a very interesting article in I think the Handloader magazine about chemical residue building up in cases from polishing in a liquid media, sticking to the inside of the cases, and causing pressures to skyrocket.  It was only with small cases like a 17 remington.

[DeltaM]

I have several gallons of solvent.  When I have completed resizing, I put the cases into a mason jar (s), pour solvent over them, and shake the jar. This is for rifle cases, I use carbide cases for pistol brass.
I then take a large funnel, put a rag inside the funnel to stop the cases from going back into the can, and pour the solvent and cases into the rag.  The rag catches the brass, and the solvent will go back into the can, minus a small amount of solvent.
I then will put the washed cases into a cardboard box large enough for the cases to lay flat in the box.
leave the box outside until the remaining solvent has evaporated.  It will stink up the house, and is dangerous if it is flammable.
Do not use mineral spirits as a solvent.
When all the cases are dry, I throw them in my Lyman 2500 turbo cleaner, along with Lyman ground up "green" corncob.
After a little time, the cases are spotless, shiny, and look like new. I have a RCBS tumbler media separator which is excellent to separate the media from the cases.
I do have to check the primer pockets for small pieces stuck in the flash hole, but that is easy to remove with a small phillips screwdriver.  Be sure that you do this, as a piece stuck in the flash hole can cause grief.  
I read a very interesting article in I think the Handloader magazine about chemical residue building up in cases from polishing in a liquid media, sticking to the inside of the cases, and causing pressures to skyrocket.  It was only with small cases like a 17 remington.

What kind of solvent?  Acetone is miscible in water.  What about grain alcohol, denatured alcohol, or lacquer thinner?  Of these I would think acetone would be the best but have no experience with anything but apple cider (1st choice) or lemon juice extract.

[Solus]

You can learn something every day.

 : capable of being mixed; specifically : capable of mixing in any ratio without separation of two phases <miscible liquids>

[JC5123]

Maybe I'm just being overly anal about my cases. I only load rifle rounds at this point, but moving into loading for my handguns soon. My process is probably WAY more than I need to do, but I like nice shiny brass. So here is the steps:

Run dirty brass through a tumbler designated for that purpose for a couple hours to get reasonably clean.

Light lube before decapping and resizing.

Trim, clean primer pocket and double check case length.

Into another tumbler for 8-10 hours

Out comes bright shiny and dry brass. Loads clean and cycles like butter.