Home made "One Shot" case lube

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earlmck
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Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by earlmck »

Here's a big "Thanks!" to the folks on this forum who suggested to me the use of Hornady's "One Shot" case lube. I am using if for most everything now but it really really takes a lot of hastle out of the full-length sizing in a progressive press, where you can just spray a tray of cases at about a 45 degree angle from both sides, have cases nicely lubed both outside and also inside the case mouths. My one complaint coming from the genes of Scotch ancestors is how short a time an $8 can will last me when cranking out a bunch of reloads.

I like to keep tabs on a couple of fellows who do interesting things and then postYou Tube videos, one of whom is FortuneCookie45LC. Friend FortuneCookie did one a while back on making home-made spray lube mixing 1 oz of the Hornady Unique case lube (mostly lanolin) with 8 oz of IsoHeat (isopropyl alchohol). I've been using this quite happily for several weeks now and thought I'd pass along the tip to fellow "One Shot" fans here. A quarter of a 4 oz tub of Unique in which you have about $5 invested plus a $2 bottle of Isoheat makes a spray bottle full of lube that lasts and lasts and is much easier on the old Scots soul.
HomemadeLube.jpg
When you make the initial mixture you want to heat the stuff a bit for easier mixing. Then as you can probably see from the picture you need to shake it up a bit each time you use it because it separates out.
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by AJMD429 »

Does the pump sprayer you use give a fine enough mist to cover as well without excess in some places...?
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Catshooter »

Well that is interesting Earl. Can you please provide details? What cases you tried it on, full length or neck, etc? The reason I ask is I tried Lanolin by just rubbing it on some .30-30 brass. I found I had to work harder in full length sizing than with the One Shot. In other words it didn't have the same lube properties.


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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by earlmck »

AJMD429 wrote: Sun May 28, 2017 2:04 pm Does the pump sprayer you use give a fine enough mist to cover as well without excess in some places...?
The girl gave me one that she was using with her ironing and it seems to make a nice mist. I think I am putting it on thicker than I usually get the "One Shot" on, but it seems fine -- haven't got any neck dents.

Catshooter wrote: Sun May 28, 2017 2:11 pm Well that is interesting Earl. Can you please provide details? What cases you tried it on, full length or neck, etc? The reason I ask is I tried Lanolin by just rubbing it on some .30-30 brass. I found I had to work harder in full length sizing than with the One Shot. In other words it didn't have the same lube properties.
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I haven't done any of the really large cartridges, but have done 30/30 and 35 Rem along with 44/40 and 38/40 and 25/20 -- all cartridges that because of excess purchasing I now have multiple rifles and so go ahead and full-length resize. I have been thinking this was virtually the same as the aerosol "One Shot" for sizing effort but haven't actually done a side by side comparison. Maybe I should have done that before shooting off my keyboard? It does take longer for the home-made stuff to dry.

I did find one interesting thing with this lube -- don't leave the sized case in the die for a length of time before pulling it back out. I interrupted my progressive loading at one point with the handle down (case pressed into size die) and when I returned some hours later I was afraid for a bit that the case was stuck. I assumed I had a case that hadn't got a good coverage of the spray. Being slow on the uptake I did it again for some other interruption and again had that "oh poop" moment when I thought the case was stuck. So now I'll make sure I interrupt my loading with the handle in the "up" position. I don't know that I have ever noticed this with the regular "One Shot" but I don't know that I have ever left a case in the die with it either.
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Bronco »

To avoid the mistake I found out ! Make sure the isopropyl alcohol is 90% ! First time I got the lower percentage and the lanolin separated. :oops: Been using it on all cases, bottle neck up to 30-06 and straight wall up to 50-110 ! I have a shallow box I use just for spraying, about 10" by 18" by 24". Lay all the cases single layer on bottom, give 4 or 5 pumps and the tilt the box around to swish all the cases around in to bottom; to help get some lube to the side of the case that was facing down, BOOM ready to full length resize. The box has become "seasoned" with dried spray and I can lube about 100 30-06 cases in about 30 seconds. :mrgreen:
Also make sure the lanolin is anhydrous !

Good luck

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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Sixgun »

Mmmmmm...this post has me thinking as I'm always looking for ways to save money so I can buy those first gen single action Colts when they present themselves.

Earl, try it on some cases that operate at 50k ...I'd be interested in the results.

Hornady case lube works great on cartridges that fly under the radar...say 28k....for that matter, about anything works for 38-40's and about every dash numbered cartridge. I've stuck more than a few using Hornady spray lube on '06's, .223, 308, etc., then I prefer RCBS spray lube or a roll on pad. Not confident on homemade lubes for the money that is saved vs. the aggravation of drilling and tapping a stuck case.

Well, it works like this...when thinking of the dang money that is spent on real estate taxes, car insurance, house ins., and a multitude of other expenses that you get nothing in return, I'll just spend the money on case lube. :D

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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Bronco »

I have used it on 06, 223, 308 , ect. Learned that 1 or 2 pumps will have a sticker in the sizing die sooner or later! Just letting the lube migrate to the bottom side of the case will do the same. In the size box I described and with 5 good pumps and swishing them around; have not had one stick in the size die. I know of friends that only use store bought lube, okay with me. They are still my friend :mrgreen: another friend has used the home made stuff on his 300 RUM, with flying success ! Not so much the money save, which is factor ; but the feeling of being able to make something that works good. Something Pitchy must feel when he turns out a project :wink:
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by zoner »

i have used the same mix for about 5 years. I use a large(one gallon i think) zip lock bag. Put the cases in the bag, then a couple squirts of lube from a spray bottle (doesnt take much) close the bag and squeeze/massage a bit till the cases all look wet, then take em out and put em in a loading block. In a couple minutes the lube will dry then run em thru a sizing die. Never had a case stuck in a die or any such nonsense. I am still on my first bottle i made up...seems to last forever when you use the bag. I use the same bag over and over. I'm using it at a 1 oz lube and ten oz Iso Heet. Its pretty much 100% alcohol with a little detergent.....Mike
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by zoner »

after sizing the cases go in the vibratory tumbler for a couple hours to clean off the lube
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Bronco »

I forgot to add!
When making a batch, I crack the lid to the alcohol and warm it up under the tap with hot water around the container. Then I add more than enough lanolin to it so that the alcohol dissolves all it is going to, the excess will settle to the bottom when it cools to room temp.
A bag is a good idea :mrgreen:
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Sixgun »

OK, I'm listening now. If it works on the 300 RUM, it will work on anything. That was my main concern...Thanks---6
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by earlmck »

Thanks Bronco and zoner for adding information to the discussion.

I thought for my own knowledge I'd take the "Sixgun" challenge and use the lubes in comparison on some larger cases that had been fired at bolt-action level pressures. Such cases are not in great supply around these parts -- I seldom shoot anything other than casties and those are generally of the thin brass variety such as 30/30 etc. I do shoot a modest amount of 35 Rems and 300 Savages and occasionally 308 Win with my trusty 117 Ranch Dog 32/20 bullet, but obviously those aren't subjected to much in the way of case-expanding pressure.

Saved by a freeloader! A few years ago a friend of a grandson pled poverty with me and I took his Browning 7MM WSM in "pawn" until payday so he could make his overdue child support payment. As you might suspect, I still own a Browning 7WSM and 21 fired cases (Winchester factory stuff). So here was the line-up:
LubeTest8572.jpg
Something to notice: I don't have these in a loading tray -- the loading tray I have to fit these covers about an inch of the base so closely I was afraid the lube might not get to the base very well. As we all know, the base is the one critical place to have your lube. So I sprayed them free-standing, gave them several minutes to dry and then put them back in the tray to take inside to run through the size die. As I was sizing them I thought "dang" I should have included good old "Imperial" wax. So I wiped off 6 cases with a paper towel and ran them through using the Imperial.
LubeTest8573.jpg


Folks, I couldn't detect a difference in sizing force required for any of these. All cases sized rather easily in the old A2 press. A little difference noted afterward: the One Shots, both store-bought and home-made didn't get any cleaning and they feel only slightly greasy with my home-made leaving cases feeling a bit greasier than the store-bought (because I am sure I get it on heavier). The Imperial I cleaned as best I could using a paper towel and those cases still feel somewhat greasy.
LubeTest8574.jpg
LubeTest8575.jpg
LubeTest8576.jpg
Another thing to note is that I strongly favor Lee dies,
LubeTestLeeDie8577.jpg
and one of the Lee die advantages that I haven't seen advertised is that -- if you do get a case stuck (I suspect I am not the only reloader on this forum who has had this happen) you can get the case unstuck fairly readily by unscrewing the top plug of the Lee sizer leaving the decap/neck button rod free inside the case. Getting some good pull pressure via the press while pounding gently with a hammer on the decap rod frees the case with only minor drama. And no, I didn't appear to being even close to needing this technique with this trial.

And in a difference from Bronco and zoner, I am spraying standing cases deliberately so that I get lube inside the case mouth. Their technique of spray squeeze/roll would have the advantage of always getting the case bases lubed but might not get lube inside the case mouths as well. Each to their own. I could see combining the strategies to get her all done perfectly...
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Sixgun »

Earl,
You have done well with the Sixgun Challenge and I personally thank you for the time expended on your venture. Thank you. :D

As you know, "experienced" old head reloaders have been there and done that and have experienced every calamity known to the reloading world. I personally have three different types of stuck case removers so that is why I was skeptical of this homemade lube.

That cat you mentioned, this fortune 45 guy has lots of cool videos...thanks for the turn on.


Stuck cases come from four methods of operation....#1....not getting enough lube on a case...#2..differences in brass alloy, usually cheap foreign junk or some of the later Remington brass...which allows the rim to rip off with minimal pressure....#3...inadvertently putting the wrong case in the shellholder....cases that are similar in looks but different rim sizes...as an example a .380 Auto in a 9mm sizer........#4....progressive shell plates are not, in my experience...and I have LOTS of experience ......as "case hugging" as single stage shell holders are and the sloppiness will stick a case every time ....if not lubed properly. Once again this pertains to high pressure rounds like the .223 which is the biggest felon in all of the different calibers. That's why all of my .223's are Lake City military or Federal brass...which makes Lake City. :D -----6
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Bronco »

Kewl :mrgreen:
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Catshooter »

Interesting stuff Earl, thanks for the further data.


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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by M. M. Wright »

Thanks earl and 6 and all but I've had more stuck cases on the expander plug than elsewhere so I, on high pressure bottleneck cases, use a brush set screwed to the bench next to one of my single stage Herter's presses. I tossed the Motor Mica that came with it (white powder) and replaced it with superfine graphite. Now I never stick a case on the expander and there are no grains of powder clinging to the lube after putting the powder in. I use the spray lubes on an old 5 gallon plastic oil can lid. I just buy whatever is on sale and I don't care if it's aerosol. Maybe I prefer the aerosol just to spite Gore.
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by marlinman93 »

I make my own spray case lube also, using pure lanolin and HEET. I found a youtube video that a guy did explaining the mx and tried it. Works out to under $2 a 16 oz. spray bottle. Then last summer my neighbor was cleaning out his garage and asked if I wanted the new unopened cans and bottles he was dumping. Being a hoarder, I went and looked in the box. Along with other items I wanted were 8 new bottles of HEET too! Score!
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by GunnyMack »

I have slowly been loading 3000 fired military 7.62x51(308) and each and every time I tried One Shot I stuck a case. Then I realized the brass was BIG! If I stick to the lube pad all is well!
Good info and I'll give it a try someday.
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Re: Home made "One Shot" case lube

Post by Sixgun »

I must have inherited some genes from my grandfather on my mothers side. He was a chemical engineer for the Nazi's and thus avoided war service. I got to playing around with Earl's suggestion and as I have about 20 bottles of RCBS roll on lube....yea, the kind where one bottle lasts 20 years.......trial and error.....waiting...trying....more mixing......and came up with the perfect formula.......all for .62 cents for 12 ounces. I'll never buy spray on lube again, especially the Hornady garbage.----6


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