Clean And Lube
All of my straight-walled sixgun cartridges are sized with carbide sizing dies. Those that are not are first sprayed with Hornady One Shot Case Lube. This lube is wax-based so there’s no problem contaminating primers. I’ve also found it to be helpful for sizing straight-walled cartridges before sizing with carbide sizing dies. By spraying these cartridges first it’s much easier to size the cases even though it’s not necessary. Actually, I find it very necessary now as I don’t have the strength I once had in my hands.
Two other essentials on my bench are Outer’s Crud Cutter and ordinary Q-Tips. Sizing dies and shell holders can become gummed up pretty quickly. A shot of Crud Cutter cleans them out quickly with the Q-Tip reaching into hard-to-get-to spots. The spring-loaded snap-in accepting shell holders in single stage presses often fills up with a heavy black gunk of lube, fired primer residue and tumbling media. It’s quite surprising to see what comes out of this slot when it’s sprayed with Crud Cutter and a Q-Tip is used.