I was reading some random internet reviews and some guy mentioned using a lubricating die prior to the sizing die to speed up loading .223 in a progressive (i.e. eliminates having to lube cases by hand).  Is this for real, and does anyone have any links/info on them?

Yes it's the RCBS lube die

Lube die

This might not be the cheapest place but that is what you are looking for and they do work great.

how come you don't hear more about these?  I've been reading for a little under a year and have never seen a mention of a lube die.  Seems lkie a good addition to a progressive set up

Tag

They are a good addition but there are two things that you need to know about them.  If you are reloading in a cold environment the RCBS lube doesn't flow well and you will not get sufficient lubrication using the die, the second thing is you need to remove the die from your press when you are not using it so that oil doesn't drip all over your shellplate.    If something happens to my current one I'll have another one on order the same day.

i have one but have never used it. one of those things where i was trying to keep the bench clear(1 powder & 1 primer) and away it went!

IMHO..........just use a good spray on lube.

However, IF you reform cases...........most will say that "Imperial" is THE lube.

http://www.redding-reloading.com/pages/imperialdiewax.html

Aloha, Mark

I have Imperial sizing wax, RCBS Case slick, RCBS case lube 2, Lyman spray lube, Hornady Unique sizing wax, and Dillon spray lube, out of all of them the Dillon lube is by far the best, I even like it better than the Imperial sizing wax as I seem to get less resistance using the Dillon lube than even the Imperial.

They are of very little use in loading progressively.

Pistol calibers, carbide dies used, no lube needed.

Rifle bottleneck calibers, I use a spray lube and do case prep first, then progressively load.

My method,

Tumble clean brass in walnut,

Lube (Dillon or Midway spray lube) and size on Rockchucker,

Delube in tumbler with corn cob,

Trim, remove crimp, clean flashole, debur as needed,

Load on progressive.


For me the advantage of spray lube is that it is fast, and some of the lube gets into the inside of the neck for proper lubrication during sizing.