Unique Paste

[Mike in tx]

I am reloading for tomorrow's range time and ran into a problem with an easy solution. I use spray lube and got a stuck case. After removing it from the die I tried another case and almost another stuck case. I take Unique lube to the range and decided to use it. It works better than I can remember, perhaps because it works so well all of the time. I saved my favorite Pacific Durachrome die and finished the resizing. Look under guns for more info.

[Hellrazor]

You might want to clean and polish the die.

[Mike in tx]

H
You may be correct this case was shot in a Mossberg chamber which I think is oversized, maybe. I will clean and polish the die but the only abnormalities were the cases shot in the Mossberg. But what do I know.
Have fun at the gathering. I hope all show up.

[versifier]

I've never heard of Unique Paste. Please tell me more about it. I have never had a stuck case with Imperial Sizing Die Wax, what I currently use, nor from petroleum- or water-based pad lubes I used in the years before that. The only time I ever got a case stuck in one of my own sizers was when I was interrupted by a phone call, came back, and accidentally grabbed an unlubed case out of the wrong bin.

Before I moved to Gorham I used to make regular money removing stuck cases for loaders who use spray lubes, though I have friends that use them for high volume progressive .223 loading with no problems at all. Personally I have no use for spray lubes. 98% of the time when the cases got stuck it was because people were simply too impatient to wait until the spray had properly dried, but almost none of them seemed to understand the importance of die maintenance either and that was the problem with the other 2%. And some people just didn't read instructions or listen when told how to use the stuff no matter what. I used to charge one guy in Conway $20 to unstick his cases from his sizers (and sometimes an extra $10 to clean and polish the die, too, if I thought it necessary) and he'd bring over at least one for me to work on most every month. I never let him watch me unstick them though. I've often said that the best thing about OneShot spray lube is that the cans make good long range offhand targets. Most loaders I've asked never clean and protect any of their dies at all, never mind just the sizers. Take proper care of your loading tools and they will outlast your grandchildren. I have some dies and half a dozen bullet moulds in my collection that are close to a century old, at least one of the moulds may be even older than that.

[Kirbydoc]

Unique is a lot like Imperial or neutral shoe polish...

[Mike in tx]

Unique is sold by Hornady. Looks like Imperial, acts like Imperial. Maybe it is Imperial.

[Kirbydoc]

Seriously, some time I am going to buy some neutral shoe polish and try it just to see if there is any difference. If I remember I'll even let you folks know how it went.

[Hellrazor]

You already are using skykids clear nail polish to waterproof primers... why not use shoe polish

[versifier]

Seriously, some time I am going to buy some neutral shoe polish and try it just to see if there is any difference. If I remember I'll even let you folks know how it went.

It works well enough for lubing pistol bullets, basically it's just paste wax, so it ought to work for normal resizing. If I had any in the house I'd see how it works. I don't know if I'd want to try it for something more challenging like reforming cases unless I was out of Imperial and alternatives.