What is everyone using on their CRV unlined casings as lube? Years ago we just flushed out the casings with WD40 and used oil. Are there newer or better aplicators that don't require pulling the cables out of the casing?

I do it the way you did it years ago. But I've only been actively working on old bikes for about 2 years. So far so good, on on my cabling jobs.

I use new casings.. for shame! but it does away with the lube so I happily make the substitution. When I did lube them I tended to use a wax based chain lube which seemed to work okay, or other dry type lube.

I'm old school. I use grease. Green grease.

This is what we used when I worked in the shop in the 70s and 80s:

DOH....and to think, I've been using my fingers all this time.

I use Marvel Mystery Oil. Works good for me, though any thin machine oil would do.

White lithium grease. That being said ill never use unlined housing again.

I use old Phil green grease tubes that I cannot squeeze any more out of. Leaves a nice light coat that does not ball up when inserting into the housing.

I grease the inner wire (applying with my fingers) and dump a lot of oil in the housing before inserting the inner wire. I guess it's a belt and suspenders approach, but I figure the grease might help slow the damage that water and moisture do.

+1 on that. I use Super Lube between the fingers, won't attack the liner.

I use only lined housing and stainless cables and I never lube.

I have to use un-lined housings on 3 of my 4 bikes. The old Campy 1.8 mm cables won't fit in lined housings that I can find. And I do like those old cables.

I use this stuff, though lined cable housing doesn't really need it..

On cheap unlined housing, I use white lithium grease. But this housing is rarely what I'd choose. I prefer modern lined housing. No lube needed as far as I've been able to observe

Yeah, even on my period-correct restorations, the several concessions I'll make include modern lined housing. It just works better! (The other concessions include SS cables, SS spokes if I'm building the wheels, new tubes, modern tires, modern chains and clipless pedals. I also use modern grease ).

Amen to the modern consumeable items(!), and can I include chain?

I've had old bikes where a modern chain was literally the only item replaced before putting hundreds of miles on, even as the original tread wore off the tires at an alarming rate.

For getting old, neglected (and not-so-haughty) bikes back on the road, I usually start by hitting every moving part and every threaded fastener(!) with a fine-tipped squeeze applicator containing 60% motor oil and 40% mineral spirits.
This includes the cable housings (this mix flows right in) but excludes the bolts/nuts that hold centerpull brake pivots together (I tighten those first, then apply a penetrating grade of LocTite before lubing the pivots).

The diluted oil doesn't seem to harm the liner inside modern cable housing, but when assembling new parts I apply only a bit of the former silicon/teflon GripShift lube to the inner wire. The Gripshift lube is the slickest lube available for the plastic-on-metal interface, and was developed for the friction-sensitive "sliding ramp" mechanism of the older 2:1 (Shimano-compatible) GripShifters.
The "Dry Lubricant" spray shown contains solvent with PTFE "Teflon" and is used together with the kinked cable wire to effectively scrub out lined housings, (followed by a blast of air from a Presta head).

Not all unlined housings are created equal.

Is lubing a lined housing a bad idea? Seems to me that if it attacks the lining, the decay would be slow. Plus, a rusty inner wire could present friction, even in the lining, no? So lubrication could reduce friction, prevent rust, or both. How does my untested theory sound?

You know Tom,

I run a light coating of grease on the cables of my one bike with lined housings. Probably not needed, but I do it anyway.

* It's probably an old, hard to break habit.

I never lube lined housing, but I find that proper housing preparation is absolutely essential for smooth cable travel. I make sure the ends are always filed flat to minimize compression, and I use an awl to make sure the liner is not crimped, otherwise it grabs the twists of the strands causing the brake lever movement to feel notchy.

LPS Red & Redi - On and old serviceable cable just spray it into the cable housing after cleaning it with the old WD-40...
(Note: This may be a bit of overkill and quite possibly a waste of good product.)

This is much more important than lubrication and a damn hard task...

I hit the end of the housing on my 1 inch belt sander for a second or two to square up the end, and then clean up the ID with a jeweler's round file. Or a Dremel with a small carbide bit, but the little file makes quick work of it. Getting a good,clean end on the liner is more troublesome. I cut them with a very sharp razor knife.

The thing with plastic liners and grease is that the friction is increased if the grease contains any of the usual metallic EP (extreme-pressure) additives.
Even bearing greases often described as being "Teflon-fortified" likely contain the EP additives, since Teflon isn't nearly as extreme-pressure as the metallic additives are.

These additives prevent galling between metal surfaces where high-pressure contact is expected to occur, where hardened steel is usually used.

I'm surprised that lined-housing-specific lubricants aren't commonly sold, though various lubes don't contain any metallic additives.

Shimano's premium SP-41 and newer housings are pre-lubed (nowadays along their entire length) with a silicone-based lube developed (and hyped) for use 10-speed shifters, and many cable kits are sold that I presume are intended to run dry(?).

Lithium-based petro grease is great for un-lined housings, but relatively poor for plastic-lined ones.

The GripShift lube is so viscous it mustn't be pumped into a housing or will cause sluggish motion, but used somewhat sparingly on the inner wire it is like magic and will never gum up from years of storage like petro greases usually do.

Most lubes work well enough to be acceptable in any kind of housing, but best performance from the cabling requires cleanliness and an optimal lube.

And I am leery of any kind of grinding to the ends of housings, basically I don't do it.
The dust from a grinder or the filings can and will be dragged in and embed in the plastic liner, making it perform more like old cabling.
Brake housing can be cut sufficiently square with a bit of practice nipping the coil just right, giving a solid feel at the lever if all the housings are settled in during installation (especially up inside aero-style brake levers).

Gear housing is intended to be cut with wires left sharp, allowing the ends to embed in the plastic ferrule so that the compression force is more-evenly distributed among the lengthwise wires after the housing is bent into a curve during installation.
Even metal gear-housing ferrules have a plastic ring inside to facilitate the embedding and stress distribution, and filing the ends square totally blunts the wire's ends to the point where this settling may occur later during the service interval instead of during the setup pre-stressing.