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Neck lube?

Highflyer

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 25, 2003
135
0
81
Honolulu, Hawaii
I notice that I get small amount of powder just inside of the neck. It's sticking to the lube. I use a lube pad and twist the necks on the pad to lube.
 
Why do you put lube in the necks? Some lube will effect the powder. After sizing and prep I throw my brass in the tumbler for about 20-30 min to take off any lube left on. I never put any lube in the necks.
 
I think pretty much all bottle necked cases require neck lube unless you like a struggle with the expander button.

Tumbling will remove the lube. I use stainless steel media which removes the lube and interior dirt.
 
I have loaded .308, 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .223, and 300WM and never lubed the inside of the necks of any of them.
 
I get lower runout with lubed necks.

I'm not gonna defend it or say it's better or worse or that everyone should do it, but...

My runout has gone MICROSCOPIC.
 
What's left inside a neck after a quick brushing is all the neck lube that is needed, really it's just a carbon barrier between the bullet and brass, tumble or hand remove the outside lube.
 
If you want to lube the necks you can use a dry neck lube like "Imperial Dry Neck Lube". Works well and doesn't contaminate powder.
 
Several schools of thought on this one, and it seems they've all been touched on in the thread.

My AR brass gets run through a regular sizing die with the expander button. Cases get Imperial Sizing wax, necks get Imperial dry neck lube (maybe every 4th or 5th case). Then they go for a 20-30 minute ride in corncob to get rid of the sizing wax.

Bolt gun brass gets run through a Redding Type S FL bushing die, without an expander. The bushings handle making the neck the exact size it should be, so those get imperial wax all the way up the outside. Then they, too, go for a ride in corncob.

If you are changing cases and powder is sticking to the inside of the neck, you're doing it wrong. Regardless WHAT lube you are using, you should be tumbling it off.

FWIW, I have friends that, instead of using dry neck lube, will just swipe a finger across the case mouth every 4th or 5th case (using Imperial wax) and that is enough to keep the expander ball happy.

YMMV.
 
I put my brass in a coffe container or tupperware of some sort, add hot water and dishwashing detergent, let it soak and shake it around some. Rinse it well and put it in a cheap dehydrator for awhile. Maybe add a quick tumble for pertyness if I please.
 
I use standard powdered graphite with a case neck brush for the inside. I've also gone the route of a pill bottle 3/4 full of rice grains, dump in the graphite and just 'poke' the cartridge mouth in. 6 of one, half dozen of the other. After sizing and subsequent trimming, I like to bathe the brass in rubbing alcohol. Case lube, carbon, graphite brass trimmings all come off.
 
If you want to lube the necks you can use a dry neck lube like "Imperial Dry Neck Lube". Works well and doesn't contaminate powder.

+1 on Imperial dry neck lube and use Redding Type S bushing dies so that the expander barely touches. Lube not really needed at that point.
 
I use RCBS water-based lube, then wash and dry the cases after sizing. That way I don't have to guess how much variation of lube I have left in the necks that may affect effective bullet tension.
 
I too like that product and it seems water based. Cleans up nicely.
I do not like water though after trying it. I hand wipe my cases like I have adt[?].
I wipe them after sizing and after assembly. After bsizing wiping includes clearing the neck.
I hate powder specks stuck in the neck.
 
I used to use the RCBS case lube and pad un till I switched to Hornady OneShot. One spray and it gets the exterior of the case including the neck, shoulder, and body and inside on the neck. Powder doesn't stick to it and it is not supposed to contaminate powder. Also a lot slicker sliding through my dies.