I'm about to start reloading for my 7x57 and have a few questions for you guys.

What's the best way to lube the case for neck sizing?

Do you use lube or graphite powder?

How far down the neck do you resize?

I am using new Remington brass. Is it OK to neck size new cases or should I full-length resize them?

Thanks in advance.

You should not have to size any new brass. Just load and fireform. After firing the use your neck die to size the case without bumping the shoulder. The old "rule of thumb" is to size the neck one caliber. ie: 22 cal. size .224", 30 cal. size .308" etc.

For case lube use Imperial Die Lube. Don't waste your time on anything else.
Good Luck!

Hawkins hit the nail square on the head.

It is true that you do not have to lube when neck sizing.
I have a rather long quote from SPEER #8 on Neck Sizing. On any other forum I could copy and paste it in but not here. If you have a Speer #8 you can look it up.

If your necks are clean and free of carbon you don't need sizing lube for neck sizing only. I've NEVER used it in many years of reloading and I see no effect on the die or bushings.

About the only thing that is affected in sizing a new unfired cases IS the neck. Sometimes they are dinged a little in shipping. About all you need to do in those is to run the expander into them, load up and shoot them. A full size die won't touch anything anyway in a good new case, except the neck. If it does, you've got bad brass.

safari_hunter, You should f/l size new brass just to iron out imperfections in the neck/case mouth. If you neck size with a bushing style die you should lube the outside of the neck lightly. If you use a die with an expander ball then you need to lube inside and out. After neck sizing a few times you WILL need to bump the shoulder back as your brass will start to chamber hard. I use Imperial sizing wax for f/l sizing and graphite for neck sizing. If you size with an expander ball it is an easier operation if you take the ball out and polish it a bit. Jim

I run new cases thru my neck sizer to iron out any dents and insure the neck is round. You only have to size about 1/2 the neck or one (1) caliber to have enought tension. I don`t use lube on NEW cases except in the case mouth to help prevent pulling the neck out of alinement and adding run out to my loads. If you have a true neck sizer it won`t touch, or shouldn`t touch the case body anyway expecially on new cases.

If you don't lube the inside of the case the sizer will pull the shoulder forward and the case will not chamber. Use a Q-Tip and put a light lube inside where the neck/ shoulder meets.
Good luck!

As noted, most new brass comes with deformed case necks. Also, the nominal inside diameter of the case necks as they come from the factory may or may not be what you want. So, make the practice of partially sizing all new brass before attempting to use it (just hitting the first quarter-inch or so of most case necks is sufficient). I also inside chamfer the case necks to avoid shaving the bullet jacket when seating. I agree that it is best done with some small amount of lubricant. I've never had much luck with graphite, so I use any oil-type convenient lube (motor oil, ATF, STP, machine oil, but NOT WD-40!). Imperial Die Sizing wax is the cleanest, but you will still need to remove the lubricant residue from any lube either by running them for a little while in the tumbler or by thoroughly wiping the insides and outsides of the case necks.

One thing not yet mentioned concerning new brass is, the mouth of the case is seldom square and are seldom the same length.

I run the new cases through the FL sizer, trim to the shortest length, then chamfer. If however, I'm just fireforming with a plinking load, I just pass them through the FL die, chamfer and load. Also if they're fedremchester cases, you have to deal with the burr on the inside of the flash hole. Uniforming the primer pocket is a wise move as well.

Norma and lapua are much better in the primer pocket area. I seldom see any burr on the flash hole, and the pocket is more uniform.