Some time ago there was some discuusion on case neck lubrication with a variety of opinions chipping in. This brings to mind a somewhat similar question -- What is the consensus on how to properly prepare cases for neck sizing dies?

lightly lube the neck and run it into the die. No need to lube the body,..but I always put a very thin film there as well anyway.

where you at in MD?

I use the Lee collet neck sizing dies and there is no case prep. needed at all prior to neck sizing. After neck sizing, I trim chamfer and debur the mouth and clean/ream primer pockets. Then load. I am not sure about other dies brands.

Generally, I find more need of lubrication on the inside of the necks than on the outside of necks (when using conventional neck-sizing dies or FL dies set to neck-size only). I use a Q-tip saturated with lube to coat the insides of about every-other case neck. Of course, the problem with inside lubrication is that it must be completely removed before loading. The easiest way is to tumble for a couple of hours. Small batches can be wiped with a twisted paper towel or similar medium, but I much prefer the thoroughness of the tumbling operation.

There are long, tapered carbide expander plugs available that reduce or eliminate the need for inside neck lubrication. If I were gearing up from scratch (rather than using a variety of reloading dies collected over 40-odd years) I would buy those expanders exclusively.

JustC, I live in Cumberland, Allegany County.

brytstar,..I'm on the eastern shore (ya know,..on your way to the beach )

I still just lube the expander plug and screw it back in, which is easy to do on a RCBS or Redding Die.. Lee is a little bigger pain in the fanny for that, so If I am using one of those...I just put a drop of gun oil on the decapping pin holding the die upside down and let it drain down the expander....

I still can't see the logic in lubing a boat load of necks, when EACH one has to pass ONE point, the expander plug....which is metal and is easily lubricated...

But then again, on the RCBS and Redding dies, I use a squirt of WD 40 for lube....and every so often a little squirt of carb cleaner to take off the grodies... and then wipe it off with a shop rag and re lube it....

When I finish using it, is when I apply the next shot of WD 40.. that way the next time I use it, the excess has dripped off by gravity and the lube has worked into the metal a little... one squirt can lube the necks for sizing 100 to 150 cases.....Close enough for government work in my shop...

cheers
seafire

with neck sizing dies, there is no need for external case lubrication. IF the expander ball is dragging on the inside of the case you will need to prep that. I use a bore brush of the proper size and chuck it in a drill to remove the carbon from the inside of the case neck. For inside lubrication, I have a small plastic cup with bird shot in it. I put a small amount of moly in the shot and shake well. tap the canister on the table to settle the moly. take the lid off and insert the case neck down into the shot. twist a few turns and the moly will be transfered to the inside of the neck. I do about every 5th case. the expander will slide through the neck like a noodle through a cats butt.

clean the neck inside and outside, lube inside and outside of neck. The dirt will act like sand paper if brass is not clean.