Neck Sizing

[Bradley]

Do you need to lubricate rifle cases if you are only doing neck sizing?

[flashhole]

As a general rule ... no. When using a neck sizing die that pulls an expander ball up through the case neck it is a good idea to clean the inside of the case neck before sizing. I chuck mine up in a drill and use a bore brush on the inside of the neck. Just think about anything you can do to the case to reduce friction and it will be a good thing to do. The Lee Collet Neck Dies work really well and don't need any exta processing on the neck to get excellent results. Bushing neck dies only compress the neck from the outside and work well too.

[1hole]

Do we have to lube necks in order to neck size? No. But do it anyway.

Rubbing two dry metals together under pressure will cause galling in which the softer metal will adhere to the harder in small bits as tightly as if welded. Each successive pass with other cases will increase the size of the blob and eventually it will show up as scratches on the cases that make some folk think they've actually scratched their superhard case hardened die. The galled brass can be removed but it's a whole lot easier to prevent galling rather than fix it. Lube prevents it.

[462]

If one ignores the directions, Lee's collet neck sizing dies can be adjusted to achieve the desired amount of sizing and neck tension. An economical, simple, and very versitile tool.

Edit to add: Since the Lee die utilizes a collet, there is no rubbing, just a gentle squeeze.

[**oneshot**]

I use collet neck sizers and no lube. When I do use an expander ball I dry lube the neck with graphite.

[220swiftfn]

......Or use Motor-Mica........


....HOWEVER, if you're using a full length die to "neck size" you need to lube the case.


Dan