AusVarmint

I recently bought a new set (FL) for the .260.

After sizing 150 cases I found longitudinal scratches on the cases. I pulled out the decapping pin and found some brass adhered to the side of the die. I put the die in the lathe and with 1200 grit wet and dry polished the die.

After putting the die back in the press and sizing the next case I noticed a dramatic change in case appearance. The case came out brightly polished and the case lube (Lee) wiped off very easily, just a swipe of the thumb and it was gone.

This all raises what I think is a important question. Do you clean your dies internally before using them from new? It would appear that like a new rifle, dies also have a preservative coating on them which should be cleaned before use.

Your thoughts?

Glen

Like you I have had that trouble in years gone, cant remember how long ago now, must have been in the mid 80's, the bloke who used to own The Hunters Hut, a little gun shop in Nowra, advised me to clean them out properly when I get them, its amazing the crap that has come out of some dies over the years, now depending on how much use they get, I do it quite regularly.

Yep, and polish them with flitz mate, then a light gun oil when I put them away

Johno

I clean the preservative out with brake clean, or similar and polish them with Autosol. The smaller like 17 Ackley Hornet, are quite difficult to get inside, but a small piece of brass shaving or excess of case lube probably could do more damage to a small case.

Jeff

Yep I use a drill (chuck an old bronze brush wrapped with cotton rag of some type) and use Autosol. The polished finish reduces the need for as much case lube when sizing I have found.

Just becareful that the case still has plenty of grip in the chamber when firing. If its smooth (or if water or oil is in the chamber) you can increase the pressure on the boltface and lugs. Not that it should be a problem with most modern actions but you may also ruin your cases quicker.

Brad Y wrote:Just becareful that the case still has plenty of grip in the chamber when firing. If its smooth (or if water or oil is in the chamber) you can increase the pressure on the boltface and lugs. Not that it should be a problem with most modern actions but you may also ruin your cases quicker.

Chamber roughness is the critical factor not case roughness. Brass is elastic under firing pressures in the chamber. Polished brass will stick to a chamber with the appropriate roughness. Here is a link to a great article experimenting with chamber roughness and bolt face loads.

http://www.varmintal.com/a243z.htm

Regards

Dan

I think i had suggested to me once to up hoppe or any other barrel cleaner should work? i have loads of FL sizing to do shortly, in the past i have used Lee's case lube.

Is there something better? i have bought a Redding dry lube for neck dies, can i push the whole case into that?

Dan

Dan, I've been using RCBS case lube for a long time now, just converted to Redding lube and found it to be better, a little tin goes a long way.

Another vote for Redding imperial wax here.

On the instructions from Redding it tells you to strip, clean and lubricate your dies before use. I have always done this and never had a problem. I have also made a point of cleaning any second hand dies I have picked up and the shit that has come out of them is astounding.

Dr G

Absolutely yes . New dies have anti rust lubrication in them and potentially dust , swarf you name it .
Something that is catching a few reloaders is that they may be using unsuitable lubricants.
Now if you use a lubricant that is not designed to take high pressure and temp . then it can detonate inside the die and if the case was really a tight fit it can make it very hard to get out.
Now I can hear people saying it can't detonate what do you mean go bang and blow up ? No it does not happen like that. Under pressure the unsuitable lubrication will oxidise very rapidly and turn to a black soot having a high coefficient of friction and jam the case . A similar situation exists when swaging bullets . If it's not to bad it may come out but if it's bad it can take some work to extract it . So only use lubricants designed for case sizing or for high mechanical pressure situations .
Dry lubricants like graphite and moly are ok on the neck area with expander ball type dies .
RCBS lube is ok for application with a roll pad as it dries slowly . Redding Imperial sizing wax ( mainly lanolin ) is ok for applying by hand as it dries quicker .