Quote Originally Posted by nhm16 View Post
To be honest, all anecdotal. When I first switched to stainless media with the squeaky clean necks, my scores seemed to dip a little and it seemed I had a few more unexpected 9s. Once I started using dry neck lube, my scores seemed to go back up to my expectations. Of course, it can be all psychological, but it made me feel better so I keep doing it.
Seems like 95+% of what we do anymore falls under this category I've been looking at going back to 'lo-tech' - minimal sorting, prepping and fussing with things trying to 'improve' them. Smoothing out the neck seating operation is one that I am still interested in.
Monte:
I think you and I have arrived at a similar place regarding 'simplicity' in handloading. All the more esoteric techniques have merit, each in and of its own. But taken together, they add up to an onerous sequence, and time vs benefit becomes a matter of opinion. My opinion favors doing only those additional steps which have a profound benefit. As for the rest, doing the bare necessities with genuine due diligence covers the remaining bases.
Of late, my reloading direction has homed in on the .223 for 250yd.
Tumble brass in walnut that has an occasional squirt of Flitz tumbler additive.
Resize/decap and recap.
Charge case using Hornady automated powder dispenser.
Seat projectile.
Wipe down cartridge exteriors with a soft cloth dampened in rubbing alcohol. My sizing lube is RCBS water soluble.
This is by far the simplest and most direct method I have found to produce clean ammo that doesn't degrade on the outside. My main concern is about keeping foreign matter out of my chamber.
The technique counts heaviest on good load development and seating depth testing. The rest counts on consistency in the basic assembly steps.
The net consequence is ammo that shoots 1MOA or better at 250yd in testing out of a box-stock Savage 11VT.
But this thread has gotten me interested in dry neck lube. If I do try it, my lube will probably end up being a concoction of graphite, paraffin, and if necessary, maybe some petroleum jelly content to aid in application. I really don't like the idea of getting petroleum distillates anywhere near a case interior, though. It would be applied to the bullet's bearing surface. Using paraffin and graphite means the what doesn't burn up is almost identical to powder fouling.
At the same time this whole seating lube discussion cuts against the grain of my 'most basic' approach to handloading.
Greg
I've been looking at going back to 'lo-tech' - minimal sorting, prepping and fussing with things trying to 'improve' them. Smoothing out the neck seating operation is one that I am still interested in.
