Is lubing the neck really required?

I’ve shot mandrel, sizing button, no sizing button or mandrel. The truth is it doesn’t matter that much and the whidden/ sac FL is perfectly fine and much easier to use. Remember the more handling steps you add the more room for error and deviation there is.

If you arent already shooting 5-7 sd and trying to get to 1-4 you don’t need a mandrel, neck lube, annealer, moly, arbor dies, sort components or turn necks. And since this isn’t an f class or benchrest page the difference between 6 and 3 sd virtually zero under 1k yards.
I take any and every advantage or edge I can get within reason to improve my reloads and results on target.
I am admittedly not a competition shooter but a very competitive person by nature of my OCD tendencies 🤣.
If I feel like a process as simple as an expander mandrel or turning arbor improves the consistency of my reloaded rifle rounds its worth the miniscule difference in my time spent adding the extra step.
I have loaded some stupid accurate rifle ammo over the years shot in sporter hunting rifles with minimal prep with mediocre dies and other less than premium equipment but once those are compared to well prepped brass and components loaded to a more scrutinized process past 600 yards at a minimum the argument kind of falls apart.
 
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I take any and every advantage or edge I can get within reason to improve my reloads and results on target.
I am admittedly not a competition shooter but a very competitive person by nature of my OCD tendencies 🤣.
If I feel like a process as simple as an expander mandrel or turning arbor improves the consistency of my reloaded rifle rounds its worth the miniscule difference in my time spent adding the extra step.
I have loaded some stupid accurate rifle ammo over the years shot in sporter hunting rifles with minimal prep with mediocre dies and other less than premium equipment but once those are compared to well prepped brass and components loaded to a more scrutinized process past 600 yards at a minimum the argument kind of falls apart.

They have just as much chance - especially neck turning - to harm your reloads more than help.

If you’re doing all that at a high level and seeing 1-4 sd that’s great! If you’re doing all that for 10sd - way more harm than good.
 
this is why i added cleaning necks (wet tumbling) and dry neck lubing to my process a long time ago

i had anywhere from 5-10 barrels in rotation when i was competing and sometimes ammo for one barrel would get loaded and not shot for 1 yr+...i would notice changes in performance when it was shelved when i was only dry tumbling and leaving necks in that dirty state

now i rarely shoot matches anymore, but the last couple i did...that ammo had been loaded and the rifle sitting for like 2.5-3 yrs...right where i had left it

Resurrecting with additional data…

I had changed brakes on this rifle and finally went to rezero it again…same left over ammo mentioned above from when I stopped shooting comps at the end of 2020

fired 2 rounds, adjusted, next 8 punched out the 1/2” dot

it was cooler for south tx around 60°

The old trued velocity I had in kestrel was 2740 fps

Still where it should be…

IMG_6940.jpeg
 
Resurrecting with additional data…

I had changed brakes on this rifle and finally went to rezero it again…same left over ammo mentioned above from when I stopped shooting comps at the end of 2020

fired 2 rounds, adjusted, next 8 punched out the 1/2” dot

it was cooler for south tx around 60°

The old trued velocity I had in kestrel was 2740 fps

Still where it should be…

View attachment 8581826
That's awesome.
 
Meanwhile I tried to get a bottle of NEOLUBE 2 just for a test and the importers told me that is so dangerous that the sale is forbidden in the EU...
Wtf is that stuff?!?
 
Meanwhile I tried to get a bottle of NEOLUBE 2 just for a test and the importers told me that is so dangerous that the sale is forbidden in the EU...
Wtf is that stuff?!?
Colloidal graphite in propanol (isopropyl alcohol and proponal are isomers...identical composition but slightly different structure)....no idea why the EU thinks this is dangerous.

1736899028379.png
 
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It isn't just the EU, I paid $40 for shipping on a pint of neolube here in the states.
Who'd ya buy it from, mate? Now, I'm talking 2 oz bottles and not a pint (which I'm not sure I'd use in my remaining lifetime) but the smaller bottles are available from Amazon and Walmart and Walmart says they have free shipping.

From Amazon, this was my cost:

1736906907910.png


Wow...if you order it from Huron (the manf) the price of a pint is very, very good compared to 2 oz from Amazon. Basically 16 oz from Huron for a pint for the same price as 6 oz (three 2 oz bottles). But look at Huron's hazmat and handling charges before they even get to shipping. Whoa Nelly!

1736907119386.png
 
Who'd ya buy it from, mate? Now, I'm talking 2 oz bottles and not a pint (which I'm not sure I'd use in my remaining lifetime) but the smaller bottles are available from Amazon and Walmart and Walmart says they have free shipping.

From Amazon, this was my cost:

View attachment 8592202

Wow...if you order it from Huron (the manf) the price of a pint is very, very good compared to 2 oz from Amazon. Basically 16 oz from Huron for a pint for the same price as 6 oz (three 2 oz bottles). But look at Huron's hazmat and handling charges before they even get to shipping. Whoa Nelly!

View attachment 8592204

Huron. If you order pints, or smaller, there's no HAZMAT.
 
Oh oh contraire (I think)....the last image above was my test cart from Huron for a pint...and they are charging $48.99 Hazmat.

Am I in error?

Looks like you're right. When I bought it a month ago there was no HAZMAT on pints and smaller (even if you bought 10 pints). I thought I was getting screwed with just the handling fee. I sent them an email and they blamed the high shipping on UPS. The pint container arrived in a 12 pint carton filled with cardboard.
 
^why?

I've considered changing to Neolube from my wax that I use for magnum stuff and apply manually.

I'm thinking I may need to reconsider my strategy now. Advice?
 
I lube the necks on new brass due to it being so clean.
After there is a bit of carbon in the necks I don't bother.
I also don't clean my brass squeaky clean, one cycle in tuff nut and done.
This….after the first firing, if you don’t wet clean, the carbon inside the neck is enough lube. I brush the necks though every time to take some of the crud off.
 
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