I received my new kit yesterday and proceded to practice loading a few rounds. Two questions came up as I got to work. First, the intructions state that I need to lube the exterior case and the inside neck area. I did this but was concerned that powder would stick to the inside neck when I went to charge. It did. I cleaned that out and did another round but this time I swabbed the inside neck with a q-tip before charging trying to get the lube off but still a couple of granules stuck to the neck as I poured in the powder using the funnel. Do I need to lube up a group of casings and let them dry first? If so, how long does it take for the lube to dry? Any other tips along these lines?

Question 2; The Spear manual decribes a process of loading a dummy round where the bullet is coated with dry erase ink and chambered until the ponit when the bullet does not show rifling marks, then back off one full turn for proper COL. I could not make this work. The bullet touches too many points going in and out of the chamber and I can not see the rifling on the bullet/ink. So I was wondering if there is a product available where you can chamber a dummy round (long) and the bullet slides into the shell as it is being chambered and contacts the rifling. Then I could take out the dummy, measure the OL and back off an appropriate amount? Is there such a device? Is there a better way of determining distance - bullet to rifling? I suppose I should clarify that I know that I can use the published COL which if course that is what I am doing presently. I just want to learn where that published COL is in relation to my specific rifles. Maybe even try adjusting the OL and test for accuracy.

I for one have never lubed the inside neck area and haven't had any trouble. But I'm fairly new at it too.:)

I use the fine mica compound for lubing the inside of my bottle neck cases. (This is a fine dry powder that will not cause powder to stick)If the inside neck is lubed, it makes the expander ball's job a lot easier. As the case necks thicken up from use, it will get much harder to pull the expander ball back thru the sized case neck if it isn't lubed. For straight wall cases, I just hit the inside top of the cases with a fine spray of one-shot lube spray.

good to know. thanks

Many ways to skin the proverbial cat in reloading.

Most case lubes used today will not damage the powder or retard the burn rate so excessively as to be detrimental. The few granules adhering to the case neck after dumping in the powder will be pushed down into the case when the bullet is seated.

The trick is not to overly lube the case mouth. The expander ball needs a bit of lube to reduce the friction of being pulled back out of the case mouth, but just a dab is all that's needed. To do this, my method is to use the Imperial Sizing Die Wax by dabbing my forefinger slightly into the wax, lubing the case body if full length resizing or a slight amount on the neck if neck sizing, then using the ball of the finger, wipe it across the case mouth. You'll be surprised just how far a bit of this lubricant will go. A grain or two of powder will adhere to the inside of the case mouth, but gets shoved down with bullet seating. Never experienced a problem with defective loads or loss of velocity using this method.

As for establishing the point of contact with bullet/lands, I have made dummy cases for all the centerfire rifle cartridges I use. This is done by first FL sizing the case, taking a fine bladed jeweler's saw and carefully quartering the neck. The inside/outside are trued up by removing the scarfed metal with fine emery cloth. The petals are hand pressed to provide a friction fit for the bullet which is seated just deep enough for it to remain seated and somewhat aligned with the case. This dummy round is carefully fed into the chamber (using the bolt face/extractor on a controlled round fed action) and the bolt carefully closed fully. Then, again carefully, remove the dummy round from the chamber being careful not to drop or otherwise cause the bullet to shift in the case and measure the COAL. Write it down, pull the bullet out to again just barely being seated (might want to re compress the petals if the bullet seats too easily) and repeat the procedure. I do this at least three times to verify consistency in the calipered readings. This establishes the point where bullet/land contact is made in your particular firearm for THAT PARTICULAR bullet. Remember, each time you use a different bullet (brand, weight, type, etc.) you MUST repeat this process. Back off the desired distance and then assure it will function through the magazine if using a box type magazine. If not, then most folks will adjust the OAL to provide adequate feeding from the magazine and forget about the absolute desired bullet/land standoff.

DO NOT use this method for tube fed lever guns, as the COAL must not exceed SAAMI recommendations for best functioning.

Yup, dry lube (either mica or graphite) is the trick IF you choose to lube the inside of the neck. Many people mix some #9 lead shot with the mica or graphite in a small container like a film can, tap the case into this mix and then tap to make sure all the shot drops out. Others simply push a clean bore brush into the neck to remove any powder ash and call it good - no lube at all. Some don't even do that much - and get along fine.

As far as loading "off the lands" by some specific distance, I consider that to be a semi-advanced loading technique. Beginners can forget it altogether. Load to the book-specified OAL for that bullet (which can vary with nose shape) OR to the longest length that will feed to/from your rifle's magazine. That's usually good enough for starters. Later, you can experiment with loading the bullets a titch deeper to see if that improves accuracy, but that's optional. You never actually have to know how far off the lands that is, surprisingly. As long as it is safe and accurate and you can duplicate it with that same bullet, the "off lands distance" is moot.

"As far as loading "off the lands" by some specific distance, I consider that to be a semi-advanced loading technique. Beginners can forget it altogether. Load to the book-specified OAL for that bullet (which can vary with nose shape) OR to the longest length that will feed to/from your rifle's magazine. That's usually good enough for starters. Later, you can experiment with loading the bullets a titch deeper to see if that improves accuracy, but that's optional. You never actually have to know how far off the lands that is, surprisingly. As long as it is safe and accurate and you can duplicate it with that same bullet, the "off lands distance" is moot."

I agree. I know with me, If I had the most accurate rifle, with perfect matched ammo, I would still have a bigger group than someone who Has been shooting longer. For now I load a decent round that gives decent accuracy, and go shoot the **** out of it. Later, if I can actually tell if I changed the primer, or This bullet is half a grain off, then I'll worry about it.:D:D

Get yourself a tumbler to remove the lube.

I know, I know, it never ends. :D

try Hornady's one shot case lube. spray some on the Q-Tip and lube the inside of the neck. dries completely.
next get yourself a bullet comparator and a stoney point OAL guage with the modified case for your particular cartridge. this is a simple and pretty inexpensive system and works quite well.
i believe Hornady bought stoney point and markets that tool as the 'Lock and Load' overall length gauge.
the comparator and the OAL guage will give you the dimension to the lands with the ogive of each different bullet, from there it is a simple practice to find the optimum seating depth through experimentation.however, you must allways keep in mind Max C.O.L. so your rounds will fit in the magazine.

I use Lee's water-based case lube, and if I think I need to lube inside the case neck, I put a little on a Q-tip as was suggested above be done with a different product. I think I'm in a significant minority in that I don't care for Hornady's One Shot lube at all. I didn't think it lubed my cases well at all; a whole loading block of .223 Rem brass was very difficult to size with that lube compared to what I'm used to. I like the idea behind it, though. I haven't tried tons of kinds of lubes, so maybe the Lee lube is really, really good and the One Shot is closer to average? ;)

Try the Imperial Sizing Die Wax - you'll never go back! :D

Others simply push a clean bore brush into the neck to remove any powder ash and call it good - no lube at all.

I mount a bore brush in an aluminum arrow insert, same thread and diameter, and put it in a cordless drill. A quick pass removes the carbon and primer residue, and it's nearly as slick as the lube approach. It seems to retain bullet tension and consistancy better than a lubed case. I noticed the difference on larger bores, ala .35-.375.

Thanks for all of the tips - I think I will try the graphite.


As for establishing the point of contact with bullet/lands, I have made dummy cases for all the centerfire rifle cartridges I use. This is done by first FL sizing the case, taking a fine bladed jeweler's saw and carefully quartering the neck. The inside/outside are trued up by removing the scarfed metal with fine emery cloth. The petals are hand pressed to provide a friction fit for the bullet which is seated just deep enough for it to remain seated and somewhat aligned with the case. This dummy round is carefully fed into the chamber (using the bolt face/extractor on a controlled round fed action) and the bolt carefully closed fully. Then, again carefully, remove the dummy round from the chamber being careful not to drop or otherwise cause the bullet to shift in the case and measure the COAL. Write it down, pull the bullet out to again just barely being seated (might want to re compress the petals if the bullet seats too easily) and repeat the procedure. I do this at least three times to verify consistency in the calipered readings. This establishes the point where bullet/land contact is made in your particular firearm for THAT PARTICULAR bullet. Remember, each time you use a different bullet (brand, weight, type, etc.) you MUST repeat this process. Back off the desired distance and then assure it will function through the magazine if using a box type magazine. If not, then most folks will adjust the OAL to provide adequate feeding from the magazine and forget about the absolute desired bullet/land standoff.

DO NOT use this method for tube fed lever guns, as the COAL must not exceed SAAMI recommendations for best functioning.

kdub, this sounds like a great idea! I don't even have to buy anything else. I am going to try this after I get more comfortable with the handloading process.

After reloading my first group of 22-250 I decided I don't really like the little beam scale that comes with the kit. It is difficult for forty something year old man to work with. So I went to Harbor Freight and bought a digital scale and a set of $20 calipers. Well, now I get to take those back and spend more money - niether was accurate enough. The scale is suppose to measure down to 1/2 grain. It would only do 2 grain increments. The calipers would change readings on the same shell. Anyone have a preference for decent quality digital scale and calipers in the moderate pice range?

The only electronic scale I've used is the PACT Digital Precision Powder Scale, for twelve years now. It's a good one, not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

http://pact.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=31

Those cheap calipers are hit and miss. My first one died, the next one is still working and is repeatable. There's a dozen different makes that all look the same, so I'd suggest taking something of a known size with you and check at the store. A bullet will do for a start. Measuring case length is a bit tricky if both ends aren't square. Try wiggling the case around until you get a minimum before you reject your calipers.

Bye
Jack