Concentricity gauges and bullet lube

[Nuclear Worker]

Pretty new to reloading. Was wondering what concentricity gauges do y'all find to be the best for measuring your cases? And what brand of graphite or ? Other lube do you use on your bullets when you seat them?

 

[Rardoin]

..... what concentricity gauges do y'all find to be the best for measuring your cases.......

None... I'll qualify that statement. I have a 21st century gauge. It is fantastic. The only thing I use it for is checking/adjusting bullet runout on a dummy round used for checking my distance to the lands with the stripped bolt method (more that 0.001" runout interferes with the measurement in some barrels). As far as accuracy goes, I've witnessed a 6 Dasher shooter set the 20 shot 600yd score record and he then shot 999/1000 possible points over the remainder of the match. He burned through extra rounds setting the record which left him having to shoot some of the last match of the tournament using 'cull rounds' that had runout over 0.004"....some as high as 0.008". These rounds shot with the same precision as the ones used to set the record of 22 consecutive X's at 600yds (22 touching a 3" circle). That shooter no longer worries about concentricity once his loading process is producing rounds under about 0.004" TIR. If you are new I would spend the money on high quality dies. That is my opinion borne from my own experience and those of others. As far as lube I use graphite in some cartridges and some I leave the lube I used to expand the neck in place when I seat the bullets (it is a lanolin based lube). In cases that have a good carbon layer lube is not needed.

 

[Savage 12BVSS]

Imperial sizing wax and imperial powdered graphite are two things you may want to try and I like the hornady concentricity guage myself. I do try to get them as good as possible out of the die and seater, 1 1/2 thousandths or less TIR. I only use the guage now about 1 in every 3-4 loaded rounds. My goal is to produce the straightest most consistent loads possible. The carbon layer in the neck is important as well as is neck tension and quality brass. Get real good dies and seater (forster benchrest my pick) and get a mandrel neck or lee collet neck die. Good Shooting!

 

[338 dude]

 

[1980Harley]

+1 for Imperial Dry Neck Lube