FL sizing and neck scratchy feel

[tailbon3]

The one thing I don't really like about reloading is the scratchy sound/feel when full length sizing brass. I'm pretty sure it comes from the expander ball forcing its way into the neck and being dragged back out. I switched to Imperial dry neck lube but it still sounds/feels a bit like fingernails scratched across a chalk board. Yes, I know a few of our younger reloaders probably have never heard that sound
I am also using imperial case wax for the body.
So, am I doing something wrong or do I just need to grit my teeth and deal with it?

 

[Aldon]

Not sure if it will get rid of all of it but these days I use a stainless steel media to clean all my brass and I use Hornady One-Shot to lube the expander ball occasionally and it seems to reduce the phenomena. At least in my experience. Perhaps the One-Shot would suffice but I like the aesthetics of new looking brass.

 

[g0rd0]

That crunching and scratching sound you hear is dirt on your brass as it is scratching the life out of your dies!
If you have a tumbler take your dies apart and run them in it without polish for a couple of hours. If not (and your wife is not looking), boil them in distilled water for about 10 minites then dump them on a drying rack strieght from the boil and give each piece a quick shake. They will be hot enough to instantly dry any water drop that might be left behind. Give them a shot of quick lube and reassemble.
I always decap then clean my brass before I size.

 

[tailbon3]

I dis-assembled my die and looking at it there is a little bit of brass dust or residue at the top to the neck sizing area. Also there is a little carbon or something in there which i will clean out.
How often should dies be cleaned?
For brand new brass (Winchester variety), do you guys trim to length then size or size first then trim to length?

Thanks again for the tips!

 

[tailbon3]

That crunching and scratching sound you hear is dirt on your brass as it is scratching the life out of your dies!
If you have a tumbler take your dies apart and run them in it without polish for a couple of hours. If not (and your wife is not looking), boil them in distilled water for about 10 minites then dump them on a drying rack strieght from the boil and give each piece a quick shake. They will be hot enough to instantly dry any water drop that might be left behind. Give them a shot of quick lube and reassemble.
I always decap then clean my brass before I size.

I boiled and wiped out the die really well. That fixed the scratchiness! There is still the feel of metal on metal a bit but much better than before
Thanks again!

 

[Dosh]

T3, try cleaning with the stainless media or sonic cleaning solution. Use your Imperial dry lube, it should prevent the scratch/squeal. Trim after sizing. Also, if your brass has several firings the neck could be work hardened. Could need annealed. Good luck

 

[LoneTraveler]

The actual cleaning or dies and brass have been covered in other posts. If the expander ball is taking effort on the handle of the press to get the case up over the expander ball and making scratchy sounds there may be another problem. Sounds like the rifle has a very tight chamber in the neck area, Or the brass in this lot may have thicker than specs. necks. If the case is so tight in the chamber that the neck is not releasing the bullet you may run into high pressure. Take a fired case and check if a bullet will go in the case neck before sizing. Check case neck thickness with a mic. or dial caliper and go from there. Good Luck in finding the cause.