Is inconsistent soot on the neck of fired cases my problem?

Which Salem are you?
IMO, Hornady brass is soft.
I see no cause for concern in your powder tracks on your necks. When I have powder tracks going down the shoulder and continuing down the case, then I have a problem and I examine it closely.
If you are on your 2nd or 3rd firing of some of these cases, have you annealed?
Post your chrony data with your load specs please.

I've tried rl26 and N570
There's a huge difference between those two powders in my rifles.
Here's an example of necks from a 338 Edge shot last winter. Each one has at least 3x firing and has been annealed at least once:

1590693056041.png
 
Which Salem are you?
IMO, Hornady brass is soft.
I see no cause for concern in your powder tracks on your necks. When I have powder tracks going down the shoulder and continuing down the case, then I have a problem and I examine it closely.
If you are on your 2nd or 3rd firing of some of these cases, have you annealed?
Post your chrony data with your load specs please.


There's a huge difference between those two powders in my rifles.
Here's an example of necks from a 338 Edge shot last winter. Each one has at least 3x firing and has been annealed at least once:

View attachment 196018
I use adg brass. And I do not have an annealer. Your cases have a distinct line around where it was sealed in the chamber and powder all the way around and mine are far more inconsistent. I'm in Salem Oregon. I'll have to take pictures of my load data later but like I said I have not worked up a good load yet.
 
I use adg brass. And I do not have an annealer. Your cases have a distinct line around where it was sealed in the chamber and powder all the way around and mine are far more inconsistent. I'm in Salem Oregon. I'll have to take pictures of my load data later but like I said I have not worked up a good load yet.
I'm in Portland. Was planning on heading to Tri County for some load development tests. Do you belong there?
 
I'm probably not more experienced a reloader than you, only loaded for a couple rifles myself and don't have as much or as fancy equipment as it sounds like you have.

On the subject of annealing though, I anneal every firing before sizing, so far just with a propane torch and holding the case head in my fingers, turn the neck in the flame (the tip of the mini blue inerflame is the hottest part) as soon as it begins to turn colour I chuck it in a bowl of water. I have found it helps to give a good feel for the case head temp, but next time I anneal my batch of brass I will try a socket in my cordless drill, hoping for better consistency, as it's kinda tricky to spin the neck evenly by hand.
Annealing every firing can help tremendously with consistent neck tension and shot start pressures, a light crimp can also affect things and may be worth a try. I'm not sure if this is exactly your trouble but could be part of it.
 
I'm probably not more experienced a reloader than you, only loaded for a couple rifles myself and don't have as much or as fancy equipment as it sounds like you have.

On the subject of annealing though, I anneal every firing before sizing, so far just with a propane torch and holding the case head in my fingers, turn the neck in the flame (the tip of the mini blue inerflame is the hottest part) as soon as it begins to turn colour I chuck it in a bowl of water. I have found it helps to give a good feel for the case head temp, but next time I anneal my batch of brass I will try a socket in my cordless drill, hoping for better consistency, as it's kinda tricky to spin the neck evenly by hand.

How do you know the case is reaching the correct temperature??
 
I decap and wet tumble with stainless pins. Then size, check if I need to trim, and then tumble again with corn cob media.
You stated that after FL sizing, you then run them through a vibratory cleaning process. JMO, but, "some will agree and some will not." YOU should never vibrate your cases after sizing. Use a Q-tip and a cloth to wipe off any sizing lube.
IMO, you just destroyed your sizing case prep and will need to start over. Also, if you are not Annealing your cases,,, Your neck tension will be all over the map. One more thing off the top of my head, is. The soot ring around the case neck could be uneven case neck wall thickness. Turning necks help eliminate this problem and allows the neck to seal and retract as the bullet exits the barrel. It also, along with annealing helps in getting proper neck tension. One other thought, a dirty chamber and throat will cause this problem also, with the soot ring. JMO. There are some more experienced reloader's on here that can add to this discussion. I would love to know how you solved this problem. There are a lot of variables at play here.
 
Aushunter, There are drops you can get to wipe on the neck that indicate when you hit a certain temp, but all I do is watch closely for the colour of the brass to change from gold colour to a blueish hue and that's plenty, if it starts to glow you're way too hot. You never want want your case heads to get very hot either, if you can't hold the case head then it's definitely time to dump it in the water.
If your case heads get annealed you can get dangerous things happen when fired....
 
You stated that after FL sizing, you then run them through a vibratory cleaning process. JMO, but, "some will agree and some will not." YOU should never vibrate your cases after sizing. Use a Q-tip and a cloth to wipe off any sizing lube.
IMO, you just destroyed your sizing case prep and will need to start over. Also, if you are not Annealing your cases,,, Your neck tension will be all over the map. One more thing off the top of my head, is. The soot ring around the case neck could be uneven case neck wall thickness. Turning necks help eliminate this problem and allows the neck to seal and retract as the bullet exits the barrel. It also, along with annealing helps in getting proper neck tension. One other thought, a dirty chamber and throat will cause this problem also, with the soot ring. JMO. There are some more experienced reloader's on here that can add to this discussion. I would love to know how you solved this problem. There are a lot of variables at play here.
I have 64 sized, deburred, and chamfered cases ready to clean the primer pockets right now that I have not ran through the vibratory tumbler. I'll try just wiping them down. I'll be getting an annealer soon. Any recommendations on one in the 2-400 dollar range? If there are even any decent ones at that price. Also, the inconsistent soot happens on a clean chamber as well as a dirty chamber.
 
Aushunter, There are drops you can get to wipe on the neck that indicate when you hit a certain temp, but all I do is watch closely for the colour of the brass to change from gold colour to a blueish hue and that's plenty, if it starts to glow you're way too hot. You never want want your case heads to get very hot either, if you can't hold the case head then it's definitely time to dump it in the water.
If your case heads get annealed you can get dangerous things happen when fired....
I have no experience with annealing but I've read that if you quench the case after warming it up, you are weakening the brass and making it brittle
 
I decap and wet tumble with stainless pins. Then size, check if I need to trim, and then tumble again with corn cob media.


I love shiny brass, but IMO is skip the stainless pins. I think it cleans the case too much on the inside. Also, I'm not sure what solution you are using but I've gone to about a 50/50 "wash and wax" with dawn. I've been very happy with the results. They load silky smooth unlike when I've stainless tumbled, those almost seem like they're too clean. Another thing, with the wash/wax they seem to stay shiny longer and don't seem to have the tarnished fingerprints on them like I've noticed before using it.
 
I have 64 sized, deburred, and chamfered cases ready to clean the primer pockets right now that I have not ran through the vibratory tumbler. I'll try just wiping them down. I'll be getting an annealer soon. Any recommendations on one in the 2-400 dollar range? If there are even any decent ones at that price. Also, the inconsistent soot happens on a clean chamber as well as a dirty chamber.
I have an annealeez that I bought and never used because it took a while for it to ship and in the meantime me and a buddy bought an AMP. I'd sell it if you're interested. PM me for details of you are it's in your price range.
 
I love shiny brass, but IMO is skip the stainless pins. I think it cleans the case too much on the inside. Also, I'm not sure what solution you are using but I've gone to about a 50/50 "wash and wax" with dawn. I've been very happy with the results. They load silky smooth unlike when I've stainless tumbled, those almost seem like they're too clean. Another thing, with the wash/wax they seem to stay shiny longer and don't seem to have the tarnished fingerprints on them like I've noticed before using it.
I'll try a batch without the pins. I currently use pins, 2 tablespoons of wash and wax, and a very small splash of a generic clr remover.
 
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