Inside case neck cleaning?
- Thread starter kdvarmint
- Start date
Lee Martin
Active member
Sounds fine to me. I run a Redding nylon brush in and out three times. It does a fair job in removing residue.
-Lee
www.singleactions.com
-Lee
www.singleactions.com
Boyd Allen
Active member
I know one Benchrest Hall of Fame member, that does not clean the inside of his case necks. Years back he did some testing and went with what gave the best accuracy. I use worn bronze bore brushes and push then in and out of the case neck about 3 times. Maybe that is why I am not in the Hall of Fame.
I do about the same as Lee. I use a nylon bristle brush one caliber larger than the case and push it in, rotate it and pull it out and repeat. There are lots of ways to skin cats in this here reloading "hobby" but I have a belief that the coating of "soot" or carbon or whatever it is that's left inside the neck after brushing is an important and necessary factor in consistent neck tension. Probably can't prove and that's OK with me. I'm just a middle-of-the-pack shooter and that's OK with me, too.
I wipe soot off the outside of necks, but what's inside(that's loose) is plenty taken care of with standard vibratory cleaning.
It doesn't affect tension as that's a matter of brass springback, and it is a positive for consistent seating force. Our friend really..
If it happened that neck IDs did not soot on firing, we would put it there as an extra step in reloading.
It doesn't affect tension as that's a matter of brass springback, and it is a positive for consistent seating force. Our friend really..
If it happened that neck IDs did not soot on firing, we would put it there as an extra step in reloading.
Lee Martin
Active member
I agree. I've never had a need to clean all the way down to bare brass. A few old benchresters told me years ago that carbon film is important for consistent tension. Instead, I'm only concerned with removing loose excess.
-Lee
www.singleactions.com
-Lee
www.singleactions.com
I'd also like to add that I see post after post referring to what some "Hall of Fame" benchrest shooter does with his loads. Now that I've been around this thing for a decade, put on a few dozen events, and met several of these HoF types, here's my statement:
Not one of the HoF shooters got there by cleaning or not cleaning the inside of their case necks. Most of them couldn't spell concentricity, say nothing about check it. They did what made sense to them, found a load that shot "good enough" and then learned how to shoot it. Any HoF shooter I've witnessed at our matches would have become an HoF member shooting my loads, or Boyd's loads, or anybody's loads that were tailored to the gun.
What put them in the HoF is their competitive spirit, ability to read conditions and interpret what they say, and bench discipline. Lots of those HoF shooters were shooting loads that were put together on the hood of a pickup with a powder measure that hadn't been adjusted in 10 years and using a seating die they didn't even remember when they last set it. Their loads probably varied 3 tenths of grain on a good day, Lord only knows what the "concentricity" of the rounds were, and some of them, especially in the 6 PPC era, pounded the bolt shut with the palm of their hand because the cases had never been FL sized, never had the shoulder bumped more than occasionally.
Then they put the whole shebang into an old fixed front rest with a squeezey rear bag and proceeded to put 'em in little holes. Great stuff to watch.
New technology and practices have helped to overwhelm their older records, but even today I don't believe the top shooters are where they are because of their handloads. It's because of better barrels, better actions, better scopes, better rests ... but seldom because of cleaner case necks.
Not one of the HoF shooters got there by cleaning or not cleaning the inside of their case necks. Most of them couldn't spell concentricity, say nothing about check it. They did what made sense to them, found a load that shot "good enough" and then learned how to shoot it. Any HoF shooter I've witnessed at our matches would have become an HoF member shooting my loads, or Boyd's loads, or anybody's loads that were tailored to the gun.
What put them in the HoF is their competitive spirit, ability to read conditions and interpret what they say, and bench discipline. Lots of those HoF shooters were shooting loads that were put together on the hood of a pickup with a powder measure that hadn't been adjusted in 10 years and using a seating die they didn't even remember when they last set it. Their loads probably varied 3 tenths of grain on a good day, Lord only knows what the "concentricity" of the rounds were, and some of them, especially in the 6 PPC era, pounded the bolt shut with the palm of their hand because the cases had never been FL sized, never had the shoulder bumped more than occasionally.
Then they put the whole shebang into an old fixed front rest with a squeezey rear bag and proceeded to put 'em in little holes. Great stuff to watch.
New technology and practices have helped to overwhelm their older records, but even today I don't believe the top shooters are where they are because of their handloads. It's because of better barrels, better actions, better scopes, better rests ... but seldom because of cleaner case necks.
CYanchycki
Club Coordinator
I do not do it
3 times just once.........
Slide it in
Rotate a few times
then pull out
This does not sound good......................................
3 times just once.........
Slide it in
Rotate a few times
then pull out
This does not sound good......................................
Bill Gammon
New member
Cleaning the inside of a case neck, what is that????????
Gene Beggs
Active member
Does fouling 'build up' in case necks?
No, it doesn't.
Is it necessary to brush out case necks each time?
No, not in my opinion.
This question comes up from time to time and the consensus is about 50-50 those who do and those who don't.
When I first began shooting benchrest in '87/'88, I brushed out case necks each time because that's the way I was taught. I also cleaned primer pockets, used a Crazy cloth on the outside of the necks each time etc., etc. Being the slow, plodding type that I am, I was always the last one back to the line between relays. Cecil Tucker used to say, "Well come on grandpa." Needless to say; I had to look for ways to save time. Brushing out case necks had to go if it didn't affect accuracy. I conducted a quick and dirty test.
I tried leaving the soot that remained after firing undisturbed to see if it did indeed build up as some said it would. Using a tenth ball mike, I found the neck wall thickness never changed even after dozens of firings. Since then, I have dispensed with the practice. Does it make a difference one way or the other? Nah,, probably not. At my age and as slow as I am, I can't afford to be doing anything that isn't absolutely necessary.
Later,
Gene Beggs
No, it doesn't.
Is it necessary to brush out case necks each time?
No, not in my opinion.
This question comes up from time to time and the consensus is about 50-50 those who do and those who don't.
When I first began shooting benchrest in '87/'88, I brushed out case necks each time because that's the way I was taught. I also cleaned primer pockets, used a Crazy cloth on the outside of the necks each time etc., etc. Being the slow, plodding type that I am, I was always the last one back to the line between relays. Cecil Tucker used to say, "Well come on grandpa."
Needless to say; I had to look for ways to save time. Brushing out case necks had to go if it didn't affect accuracy. I conducted a quick and dirty test.I tried leaving the soot that remained after firing undisturbed to see if it did indeed build up as some said it would. Using a tenth ball mike, I found the neck wall thickness never changed even after dozens of firings. Since then, I have dispensed with the practice. Does it make a difference one way or the other? Nah,, probably not.
At my age and as slow as I am, I can't afford to be doing anything that isn't absolutely necessary. Later,
Gene Beggs
JerrySharrett
Senile Member
Gene, watch many of the HOF'ers reloading. They nearly all clean case necks. Many use worn bore brushes and some use nylon brushes. IMO, the bronze brushes work best.
Take a borescope and look closely at the inside of the neck of brass that has been shot a few times. Brush those necks with a nylon brush and reinspect. Some of the loose fouling will be gone but much will still be present. Then brush the necks again with the bronze brush and the fouling will be gone. I keep a rechargeable drill with a bronze brush at my loading area and use it every 2-3 firings.
Does this help accuracy? I can't see how it could hurt. After all a big part of accuracy is repeating everything exactly. Otherwise you have induced more variables into the loop.
Take a borescope and look closely at the inside of the neck of brass that has been shot a few times. Brush those necks with a nylon brush and reinspect. Some of the loose fouling will be gone but much will still be present. Then brush the necks again with the bronze brush and the fouling will be gone. I keep a rechargeable drill with a bronze brush at my loading area and use it every 2-3 firings.
Does this help accuracy? I can't see how it could hurt. After all a big part of accuracy is repeating everything exactly. Otherwise you have induced more variables into the loop.
No...doesn't make any difference
The only reason to clean the case necks is for a more consistent feel when seating the bullet. That doesn't do anything for the group you're about to shoot. It does, however, make you feel good about your those loads you just cobbled up...and if you ain't winning you may as well feel good about it.
Read the post by ReedG until it makes sense and you realize what you've read.
The only reason to clean the case necks is for a more consistent feel when seating the bullet. That doesn't do anything for the group you're about to shoot. It does, however, make you feel good about your those loads you just cobbled up...and if you ain't winning you may as well feel good about it.
Read the post by ReedG until it makes sense and you realize what you've read.
Nylon brush + lightweight cordless screwdriver with adapter (if needed) for little bitty things like the shank of the brush. Sit in front of the TV or out on the front porch and have at it. Makes you look like you know what you are doing and sorta semi-high tech. Also gives you something to do with your hands so you don't smoke or eat snacks--well, at least not as fast and hopefully not as much. And it can't hurt.....
Last edited:
Andy Cross
New member
I began doing it
When I initially got into BR shooting I didn't clean inside the necks. But I found after 5 to 6 reloads from new brass I could feel some resistance a sort of dry rubbing sensation throughout the press when seating the bullets. Cleaning the inside of the necks stopped it. I don't know if that build up made accuracy suffer but I can't imaging it could be enhancing it. My aggs did get smaller but that was mainly due to getting more practice. In any case I will continue to clean the insides because I don't like the feel if I don't.
Andy.
When I initially got into BR shooting I didn't clean inside the necks. But I found after 5 to 6 reloads from new brass I could feel some resistance a sort of dry rubbing sensation throughout the press when seating the bullets. Cleaning the inside of the necks stopped it. I don't know if that build up made accuracy suffer but I can't imaging it could be enhancing it. My aggs did get smaller but that was mainly due to getting more practice. In any case I will continue to clean the insides because I don't like the feel if I don't.
Andy.
goodgrouper
tryingtobeabettergrouper
I started out cleaning necks. Then went away from it. I noticed during that time that some bullets didn't seat as consistently as others. Sometimes there was a couple thou difference. So I went back to cleaning necks. It does make the bullets seat more consistent.......at least in my brass! One pass with a tight fitting neck brush should suffice.
Last edited:
Bill Gammon
New member
You know that when you pull the trigger you unleash 65 to 70 thousand lbs per sq inch of pressure, PPC, do you really believe it gives a s__t if your case neck is clean?? just my observation. I see shooters spend so much time trying to get that extra .100 on their group and then miss a 1/2 inch condition on the range. Goes along with the 5 pcs of brass are for the top target and the rest are for sighters. If you can't believe your sighters, OH WELL!! I am rambling again.
Uthink Uknow
New member
Inside neck clean according to my method but don't do it near Gammon.
Use one capful of Listerine, gargle until you can't stand it any longer, expectorate what is left. It isn't really a waste of alcohol.
Use one capful of Listerine, gargle until you can't stand it any longer, expectorate what is left. It isn't really a waste of alcohol.
goodgrouper
tryingtobeabettergrouper
No Bill, the trigger doesn't care one way or another.
And the brass is going to let loose of that bullet whether it's coated in carbon or not. But, if the carbon is impeding the bullet from seating consistently (ie the bullets are in a different place in the chamber, or in other words, starting off in different places in relationship to the riflings), isn't it likely then that it may shoot differently? Ever have your seating die stem come loose in the middle of an agg and wonder why you went from shooting .1's to .3's? Dirty necks can (at least in my experience) give you a similar result....your bullets are all different. It's all about consistency AND watching those brightly colored, twirly things out yonder..........