case shoulder dents

diver1

I was doing case prep on some Remington 280. I had a stuck case this weekend and had problems getting the case out. Today after removing the primers, I noticed that the shoulders of most cases had dents in them. What could have caused this problem ? Thanks for the help.

62fuelie

Did you remove the primers as part of the resizing process? If you did then it is probable that you used too much sizing lube on the cases, this often causes dents in the sloping face of the shoulder.

charliemeyer007

Grease dents. Usually from too much lube. Clean die inside. The Lee lube works for sizing operations. Doesn't kill primer, I use a q-tip to treat the inside of necks. Case forming or base swaging then Redding Sizing Die Wax work better.

diver1

Ok if that's the case, then if I clean the die and wipe of the lube. Will repeating the process remove the dents, or are the cartridges ruined ?

charliemeyer007

The dents will blow out when firing. The cases might be a tad weaker as in maybe only 9 reloads instead of 10, no one I know cares. I hardly use any lube up near the shoulder, most goes down by the base.

Most loading books will have pic's and lengthy detailed written description of case lubing.

diver1

Thanks for the help. Less lube near base of case. !!

MG1890

Less lube on neck and shoulder.

charliemeyer007

Less lube on neck and shoulder but some on every base zone. Usually I use a patch and lightly lube every 5 case in the loading block.

perry shooter

TOO much lube on the neck and shoulder caused your dent[V] You need lube on the body the closer to the case head the more important the lube.[^]

geeguy

Imperial Sizing Wax (aka: Redding) is the only way to go. I learned about it many years ago on this forum, have used it ever since, have had 10-15 reloaders converted after they tried mine.
One small can, a little dab on the fingers, rub the case and go, will do many many cases.

Don't mess with sprays, lube pads, etc. Hit the "easy button".

Mobuck

If your sizing die has a "vent", it's plugged.

Okie743

Originally posted by geeguy
Imperial Sizing Wax (aka: Redding) is the only way to go. I learned about it many years ago on this forum, have used it ever since, have had 10-15 reloaders converted after they tried mine.
One small can, a little dab on the fingers, rub the case and go, will do many many cases.

Don't mess with sprays, lube pads, etc. Hit the "easy button".

Amen: about the Imperial sizing lube. They also have a non-greasy neck lube, don't remember the exact name right now, think it's a powdered graphite, work great and non-greasy.

I fought shoulder dents, squeaky dies, stuck cases for few years and finally seen info on GB about the Imperial sizing stuff. Got it from Midway, dirt cheap and you will never use all of it, unless you spill the neck lube. Place the small container of graphite neck lube inside a larger one so if you tip it over, it's container. You will not believe how well it works. All my other lubes, sprays, lube pads, etc are now trashed.
Just clean the inside of your dies good before using and check the vent hole on your die and if you have problems using the Imperial stuff the problem can be found by looking in the mirror.

jonk

As others have said, the dent will blow out. No worries.

Everyone has a favorite lube. They all work. Personally I find Imperial is overhyped and overpriced. Works great, don't get me wrong, but it's slow to use and doesn't work any better than the Lee paste stuff that's a third the price.

Of late I've just been drizzling a little motor oil on my lube pad and using that. Works great. It is, after all, designed to prevent friction between two moving metal surfaces. Naturally you have to remove it all after sizing, or the oil could contaminate the case; but I could say the same about most lubes on the market that cost a lot more.

Okie743

jonk: you wrote. Naturally you have to remove it all after sizing, or the oil could contaminate the case;

Correct: The lube also contaminates the polishing media very rapidly.
I bought a Lyman ultrasonic cleaner few years back and it is great for removing the lube before sending to the media. It's also very good for cleaning small engine carb's.