shoulder dimpels

[tvc15]

I am reloading some .243 brass for the third time. I am seeing some shoulder "dimpiling" on some of the brass. I am assuming this is from too much lube. I guess there is a fine line between to much and not enough. Is this brass ok to use?? I ran them through the die again and it seems to make them better but not perfect. what to do??  thanks in advance,   TVC15

[John Traveler1]

Shoulder dimpling is caused by overlubrication, either during the lube step, or from accumulation inside the sizing die shoulder.  It does no harm either way as long as the metal is not actually folded over from LOTS of lube.  Firing straightens it out no problem.

You can avoid these cosmetic dimples by using less lube, and by the small extra step of wiping off the neck/shoulder area after lubing.  Or, you can change lubes and avoid the buildup in the sizing die.

Imperial Sizing wax is good, as are several others that eliminate the degreasing of sized cases.

HTH
John

[STexhunter]

I agree with John, too much lube or lube build up.  If there're not to bad shoot 'em it straigthens them out.

[giturgun]

I used to have that problem , but have eliminated it by using  the spray on lube , and on all my new guns I have started to get the bushing dies with the carbide inserts from redding, no lube no mess , and they come in .001 increments so I size the amount I want . An added plus is no expander ball to drag back up the neck so no inside lube . I also have some lee collet dies that are used with rounds that only need minute of deer accuracy. They work very well also

[willysjeep134]

My dad used to use that Lee cream lube. It was always a pain. He switched to spray on lube but wasn't getting good results. We found out that lee lube builds up really easily in the resizing die. All it took was a little time, some q-tips and some lighter fluid and the dies were working perfectly.

Now we use Lyman or Hornady spray on case lube. It isn't so messy, it's really easy to lube the inside a little bit, and it goes on really fast.

[Chuck White]

tvc15;
John Traveler1 wrote:
You can avoid these cosmetic dimples by using less lube, and by the small extra step of wiping off the neck/shoulder area after lubing.
- - - - - - - -
You can also avoid shoulder dimples with an old trick I learned, way back when!

When you are rolling your cases on the lube pad, just make sure that the shoulder is hanging off the edge of the pad!
I usually have my cases hanging over the edge so that at least 1/4 inch of the body of the case hangs off the edge!

As a general rule, the old saying used to go like this.
Use enough lube so you can feel it, but not see it!

[bja105]

tvc15;
John Traveler1 wrote:
You can avoid these cosmetic dimples by using less lube, and by the small extra step of wiping off the neck/shoulder area after lubing.
- - - - - - - -
You can also avoid shoulder dimples with an old trick I learned, way back when!

When you are rolling your cases on the lube pad, just make sure that the shoulder is hanging off the edge of the pad!
I usually have my cases hanging over the edge so that at least 1/4 inch of the body of the case hangs off the edge!

As a general rule, the old saying used to go like this.
Use enough lube so you can feel it, but not see it!

Exactly!  Use enough lube that the case feels oily, but does not look it.  I use 2 drops of rcbs lube on my pad for every batch.

Wiping it off is not hard, either.  Lube a row of cases, wipe off the neck and shoulder, even a little of the body, then resize.  Then wipe off the entire cas.  Next.

[Steve P]

Imperial sizing wax or Dillon spray lube work best for me.  

With .22-250 and 243 years ago, when RCBS cloth pad was only known lube (to me) I would get the lube dimples.  On subsequent loading, the dimples usually ended up in the same place.  Crack would start at the base of the neck in the apex where that shoulder dimple joined.  If you see a shiny spot at the base of the neck where that dimple touches, destroy that piece of brass and discard.  Better than leaving the neck in the chamber.

Steve  

[Redhawk1]

I use Imperial sizing wax and don't have that problem.