30-06 brass prepping (am i doing it right?)

[Keeperfaith]

Hello again,

I just started prepping my 3006 brass for reloading.

I have just under 100 cases and theyve been tumbled clean.

I bought hte Lee deluxe dies (Yellow box) at the last gun show and I lubed them and deprimed/resized them...

I saw at first some very slight "circles" around the shoulder (ring around the shoulder). So i thought well I have too much lube. So the next one I wiped off the lube so there is only a little bit left. Well that case was very difficult to get back out of the die...(I was sweating). The case still had the ring around the shoulder...

I followed the Lee instructions that came with the die set, any ideas why I keep getting this slight ring?

Or is this ring normal when resizing cases?

And MOST IMPORTANTLY...are these cases safe to shoot now or did i just ruin about 30 cases??

Thanks

PS the pics are the same (doubles), one is just brighter than the other...

 

[Keeperfaith]

Oh, the bullet in the far far right of the pic (w/ the lee dies in the background) has not been resized...

 

[MtnCreek]

I couldn't see the circle. There's a hole in the die at the shoulder to relieve any excess lube that gets in there. Your brass is fine, I'm sure.

Remove the de-cap rod and clean out the die w/ a clean rag or shop towel. Lube the lower 2/3 of the brass body. Apply a Very small amount of lube inside of the neck w/ a q-tip. Do not lube the shoulder. If you're using the Lee lube, I would advise picking up some Hornady Unique or similar lube.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

i don't really see anything abnormal in those pics. i do usually clean new dies before using them.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

If the lube was overly excessive, it would dent the shoulder. I don't think that's the problem. I wouldn't worry about a slight ring around the neck. I've noticed this on mine from time to time. You may just need to clean your new die.

By the way, give Imperial Wax a try. It's absolutely amazing. A can is like $8 or so and will literally last for years.

 

[MtnCreek]

After a second look... Are you talking about the rings printed into the shoulder that go all the way around the shoulder? If so, that's machine marks in the die. I've seen that with dies and even some rifle chambers. It won't hurt anything. If it bothers you, call Lee and explain you have a die that they didn't polish properly and see if they'll replace it.

 

[jr_roosa]

The ring I see at the bottom of the case neck is pretty normal. Make sure you are completely resizing. I like to measure the headspace when I'm setting up my resizing die. If the die doesn't completely resize there will be a ring you can feel where the die stopped before it hit the shoulder.

J.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

What I see is perfectly normal, machining marks from the dies. That means your dies contacted the shoulder like it is supposed to.

How much it contacts the shoulder is dependent on the chamber in your rifle. But it must completely resize the neck though for proper neck tension on the bullet.

Try them in your rifle before you load them to see how far you can back your Resizing die off and the bolt will still close normally.

I have to full length resize my lever action 30-06 each time I load them but if you are using a bolt action, it isn't necessary. Just neck and shoulder.