Outside neck cleaning...

[Brians356]

Perhaps not as obvious as you thought ....... :

After I tumble, I like to give the neck a quick polish with some 3M medium scotchbrite pads . It not only removes any residual carbon that my tumbling did not clean, but polishing also provides a smooth finish which makes it much easier to spot small neck cracks in the brass.

Not so fast. You weren't referring to Road_Clam's admission, that arrived after the fact.

So ... which previous comment had you in mind when you wondered about adding an unnecessary step?

 

[amamnn]

As per bolt guns:
If one is shooting a cartridge that is well matched to the chamber, tumbling is not needed after every firing as the neck seals correctly and stops the products of combustion from entering the chamber to the degree that cleaning anything but the neck is required. Cleaning the neck is desirable in order to be sure that the load is operating to best effect. If the neck is allowed to remain dirty from the last firing, proper crenelation cannot be ascertained unless the case is in exactly the same radial position in the chamber as the last firing. This is impossible to predict. Therefore. a quick application of 0000 steel wool to the neck after firing s a useful activity if one wants to keep an eye on performance.

This activity may not be useful in auto loaders or standard factory barrels of bolt guns, and in my experience has been a waste of time in such tubes, the alternative being tumbling to clean the entire case. At some point, it may be useful to tumble the cases fired in custom bolt gun chambers as well. I don't see any advantage to doing both in any of my rifles.