Polishing the inside of necks on new brass

[LVLAaron]

I tried this at one time, it was indeed a lot of work and I was not able to conclude that it helps. That's not to say you'd come away with the same results. So give it a try.

VFG aggressive grade pellets and bore polish or Flitz, spun in a drill press or electric drill.

Virgil King, focus of The Secrets Of The Houston Warehouse fame certainly believed in it. He turned the inside of the necks on a lath using a special fixture, then the outside to get perfectly smooth, even thickness wall in his 22 PPC brass. His technique also incorporated 400 grit sandpaper to further smooth the interior walls of the neck after machining.

He was able to put 5 bullets into groups as small as .025 CTC consistently, with some in the high teens (.017).

Let us know what you discover. Inquiring minds tend to be forever curious.

I think that's exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[Jdne5b]

Do you have any idea of the case life and capacity compared to Lapua 223?

 

[Fotheringill]

Am I missing something here?

Primed brass.

Isn't whatever is coming off the inside of the neck or the brush, or sandpaper, or whatever going to get into the primer cup opening at the base of the case?

 

[LVLAaron]

Do you have any idea of the case life and capacity compared to Lapua 223?

Havent reloaded them yet. They're so cheap, If you only get one reload on them they're still a great choice. They're 12 cents each, primed.

 

[carlsbad]

Dang. Something else to do during brass prep....

 

[LVLAaron]

Dang. Something else to do during brass prep....

Dont sweat it. If it werent already primed Id just wet tumble them for an hour and theyd be perfectly fine

 

[carlsbad]

I don't wet tumble. bangs up the case mouth and you can never be sure you got it all out.

--Jerry

 

[Oso]

Dont sweat it. If it werent already primed Id just wet tumble them for an hour and theyd be perfectly fine

It's hard to argue at $0.10/case ($100 for 1000 cases after backing out $25'ish of primer value). It the first time I've seen virgin brass that is sold primed that wasn't a batch of pull-down surplus. Steel pin tumbling was the easy answer, except for wasting good primers and then having to reprime the cases.

God knows I have done more work for less reason or value... I keep picking up brass and tumbling it to then ship it off to friends for no better reason then it was there and so was I.

Good luck...make sure the Advil jar is full.

 

[WIB3]

Nylon brush covered with 3m ulta fine rubbing compound. Then a bath,standing upright in the ultrasonic cleaner.

 

[Rodldavis]

You could get a small hone. MSC sells them.

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/91860445

I thank you for this I ordered my diamond hone today

 

[memilanuk]

@LVLAaron I'm curious what you ended up using? Flex hone? VFG pellets? Something else?

 

[LVLAaron]

I did end up getting some small dingle-ball hones. Even the finest grade are too aggressive for brass necks.

Ultimately, some 00 steel wool woven into a nylon brush in a slow speed drill did the trick.

I followed up with a coating of Neolube #2 inside the necks and they are exactly how I like them.

 

[joshb]

Rub a piece of glass flat on another piece then put sand between them and try it. Polished surfaces together have too much surface tension thus friction

Maybe it’s acting like more neck tension?

 

[memilanuk]

I did end up getting some small dingle-ball hones. Even the finest grade are too aggressive for brass necks.

Ultimately, some 00 steel wool woven into a nylon brush in a slow speed drill did the trick.

I followed up with a coating of Neolube #2 inside the necks and they are exactly how I like them.

I was wondering about that. I saw the 'extra fine' was listed as 800 grit, which seemed a little bit coarse to me.

I'd used steel wool on a bronze brush in the past, but as you'd mentioned previously, it's a bit messy and somewhat consumable - you have to stay on top of it to get a consistent finish. Got curious about the mention of VFG pellets, as I have some of those around from previous adventures chasing carbon in a particular barrel

Do you do it to your regular match brass, or just that pre-primed Wolf stuff you had a pile of?

 

[LVLAaron]

I was wondering about that. I saw the 'extra fine' was listed as 800 grit, which seemed a little bit coarse to me.

I'd used steel wool on a bronze brush in the past, but as you'd mentioned previously, it's a bit messy and somewhat consumable - you have to stay on top of it to get a consistent finish. Got curious about the mention of VFG pellets, as I have some of those around from previous adventures chasing carbon in a particular barrel

Do you do it to your regular match brass, or just that pre-primed Wolf stuff you had a pile of?

Just the primed wolf stuff. It has some kind of gunk on the necks, maybe it's the tar or whatever they use on factory ammo to seal them up, don't know, but it really made for inconsistent seating pressure.

My "normal" brass, I just tumble, add neolube, mandrel the neck, and seat.

 

[gdbleb]

Cratex rounds was a good suggestion.
VFG pellets and paste (of your choice) and then the tedious cleanup. Or a Dremel felt round.
I would add some form of ScotchBrite on a shaft if such a thing exists.
Also these foam abrasive pads/sheets for paint prep might be adapted to your needs.

 

[jepp2]

I did end up getting some small dingle-ball hones. Even the finest grade are too aggressive for brass necks.

I tied using that type hone for honing my FL sizing dies to increase the neck diameter. My single try failed as the balls lost their grit too fast. I wound up getting the hones from MSC. They work fine, but using lapping compound in the case neck of brass prior to loading not a good idea. I did see this in a thread a while back, impressed me. However on new brass I always chamfer the inside sharp edge and use Imperial to coat the case neck until I have carbon.

 

[Oso]

I have encountered the Eastern Block tar/sealant. My solution has been to dip a Q-in acetone and wipe it away.

 

[LVLAaron]

I have encountered the Eastern Block tar/sealant. My solution has been to dip a Q-in acetone and wipe it away.

Doh! - I love acetone. I have it all over the shop I dont know why I didn't think of that. I still have 2k boxed up... next time I need some I'll try that!