icthruu

I made my own reloading blocks, one deep for .30-06, and one shallower for .45acp. Don't worry, in a few weeks you'll find something else you "need" like a chronograph, or a progressive press....or maybe a bullet casting setup.

westbronco

You might want to consider buying a Sinclair Bullet Comparator ($16.25), a Primer Pocket Uniformer ($19.50 + $9.85 if you want a handle) and a tin of Imperial Die Wax ($4.75). The Bullet Comp. gives you a way of measuring the cartridge length based on bullet minor dia. using your caliper. That is needed when you start working with bullet seating depth or jump of the bullet to the rifling. I have the best accuracy with my .22-250 with about .020" of jump. It does make a difference. Good luck.

driftrider

What does the Imperial Die Wax do? Is it a replacement for case lube?

Mike

MOTurkeyTamer

Imperial Sizing Die Wax is the only case lube I have ever used. It has extremely high lubricity, you just apply it very sparingly with the tip of your finger and after sizing, wipe the case clean with a paper towel. It may be slower to lube one at a time with Imperial but worth it if you are the meticulous type like me who doesn't mind sacrificing speed for accuracy. Give some a try, I think you will be pleased with it!

driftrider

I apoligise if this sounds like a dumb question, but if I were to use the Imperial wax, how would I lube the inside of the necks? do you put a little bit of the wax on a case brush like with normal case lube?

Sooner or later I'd like to get a carbide expander button, but until then I'll have to lube the inside of the necks.

Mike

westbronco

DR, That's a good question. I usually use a spray, I use Hornady, when I'm just neck sizing, and at the correct angle I get the inside of the neck just fine. When I use IDW for FL sizing or neck reduction, I use a mica system I got from Midway, I think. A case neck brush by itself will usually get the neck slick enough to pass the expander without difficulty, but have the mica handy if it seems to be sticky.

MOTurkeyTamer

Driftrider,
If you were to use the Imperial Die Wax for a case lube, then you would need to lube the inside of the necks with something else like Westbronco said. I use the Frankford Arsenal Case Neck Lubricator from Midway for inside neck lubing.

When I FL size my brass, I use the Imperial Wax on the outside of the case, then dip the case neck into the mica and then run it down over the appropriate size brush, then run the brass into the FL die. I also have a carbide expander button in all my Redding dies and with this process, FL sizing is a breeze with not a lot of effort required. If you were to just neck size your brass and you had the carbide button installed in the neck sizing die, then no lube would be necessary at all. But if using the standard expander button, then all that is required is again to dip the case neck into the mica and run it over the proper brush and then into the neck die. Hope this answers your question and good luck!