Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Bullets seizing to case neck

When I was shooting through the cans of LC M118 Match I popped the sealant and found they weren't super consistent.

I pulled a bunch of LC69 30-06 several years ago. The neck sealant was applied liberally and and had set up like concrete. They all required a lot of pressure to pull.

The LC M118 sounds like the crap Winchester is loading these days. Undersized bullets in oversized necks, some rounds the only thing holding the bullet in place are the sealant and the crimp. The neck tension is so low that with-out the sealant the bullet would never make it to the crimp station. You can tell these rounds by the fact that the bullet is seated so deep you can not see the cannelure.

My 70's vintage M118 Match didn't have undersize bullets. In fact one lot had .309" bullets. With the sealant popped and selecting rounds for good runout it actually shot very well in my bolt guns.

Winchester M80 bullets mostly run .3075". Very few over .308, some under .3075". Neck ID is supposed to be .306-.307", but some are closer to .308". Too often randomness lines up a small bullet with a large neck, and the bullet just catches at the top of the cannelure. Go through a couple boxes of WMA 5.56 or 7.62 and you will see what I mean.

The loader operators, Winchester calls them "adjusters", compensate for low bullet pulls by crimping the livin piss out of the loaded cartridges.

I don't know what the proper terminology is, but some people call it "cold welding" too. Maybe just corrosion. And I'm not sure how long it takes, or under what conditions it most readily occurs. I do know that it is very obvious, if you pull bullets with a collet-type puller. Normally, the bullet eases right out. If it is "seized" or "cold welded", it seems to take more effort and you hear a "snap" at the moment that the bullet starts to move out of the case.

I used to use motor mica, when I cleaned brass. I don't bother to clean brass anymore, so there is some carbon. And I use Imperial wax or One Shot for sizing.

The concern that people have is varying amounts of force required to release the bullet. Some handloaders focus on neck tension, but if the bullet is also bonded to the case, even a little bit, then there is another variable.

I'm curious if moly or hBN would prevent this.

Maybe not for bullets sticking but for resizing I has a swab brush and I squirt it with one shot so the expander goes thru nice. I’m just guessing but when it dries shouldn’t it then form a good inside neck lube? Edk