Exhaust3
11-04-2010, 02:54 PM
Sooty necks are a good thing! It indicates bullet release and pressure. You DO NOT want a clean neck after firing a round. Your soot ring should actually be 3/4 to 1/2 of the neck. The neck has to release the bullet and as it does so those gasses seep around the neck as it happens. I use the soot ring right along with primer strikes, case expansion, plunger marks etc. when determining peak pressure of any given round. The further back the ring the ligher the pressure. The ring should be on the neck, not anywhere else. It appears that those cases could use a higher charge. Good luck!