Annealing

[ExtremeX]

I don’t currently anneal any of my cases… I guess my primary interest with it is to increase case life and see if it actually helps with accuracy/consistency in the neck tension department.

I’ve been watching Youtube videos and reading about the process on and off… I have a reasonable understand of the process.

Anyone have any budget DIY annealing setups they want to share so I can get some more ideas?

For discussion purposes… Is this something that needs to be done often? I come across a lot of people who don’t anneal and still get good case life and don’t see the need.

Just trying to get some real world insight on the subject

[sixoclockhold]

I studied the issue and came to the conclusion that it has to be done just right or you're wasting your time or the brass by overheating or not uniform.

The process is proven to help, but at what cost?

I pass, I find enough brass or make deals to not worry about it. The larger cal. rifle hold up well anyway, it's the smaller cal. that tend to split and I don't shoot that.

Case in point, last week I was next to a new AR shooter and he said I could help myself to his brass. I will trade this for some 7.62x54r I could use.

[ExtremeX]

Right... but I figure using those temperature indicating paint pen (like Tempilstiks) would make easy work of getting the time and temp setup...

I also have a fair amount of rifle brass so I know where you are coming from. I haven’t seen the need to anneal YET, since I still get sufficient neck tension, but I thought it would be nice to anneal a batch of cases to renew everything and bring most of the cases back to a nice starting point.

I also have a lot of cases like Federal FC headstamp cases that were never annealed from the factory, and was thinking of annealing those cases as well.

I was thinking of annealing as general brass maintenance for my .223 match and .30 match loads.

[sixoclockhold]

I was thinking the same, but the more I looked the more $$$$ and I'm not a competitive shooter sooo...let em rip, I won't bet buttt hurt over a half inch here or there. Not YET anyway

[Bill Steele]

I anneal all my rifle brass. I do it every five loads these days.

I use a cordless drill and chuck up a 3/8 adapter and a 12mm deep socket (for 308). I use a simple propane torch. With the drill turning I put the case into the flame for 10 seconds (lapua), more for thicker brass, call it 12 seconds. When done I turn the socket over and catch the hot case in a stainless bowl to cool and drop the next candidate into the socket, pretty quick and painless.

I find it helps with neck tension consistency. When you are loading with hand dies and an arbor press you can feel the neck tension differences on successive loads.

[BLR81]

While reloading a mix of Lapua and Remington brass recently, I noticed that the shoulders on the Lapua were set back about .002 more than the Remington even thought both were fire formed in the sample rifle and measured exactly the same before resizing. The die was adjusted to set the shoulder back .0025 on the Remington which it did but the Lapua ended up set back .0045.

Talking to a very experienced reloader at the range, he suggested that since the Lapua came annealed from the factory and the Remington didn't, that possibly the Remington was much harder and therefore had more spring back.

I haven't had the opportunity to anneal some of the Remington brass to check out the theory. But until I do, I think I'll be checking more closely when I resize some of my older brass.

[gau17]

Turn the lights off and watch for the brass start to change color (maroon). Don't let them get glowing red. You want the tip of the flame to be at the neck/shoulder junction. I use a propane torch from HD. Cheap and last long.





Here is some good reading. I use the last method.

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

[ExtremeX]

I anneal all my rifle brass. I do it every five loads these days.

I use a cordless drill and chuck up a 3/8 adapter and a 12mm deep socket (for 308). I use a simple propane torch. With the drill turning I put the case into the flame for 10 seconds (lapua), more for thicker brass, call it 12 seconds. When done I turn the socket over and catch the hot case in a stainless bowl to cool and drop the next candidate into the socket, pretty quick and painless.

I find it helps with neck tension consistency. When you are loading with hand dies and an arbor press you can feel the neck tension differences on successive loads.

What are your thoughts on air cooling the cases vs dropping them into a bowl of water?

Not too thrilled about getting cases wet, but I hear some folks do it to prevent excess heat from traveling to the case head area.

[afrancke]

Air cooling should be fine if the time your brass dwells in the flame is on the order of 10 - 12 seconds as has been suggested. At least, as long as we're going by Internet metallurgy standards (the ones that say "you're done when the neck and the neck alone glows dull in a dark room").

[Bill Steele]

What are your thoughts on air cooling the cases vs dropping them into a bowl of water?

Not too thrilled about getting cases wet, but I hear some folks do it to prevent excess heat from traveling to the case head area.

I think if you concentrate the heat on the neck and the angled shoulder part, as afrancke indicated with the times I use, the color change in the brass stops almost exactly where Lapua's factory brass comes in, so I think it is fine.

I figured I better post this quick, before someone comes on and says you need to drop them in water to get the annealing, which of course is correct with steel but not for brass.

[CobraRed]

I've done both. I find it helps with brass longevity but havent noticed an accuracy difference. Therefore I do it based on my current brass availability.

[sixoclockhold]

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/annealing.html

Another article...

[tujungatoes]

I think if you concentrate the heat on the neck and the angled shoulder part, as afrancke indicated with the times I use, the color change in the brass stops almost exactly where Lapua's factory brass comes in, so I think it is fine.

I figured I better post this quick, before someone comes on and says you need to drop them in water to get the annealing, which of course is correct with steel but not for brass.

I like your method Bill. Never annealed cases before, but will try it now on my short lived 7.5 swiss.



Also because everyone on the internet has to be a picky a**hole. You don't quench steel when annealing. It has to cool very slowly so as not to harden.

[Bill Steele]

I like your method Bill. Never annealed cases before, but will try it now on my short lived 7.5 swiss.



Also because everyone on the internet has to be a picky a**hole. You don't quench steel when annealing. It has to cool very slowly so as not to harden.

Brain fart, good catch, we did that to harden it, not soften it. Metal shop was a long time ago..