What to do with my never annealed brass now that I have an annealer?

[giannid]

So after reloading for a few years, I've decided to add annealing to my reloading steps. To keep things simple, I'm just going to anneal my brass every firing. I purchased an Annie and it's simple and fast enough. Figured if it can keep things more constant, get my SD's down and extend brass life, it's worth it.

Currently, I'm developing a load with a new 6.5 creedmoor rifle I just finished putting together. I've shot the rifle two outings so far trying to decide which bullet I want to go with. It's tough as it's a good shooter, better than I can shoot. I've got 3 different bullets shooting better than an inch group at 200 yards.

The situation I have probably over 300 pieces of Hornady 6.5 brass that I'm currently working with. Some of which were fired from a bolt gun and some with a semi auto I had. Unfortunately, I have no ideal how many firing on the brass. I didn't shoot either of those previous rifles much so I figure the brass has 3 to 5 firings on it. So far it's shooting good in this rifle. I haven't experienced any split neck or loose primer pockets with any of it yet.

Should I scrap the brass since I don't know the history or should I anneal it and keep using it? I definitely don't want to go backward if thing get inconsistent with this rifle. I'd buy new brass but it's out of stock everywhere. I've got a buddy who has 200-300 rounds of once fired Hornady that he's going to give me since he doesn't reload. Thoughts?

I understand Hornady brass isn't the best for a precision gun. I started load development with it and probably just going to stick with it. I honestly don't think I'm going to get the rifle to shoot better with higher end brass like Lapua. Truthfully, I don't think I can shoot the rifle any better than it's currently performing.

 

[Sandstorm]

Anneal the brass you have and go shoot some groups...

 

[RegionRat]

Only you can answer this question.

If you are happy with the performance level you are getting now, and don't think you would be able to do better, then don't make things more complicated than they are now.

If you get to where you are wondering if mixed history brass can be annealed and perform better in a different gun than when it was shot the first time, the only way to know would be a well disciplined test.

If you are satisfied you are getting an honest 1/2 MOA performance now, I can tell you without knowing anything else, that you are better off learning to shoot in wind and distance, than you are trying to squeeze that group size performance. The typical F-Class target has an X ring that is 1/2 MOA, so you are hovering at the limits of performance short of a benchrest rig now.

To do that test, you may want to ask around if any of your friends can anneal them or show you how. That way you don't have a huge investment in annealing equipment until you can benefit. (ETA: I spoke too soon and noticed you said you already own equipment, so moot point.)

I can see how getting hold of virgin brass or brass you have history on with only this chamber can be a challenge right now, so take your time when you design the test. Keep in mind the sample size required for either meaningful group or velocity stats is larger than most people think when they don't run research or stats for a living. I will suggest you take a gander at some of the most recent articles on the Precision Rifle Blog to get a taste of stats and design of experiments before you launch your test.

 

[lb-ft]

Flame suit has been donned.

Most of my hand loads are with range pickup brass. I carefully prepare my rounds, and baseline every piece of brass that enters the rotation. Just like I’d change all fluids, filters, belts, timing belt and water pump to baseline a used car that came with unknown history, I baseline used but new-to-me brass. This ALWAYS includes thorough cleaning, annealing, FL sizing, trimming, deburring and primer pocket crimp reaming if present.

My ammo shoots amazingly well. I firmly believe that the annealing step (introduced a few years ago) has made the very most impactful difference down range.

So, as others have said, annealing and shoot. Baseline your brass and don’t look back.

 

[big john 5394]

If you want bench rest accuracy get lapua small primer brass and anneal every time new gun new brass it eliminate all variables.

 

[giannid]

If you want bench rest accuracy get lapua small primer brass and anneal every time new gun new brass it eliminate all variables.

I think I'm getting bench rest accuracy with my Hornady brass. I really doubt it's going to shoot better with Lapua brass but I could be wrong. And I'd hate to start load development all over again.

 

[Bginvestor]

So after reloading for a few years, I've decided to add annealing to my reloading steps. To keep things simple, I'm just going to anneal my brass every firing. I purchased an Annie and it's simple and fast enough. Figured if it can keep things more constant, get my SD's down and extend brass life, it's worth it.

Currently, I'm developing a load with a new 6.5 creedmoor rifle I just finished putting together. I've shot the rifle two outings so far trying to decide which bullet I want to go with. It's tough as it's a good shooter, better than I can shoot. I've got 3 different bullets shooting better than an inch group at 200 yards.

The situation I have probably over 300 pieces of Hornady 6.5 brass that I'm currently working with. Some of which were fired from a bolt gun and some with a semi auto I had. Unfortunately, I have no ideal how many firing on the brass. I didn't shoot either of those previous rifles much so I figure the brass has 3 to 5 firings on it. So far it's shooting good in this rifle. I haven't experienced any split neck or loose primer pockets with any of it yet.

Should I scrap the brass since I don't know the history or should I anneal it and keep using it? I definitely don't want to go backward if thing get inconsistent with this rifle. I'd buy new brass but it's out of stock everywhere. I've got a buddy who has 200-300 rounds of once fired Hornady that he's going to give me since he doesn't reload. Thoughts?

I understand Hornady brass isn't the best for a precision gun. I started load development with it and probably just going to stick with it. I honestly don't think I'm going to get the rifle to shoot better with higher end brass like Lapua. Truthfully, I don't think I can shoot the rifle any better than it's currently performing.

Annealing will make the cases to be more consistent even with different firing history..

As for Hornady brass, it’s not popular for serious competition . If your competing I would switch, that’s me. If hunting only, I’d keep them based on ur performance.

however, you can test, if your results are competitive , keep them. If ur getting 3rd, 4th, 5th at local matches , I’d switch..

 

[varmintshooter]

I guess some would call me a brass whore as I pick up brass at the range when I find it. I clean and inspect then fl size and treat it like any other brass. I anneal when it needs to be trimmed, except for my Ack Imp brass which I anneal every 2 firing's.