DennisH said:
I have dediced to use one of the following: Giraud or Benchsource
Both have their good and bad points. The biggest difference is the Giraud has to have the wheels swapped out if changing bullet sizes! Benchsource does not. Benchsource does everything but 50's.
Does two torches really help on either?
I have everything from 223 up to 338's!
TELL ME WHAT TO BUY!
I have the Giraud and I have never used the Benchsource, but I have friends who have the Benchsource.
Let me put it to you this way; just get one, you won't go wrong with either one or any of the other ones out there.
I never did much annealing because I went through brass faster than I thought annealing would help. In .223, my primer pockets would not hold a primer after 4-5 rounds, so I have a large supply of virgin brass that I cycle in as needed.
When I switched to .308 and started using Lapua brass exclusively for competition, I noticed that after several loadings, my primer pockets were still tight. I attribute this to two things: a less than maximum load (I prefer to use a longer barrel and let it do its thing,) and consistent use of a small base full length bushing sizing die.
I started my current run with 500 cases of Lapua brass, in 5 cartridge boxes and I am now on my eight loading. I bought the Giraud some months ago and all my cases have been annealed and I am now annealing for every load. The Giraud makes it easy for me, I turn it on, spark the flame, adjust it (and yes the valve is coarse but I am used to it now) and then I load the hopper with my 100 cases and let the processed brass fall into a huge cardboard box. 15 minutes later, I turn everything off, put away the Giraud and I put the brass back in the box and I can start my case prep process from there.
I only shoot 1000 yard F-T/R matches any more and what I have discovered since I started annealing the brass after every load is my scores have gone up and I don't seem to have as many "where-did-that-come-from?" moments during a match. At the last 1000 yard match I actually fired 5 Xs in a row, not too shabby for a .308. Of course, just when you think you have it nailed, the undetected condition change occurs, but that's my poor marksmanship, it's not the ammo.
All that to say, I am now a firm believer in annealing, especially if your brass will last you for multiple loads. So, it does not matter which one you get, just get one. If you have various cartridge sizes, get the one that will be easier for you to use. I only do one caliber, but may also start doing it for my .223 loads.
