ANNEALER ??

[686]

this is a little long but hope some one can help.
I see a lot of people setting up there new home made annealer with 223 brass. i am getting out of run and gun action matches but my grandson is starting to shoot it. i have aleays used brass i piched up at the range. after i swadge the primer pocket and trim, i mark it with a felt tip pin so i know it has bend procesed and not have to do the primer pockets again. i am starting to see some of my cases get split necks. i think it is from a lot of reloads. picked up some behind a friend that was spliting and he said he did not know how many times it had been reloades.
i am about finished making my annealer and was going to do a test with 223 brass. i would start with 10 rds of the same once fired brass. pit a file mark on 5 to anneal. anneal that 5 and then size , trim and load all10. shoot them and anneal the marked ones and reload the 10 again and shoot. i would keep doing this untill i got splits and hope the annealed ones hold up good.
what do you think about this test? this will also get me working with the annealer and working out any bugs before i stare annealing my 6br brass

 

[Juma]

Annealing prevents or slows case hardening brass and significantly improves resizing [FL or Neck]. Split necks generally come from fuller powder loads. I have a mate who gets 25 to 30 reloads off his 222.

 

[hedditch]

I have 50 .243 cases and I am on my 37th reloading. I haven't lost one yet with a split neck. Yes, I anneal.

 

[richard_123]

good place to buy a quality annealer set-up. Not rich but would like a simple good operating annealer. Especially with the costly and hard to find cases and other reloading supplies.

 

[Milo 2.0]

good place to buy a quality annealer set-up. Not rich but would like a simple good operating annealer. Especially with the costly and hard to find cases and other reloading supplies.

Aint happening Richard, Benchsource is over 500.00, Giraud will be 500.00.
Some of the best looking annealing jobs I've seen come from guys using sockets, a torch, and a cordless drill. Even with a benchsource, you have to handle every case, look into the socket method.

 

[jonbearman]

Try ballistics edge as he makes more affordable annealers.I have one and it works fine.

 

[smoooth]

+1 on the socket and torch powered by a drill. I use a corded drill w/appropriate size socket, lock drill "on", light torch and anneal away. Pretty quick as the case is only in the flame for a few seconds, dump case out, insert new case, count, dump....

Take care to not overheat the brass.

 

[CatShooter]

I use the Hornady Annealing tools (same as the sockets), and it works just fine.

The results are very reapeatable, and it is easy to do 250 an hour.

 

[SWThomas]

Anyone have a list of how long to hold certain cases in the flame?

 

[Joe R]

This guy does it well but you don't have to use water a cardboard box will do fine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgD5D0Wzu-c

 

[Martin52]

Do a search on this forum for Tempilaq and you should find a few explanations of what it is and how to use it.

It works, I too use the drill/socket method.

 

[CatShooter]

Anyone have a list of how long to hold certain cases in the flame?

There is no fixed time cuz cases vary and torches vary - I use a small Bernzomatic until the neck turns red - it takes about 5 or 6 seconds. I watch the colour until it goes ~1/2" below the shoulder.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

I have the Benchsource machine a little under 2 hours to do 1000 cases. If you get the Tempilaq get the smallest amount never used it after the first two times.

 

[Juma]

Anyone have a list of how long to hold certain cases in the flame?

There is no fixed time cuz cases vary and torches vary - I use a small Bernzomatic until the neck turns red - it takes about 5 or 6 seconds. I watch the colour until it goes ~1/2" below the shoulder.

Same. Great little tool.

 

[Martin52]

First up, use tempilaq to determine the amount of time you need to keep the flame on the neck on a few test cases, there's no need to use it in every case thereafter although I do re-check timing every few hundred cases. Tempilaq sets hard on the case and is difficult to get off. My 308 lapua brass requires 6 seconds. You have to maintain a constant distance from the flame to the neck - this is where the annealing machines are very accurate, although with the proper set up and practice you can do well with the drill/deep socket method.