Annealing brass question

[rcol317]

I've been a shooter for a long time and have annealed my brass for years. No doubt inn y mind it makes brass last a lot longer. My question is wondering if there is a danger in over annealing your brass. I shoot 221 FB and 20 Var Targs and have been annealing them after twice fire. Seems if I don't anneal frequently I get neck split more often. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Rick

 

[jimcasey01]

There is no danger in annealing as often as you feel the need, including after every firing. There is a problem if you over heat the brass in attempting to anneal. It will become scrap if you do.

 

[CatShooter]

A lot of shooters anneal after each firing.

It is very hard to ruin brass by annealing - I heat it with a propane torch until the neck just starts turning red, as seen in a low lighted room... works fine and I have had 22-250 cases last almost 50 firings.

 

[M99]

I anneal after every firing, because with the Bench Source machine its so easy and quick, that to me it makes sense in order to keep things consistent without actually having to track each firing of each piece of brass. I don't know if it helps any with accuracy or not. But it does make the brass run through a Custom FL die smoother.

 

[spclark]

I anneal by hand, one case in a socket with a torch. Used to anneal every 2nd firing (308 for Palma, 6XC for long range & 6HAGAR for NRA matches) but now more like every 3rd, maybe 4th... mostly because I'm lazy.

With a dedicated machine I'd probably do it every time I resize. Sometimes I'll re-anneal a batch if it's set for a long time on the shelf & I've washed off the signature discoloration; it disappears in the wet SS-media method I prefer. Have yet to see ill effect on paper or ruined brass.

You'd have to work at it to ruin cases by over-annealing. Too hot a flame and/or too long IN the flame will anneal the case sides toward the base, which is to be avoided. Barely glowing - 6 to 9 seconds in a 1-1/2" single-torch propane flame - ought to be enough.

 

[Juma]

We anneal all our 223 hunting brass each time for about 5 seconds and now LCD with a Lyman M die before the seating operation. Everything as smooth as butter.

 

[spclark]

We anneal all our 223 hunting brass each time for about 5 seconds and now LCD with a Lyman M die before the seating operation.

Curious... my only experience with M dies is when reloading straight-wall pistol cartridges like 45ACP & 44Mag. This opens the necks ever so slightly to ease insertion of flat-based bullets. Then a taper or roll-crimp step (cartridge & bullet-dependent) to complete after seating.

Do you run your 223's thru a taper or collet-type crimp die?

 

[rcol317]

Thanks for all the info. didn't want to over do it if I could. I always use Tempilaq to do the first time I do a new case to see how many seconds to do it and not over heat the case. With 221 brass harder to come by just didn't want to over do it. I'll keep doing them after the second firing. Thanks again.

 

[michaelnel]

I anneal after every firing, because with the Bench Source machine its so easy and quick, that to me it makes sense in order to keep things consistent without actually having to track each firing of each piece of brass. I don't know if it helps any with accuracy or not. But it does make the brass run through a Custom FL die smoother.

I do the same, with the same equipment, for the same reasons.

 

[CaptainMal]

Anneal my Dasher and 260 AI after each firing. When I feel lie it on the others.

Trick. I only use a single propane torch and rotating socket. When you see a slight change in the blue torch color BEHIND the neck. You are done.

I do not look for any glowing of the brass itself. If I see it my thoughts are it's too much. Must be doing it right because I have Dasher brass with up to 25 loadings. I brought back a few hundred "easily splitting" 6mm Rem brass from decades ago like this and no issues.

Look into the flame past the neck. You will see it slightly get brighter. Mostly it's something like 8 - 12 seconds but that varies with the brass and how hot the torch is. When you see it, stop looking and start getting that case out of the flame.

 

[C Valentine]

Is it important that the brass be evenly heated on all sides? I would think so. If it doesn't have to be heated evenly on all sides it would make the process easier because I could just put them in a circle on a steel turn table. Have never annealed before, but from what I have read, I probably should be! Everything except my match brass has 5 or six firings on it. Guess I had better start researching!

 

[fourpower]

I never used to anneal but I was having trouble getting brass so I got a bench sourse annealer. boy I wish I had gotten one a long time ago! this is well used brass in 6.5x47 and now that I am annealing I have 50 more loadings on brass with no losses. I use a forester bump die and it works great.

 

[ballison]

Not to hijack the thread, but.... those with a Bench Source ( or any other automatic annealer), are you dumping the cases into water or just air cooling?

 

[Frankr]

Not to hijack the thread, but.... those with a Bench Source ( or any other automatic annealer), are you dumping the cases into water or just air cooling?

NO water quench ..they just drop out the bottom and air cool. there is a fan that blows on them a little..
I have found when FL sizing with a bushing die..say running a .002 under a loaded round bushing you have a lot of neck tension you can feel it when seating the bullet.. if you do not anneal the next firing you can feel a a lot less neck tension when seating the bullet..so anneal every firing to maintain the same neck grip...I have thought about .001 less bushing then next firing go back to the .002 bushing ect.. I have gone two or three firings and I could see my load opening up ...so then I anneal and it's back to shooting in a hole..i guess it is what ever works for your load. but I do see better accuracy on annealed brass.. the Bench Source is a great machine.

 

[CatShooter]

Color of the brass is not an accurate indicator.

All the cases in this picture were annealed at the same time, at the same temperature..both groups were Remington - but from different lots.

I anneal in a low light, and heat the neck to a dark glow for 3 or 4 secs, using a socket type thingie, and a cordless screwdriver, and propane torch - the cases last forever.

 

[spclark]

Is it important that the brass be evenly heated on all sides? I would think so.

I trust most of us here would agree. To the extent we all desire to have cases that are as uniform in all respects as possible, dramatic differences in brass temper from one side to the other run counter to this.

I recall reading descriptions of cases being annealed while sitting in water, the idea being to preclude overheating case sides and heads, then wondered how such a practice allowed for rotating cases while in the flame?

I have my drill throttled to 60 - 100 RPM when I'm running cases across a torch. Deep-socket "case holder" allows easy tip-out into a NECO sieve for air cooling then the next case is slipped in & positioned without having to reduce speed.

 

[dixieppc]

Color of the brass is not an accurate indicator.

All the cases in this picture were annealed at the same time, at the same temperature..both groups were Remington - but from different lots.

I anneal in a low light, and heat the neck to a dark glow for 3 or 4 secs, using a socket type thingie, and a cordless screwdriver, and propane torch - the cases last forever.

I notice that the blue inner part of your flame is hitting the case neck mouth. A lot of posts that I have read on case annealing have said that they were having the inner blue part of the flame hit the case neck/shoulder junction when using a single flame. I have been gathering all the information that I can on a annealing and was wondering if you would be so kind as to comment on why you are directing the inner blue flame at the case neck mouth instead of the neck/shoulder junction.

Regards....