A few things to keep in mind. Annealing does not mean the same thing to everyone here which is why board discussion of this usually get into endless debates. Some anneals their plinking round cases just to keep necks from splitting. Some do it for precision rifle but wants the neck not too soft so neck tension is still reasonable but consistent as the rounds will be loaded in a mag. Others do it for bench rest where soft necks are desirable as neck tension is kept very low.
Whether counting is good enough accuracy for your anneal depends on your counting skills and use of the brass.
As to reusing brass for timing, this is what most of us do i.e. we have a batch of brass of the same headstamp that we use only for setting up the annealing. As long as they cool between testing, they are good for reuse.
Mapp gas of course heats faster… Whether that is good for you depends on how good you are. I usually like to heat my brass with regular gas which means 3-4 seconds with two burners on the neck and shoulder. If Mapp gas gets that down to 1 seconds, it is certainly faster but to anneal it to the same exact degree of precision, I have to be that much more accurate in terms of getting the brass on and off the flame. I choose to go longer even though I am using an expensive BenchSource Annealer. Your choice.
Infrared temp gun… Never worked for me (or anyone I know), takes too long to aim and get a reading. Reading the case for the slight red glow AS it is being heated is still the most accurate.
Whether counting is good enough accuracy for your anneal depends on your counting skills and use of the brass.
As to reusing brass for timing, this is what most of us do i.e. we have a batch of brass of the same headstamp that we use only for setting up the annealing. As long as they cool between testing, they are good for reuse.
Mapp gas of course heats faster… Whether that is good for you depends on how good you are. I usually like to heat my brass with regular gas which means 3-4 seconds with two burners on the neck and shoulder. If Mapp gas gets that down to 1 seconds, it is certainly faster but to anneal it to the same exact degree of precision, I have to be that much more accurate in terms of getting the brass on and off the flame. I choose to go longer even though I am using an expensive BenchSource Annealer. Your choice.
Infrared temp gun… Never worked for me (or anyone I know), takes too long to aim and get a reading. Reading the case for the slight red glow AS it is being heated is still the most accurate.
