When to anneal

[Dave M.]

What do you do about the outside of the necks, and primer pocket?

I have tested primer pocket cleaning versus uncleaned at 600 and 1000 yards and it’s just noise, it makes no difference. Because of this I stopped cleaning primer pockets 2 years ago. As for the outside of the necks, I will wipe them down really quick with a crazy cloth after every 5 firings (which I keep track of in a book, but I’ve also tested 5X fired uncleaned necks against 5X fired necks cleaned with a crazy cloth, and again it was nothing but noise. I merely do it every 5X firings for a tiny bit of piece of mind. Although, as a side note, I just started this process on my .284 brass at the end of the 2022 season. My Lapua brass for my 6 dasher has 23+ firings on the brass and I have never once cleaned the outside of the necks, and it’s an absolute hammer (see the pics of the brass necks and patina below).
Dave

 

[Dave M.]

The great lengths people go to avoid simply tumbling off lube in corn media for 30 min.

I go to great lengths not to tumble because it has no positive effect on the target.

 

[Dave M.]

Anneal.
Tumble.
Lube and size.
Tumble again for a short while in corncob and mineral spirits.
Why?
Anneal first as it tends to cook off some carbon.
Clean in CC and mineral spirits with new finish. Makes them look like new, and have had BAD experience with dirty cases in dies.
Lube and size.
Then tumble again i. CC and mineral spirits to remove any lube.
90% of my brass I don’t run over a mandrel, after the tumbling.
10% for hard core target work I do in case of messing up a case mouth or neck from tumbling.
Why?
Because of his some what long regiment by some standards has given me zero issue, if it works don’t fix it comes to mind.

I looked at wet tumbling, but I have TOO much clean CC media to fool with a new tumbler and then drying wet cases.
AND my cases are “pretty” when I am done.
There is clean, then there is clean and polished.

That’s more tumbling than the US Gymnastics team does. lol.

 

[DiRTY DOG]

I understand now.

Shiny stock: good, awesome, cool.
Shiny brass: lame, doesn't do anything on target, wasted effort.

 

[JFrank]

I understand now.

Shiny stock: good, awesome, cool.
No No No there is definitely a paint node !

Shiny brass: lame, doesn't do anything on target, wasted effort.

 

[Dave M.]

I don't anneal and have no plans to start. The consistency when seating a bullet is very important from an accuracy standpoint. Once this relationship is messed up it is very hard to find a fix. I am not really convinced most are really annealing correctly to realize any gains and in reality may be losing ground. All this work some are doing makes me tired at the thought of it. Flame suit on!! Lol.
Paul

To each their own. I won’t flame you like others will, but I will say it’s likely really hard to get 30+ firings on brass with a fairly stout load without annealing.
Dave

 

[Dave M.]

I understand now.

Shiny stock: good, awesome, cool.
Shiny brass: lame, doesn't do anything on target, wasted effort.

Glad you get it now. Some find this concept hard to understand……but not you.

 

[Dave M.]

View attachment 1570008

I’m an engineer and even I think that shit is funny Aaron. I go through it every day at work. Engineers love to argue.

 

[Dave M.]

A friend told me it makes a very loud noise when they go off....

Later

Dave

I can attest they explode just the same as they do in the rifle.

 

[Dave M.]

you have taken things out of order . tumble wet first ,tumble corncob to dry, anneal, size , tumble corncob to remove lube, prime , powder and bullet seating , shoot ,repeat.

And tumble twice more for good measure.

 

[LVLAaron]

Dave I really want to clean that brass. Just to make misser mad.

 

[TTE]

When to anneal​

If you've waited this long it's too late in the process

 

[JFrank]

Dave I really want to clean that brass. Just to make misser mad.

Dave’s brass makes mine look good.

 

[JSH]

That’s more tumbling than the US Gymnastics team does. lol.

If I were doing 50 or less, the second tumble would not happen. Load a minimum of 500 for varmints, tell me how that works for ya.
Also the second tumble for varmint brass and mineral spirits or alcohol, I have used both is maybe for 3-5 minutes tops, just to get the lube off.
Imho any one that doesn’t clean the lube off, loads and then shoots are not doing their selves any favors.

I want my brass clean and shiny so I can visually see any issues. I have seen folks do well with brass that looks like they found it in the parking lot. Prefer my brass to be clean and shiny, like my women.
Sorry if that is coarse. I have seen some dandies at truck stops over the years, don’t want nothing to do with those either.

 

[misser]

And tumble twice more for good measure.

the reason for the wet tumble is to get the writing off . i write what powder ,how much powder , sometimes the bullet even seating

 

[Bc'z]

Right. A shiny stock also does nothing. What percentage of benchrest/Fclass shooters pay big $$ for custom paint jobs with 7 layers of high gloss automotive clear coat? 'Doing something' has nothing to do with it, does it?

Whoa whoa whoa!!!!
It's called the paint node, if you know you know.
But what I want to know is how in the hell did we get from when to anneal, to paint by way of clean or dirty brass???

 

[Bc'z]

the reason for the wet tumble is to get the writing off . i write what powder ,how much powder , sometimes the bullet even seating

I quit tumbling a few months ago.
Alcohol, brake cleaner or everyone's new hot spit favorite SprayAway glass cleaner will remove sharpie.

 

[misser]

I quit tumbling a few months ago.
Alcohol, brake cleaner or everyone's new hot spit favorite SprayAway glass cleaner will remove sharpie.

one at a time ?

 

[jxb]

Ok I don't get it, so many just must have these beautiful rifles with wonderful paint jobs but they want to use brass that's not clean and shiny, pretty much ugly if you ask me. Is it because they don't want shiny clean brass distracting the viewers eyes from their rifles?

Oh yeah the topic... Anneal whenever you want, it's your brass.

 

[SecondsCount]

This is super easy to do. Don’t anneal primed brass.

I see you have experience as well!