Annealing, how often

jasent

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Anealing brass. When and how often?

When I first learned to aneal I would do it once every 4 loadings. It worked well and my brass lasted a very long time. I don't run high preasure so my primer pockets rarely open up. As my skills improved I started chasing the acuracey rabbit. Picked up a concentricity gage. First lot I checked was a freshly anealed lot and my worst ones where a .0015" out. I thought well that was a waste of money! But I continued to check them after sizing. 2nd loading I averaged .002-.003 still good but I wondered what I did differently. 3rd loading .002-.005 Hmmm. Fourth loading .003-.007". Now I was resizing some brass twice to straighten the bad ones. Then I check case length. Hmmm all different ranging .01". I anealed resized and trimmed and checked again. .0015" extreme spred on concentricity. I kept up this cycle for few weeks trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. It finially dawned on me after reading an article about brass work hardening and spring back. I decided to do like some of the nut jobs online that preached about anealing every loading :yikes:

What happened? Well my brass stayed in the .001-.002 area for concentric, all my brass grew at the same rate with in .002". Resizing was easier, seating was easier, trimming was easier. Grouping improved at distance, Es/sd went down and most importantly confidence went up.
Now I'm one of those whack jobs online preaching about annealing every loading!

I used to anneal with a drill going super slow and a bit I made to hold the cases and then drop them in water to stop the heat from going down too far on the case. Now I anneal by hand. Holding the brass by the head and turning it by hand. Then I set it on a tin plate to cool. No water mess or waiting for brass to dry, heat dosent go past the shoulders but maybe .1-.15" still getting the same results but faster and less fuss. Typically when I finish the last peace I'm able to just start picking them up and place them in my loading block. They cool quickly.

Jmo based off my exp.
 
I anneal every second firing.
That gets me results that mirror yours.
Once you become proficient in your technique, you begin to test your own theory's, and leave the Internet wisdom on the Internet.
 
I also read a lot of the annealing articles...didn't want to buy annealer...a friend suggested the water trick...I didn't do the water...I did just like you..but a glove...dropped onto a towel...brass colored really nice....and for the small amount I shoot compared to many on this site..within the budget.....
Although there was an annealer on here a while ago that peaked the hidden money drawer...........very close.....but Alaska bought it....thank you...........
 
I should clarify

It was a standard die. This was few years ago. I do now use a bushing die. But annealing as I did fixed the issue I had with the std dies and other issues I had. I continue to be happy with the results for the few min it adds to my loading time. I prob should have had that info in the post. If you want to try it and see if your happy with the results. If not continue doing it how you want to and enjoy life.
 
I started off annealing every 2 or 3 firings on everything, except my.338 LM Improved, which I did every firing. Now I anneal everything every time. easier to keep track.

Jeffvn
 
Thanks for sharing
I use a 9/16 socket to hold the brass and turn slowly with impact driver. Still dropping in water
I anneal every second reload and have been happy with the results
 
I think one will wind up annealing much more once you get a decent machine. All part of the cost of the sport/hobby.
I didnt want to spend anymore than I had to as not a production loader. I am very happy with the Benchsource choice I made. Its actually kind of fun to anneal and the sound effects are a bit mesmerizing. But more importantly I think it is much more consistent vs the hand drill n water bath etc and other cost saving methods. After all we all strive for case uniformity in precision loading.
 
I have been annealing every time with a drill and a socket that is the right size so it is steady. I use 750 degree tempilaq on the neck and as soon as it melts I tip the case in my stainless tumbler with water in it.

What method are the other guys annealing with a drill or machine using to hit the right amount of heat for proper annealing without making the brass to soft?
 
I used to do it by hand but wanted more consistency. So I made my own. Also use 750 tempilaque inside the necks. Surprised how much heat I lost with standard propane when I moved from 5600ft up to 8500ft elevation. Had to switch to MAP gas.

AC518F72-26F1-4190-A3AD-A718C2C79A60.jpeg
 
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