Annealing AR brass (.223)

[gohring3006]

What do you think of annealing AR brass. I full length size it and was wondering if it will benefit from it, or will it be wore out at the case head area after 4-5 firings.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Bench source after 3 or 4 depending on how the necks look.

 

[ShtrRdy]

I usually have trouble with necks cracking, so annealing the case necks helps get some more load cycles out of them.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I'm a fan of picking up once fired 223 brass, firing them through my rifle, and letting someone else have twice fired brass for free... I don't do any work I don't have to on ar ammo.

My pipe shoots moa blades with its pet load with minimal prep. I cut the pockets (if crimped), check the length, size, polish, load, shoot, and leave. Heck, I caught my Pops picking up my brass one day... It was some twice fired PMC with a high percentage of off center flash holes. They went through his rifle just fine for another cycle.

 

[gohring3006]

I usually have trouble with necks cracking, so annealing the case necks helps get some more load cycles out of them.

Can you tell me (roughly) how many firings you get before you start seeing neck cracks? I anneal all of my bolt guns. Its usually about 20-30 pieces. The other day I fired 200 rounds thru my AR. All I have is my cordless drill a torch and some tempilaq.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I usually have trouble with necks cracking, so annealing the case necks helps get some more load cycles out of them.

Cracked necks = scrap pile.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'm a fan of picking up once fired 223 brass, firing them through my rifle, and letting someone else have twice fired brass for free... I don't do any work I don't have to on ar ammo.

My pipe shoots moa blades with its pet load with minimal prep. I cut the pockets (if crimped), check the length, size, polish, load, shoot, and leave. Heck, I caught my Pops picking up my brass one day... It was some twice fired PMC with a high percentage of off center flash holes. They went through his rifle just fine for another cycle.

Hey bud, sent you a PM and no answer?????

Thats that cheap azzed brass you have. Need some Lapua in 223 and then you'll anneal them.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Hey bud, sent you a PM and no answer?????

Thats that cheap azzed brass you have. Need some Lapua in 223 and then you'll anneal them.

I'll get good 223 brass if I get a bolt in 223... The AR's simply tear up brass too much for me to waste time with extra work. I've got a recoil shy 12 year old, so I may be going with a youth rifle in 223 soon...

 

[gohring3006]

I'll get good 223 brass if I get a bolt in 223... The AR's simply tear up brass too much for me to waste time with extra work. I've got a recoil shy 12 year old, so I may be going with a youth rifle in 223 soon...

My brother in law has a Savage 10 .223 that will 5 in a quarter at 200. I want that rifle so badd.lol
I'm kinda feeling tha same way about expensive brass for my AR. I'm just wondering how many firings I can get before its trashed, and if annealing is going to extend its life enough to justify it.

 

[greyman]

I bought several boxes of the white box of Winchester .223 ammo to shoot out of my AR and have been reloading it. It is on its third reload when I find cracked necks they go right in the trash. I bought a 500ct box of RP .223 brass to load and I haven't even touched it yet. .223 brass is too cheap to spend a lot of time and effort on, besides that when I'm at the range I always pickup range brass. Heck I even had a guy help me and he gave me all of his brass which was all new once fired. That said a bolt gun is different.

 

[mtwarych]

For the last 15 years of reloading .223 for an AR platform with BLC-2 and CFE223 I would get 4 to5 loads on a set of brass before neck cracking became usual.

With the price of 223 or 5.56 brass pretty inexspensive, I don't worry about annealing at all.
The AR will beat or lose brass pretty bad so using Lapua brass is not worth the money.

5 loadings with near max loads and away the brass goes neck cracks or not.

 

[gohring3006]

For the last 15 years of reloading .223 for an AR platform with BLC-2 and CFE223 I would get 4 to5 loads on a set of brass before neck cracking became usual.

With the price of 223 or 5.56 brass pretty inexspensive, I don't worry about annealing at all.
The AR will beat or lose brass pretty bad so using Lapua brass is not worth the money.

5 loadings with near max loads and away the brass goes neck cracks or not.

If I can get 4-5 reloads out of it I'm not going to anneal. 4-5 reloads on 1000 pieces. That 4-5 thousand shots. I doubt I shoot more than 1000 rounds per year.

 

[mtwarych]

I use small base dies and still get 5 loads on average. I use mostly RP or Winchester brass bought in bulk once fired from an online brass business. So in reality the brass has been fired 6 times. I do not crimp our .223 because I get good neck tension on everything from 55 to 64 grain bullets. Once a group of brass hits my 5th reload, my family fires them, picks them up and put them in the recycle(garbage) can, then I buy 1000 more and start the cycle all over again.

Good luck with your reloading of your 223.

Lapua! hahahahahaha

 

[Greyfox]

While I religiously anneal my larger cartridges, I have never bothered to anneal my 223 brass that is exclusively shot in my AR. With my 200/300 yard egg shoot,competition load; 25gr Varget, 69gr SMK's, Lapua brass, BR4's, I have gotten as many as 10 reloads. I use a FL std base RCBS X Dye which eliminates the need to trim the brass. While the brass does accumulate some small dents, I experience no failures to feed or accuracy issues. The heavy 24" DPMS Vatmint upper generates .25-.4 MOA accuracy with this load throughout the 10 cycles on the brass. Although the cost is higher, there is definitely a difference in case life with the Lapua brass. I get 3-5 loadings out of the others I have tried.