How can you tell that you have over annealed, I have watched Cortina over anneal cases but then find they still had 20lbs, foot or inch IDK, of pressure while seating, and they were annealed 3 times longer. You guys that have the seaters that can measure seating force what is the lowest seating pressure you have used and did it shoot well?
Over annealing?
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Mikecr
Well-Known Member
Most of seating force is frictional.
Fully annealed necks that have not been re-cleaned and lubed exhibit much higher friction.
But while you can setup any amount of frictional seating force, you can be sure that fully annealed brass provides relatively little tension.
That is, until work hardened back to normal & useful for us.
You could see this if you could measure the actual hoop tension.
Fully annealed necks that have not been re-cleaned and lubed exhibit much higher friction.
But while you can setup any amount of frictional seating force, you can be sure that fully annealed brass provides relatively little tension.
That is, until work hardened back to normal & useful for us.
You could see this if you could measure the actual hoop tension.
It's been over 25 years ago? but I accidentally over annealed some brass trying to dry it in the oven. Two pieces of brass crumpled in the sizing die. I threw it all away.
You can also feel it with a pair of pliers squeezing the neck and compare to a fresh or known good brass. The neck will not spring back the same.
You can also feel it with a pair of pliers squeezing the neck and compare to a fresh or known good brass. The neck will not spring back the same.
I annealed a bunch of cases, 6.5, till they glowed red when I first started annealing, FL sized with lee die, seated bullet and
I could push bullet in with my finger, figured I'd try Lee collet die on them, did that and could no longer push in bullet, they also shot fine, in fact making good loads with them now, about .4 moa, everything I'm reading says they should be trash
So besides these couple cases of over annealing, nobody else has any other ways to tell? Been reading everywhere when you see red it's over annealed, well turned whole bunch of mine red, still using them, shoot as good as anything else, they look fine too, all these warnings of over annealing, why isn't my brass garbage? Anybody got an explanation?
WildRose
Well-Known Member
If you're shaving brass off of the bullet when seating it's too tight.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
If it's so soft it crumples or you can't get decent neck tension after seating it's probably over annealed.
I got good results with my reloads for more than 25 years without ever annealing but the brass life was shorter as it hardens each time you work and and will eventually crack or split.
rsbhunter
Well-Known Member
If you watch the Cortina video again, you will see that the cases he heated for 20 seconds did not have any neck tension, as he states anything over 10 seconds (I thought it was 15 sec) had 0 neck tension....but the biggest fear I have is heat migration to the case head. Over annealing the neck/ mouth causes low/no tension.....heating the head area can cause catastrophic case failure. There is such a broad definition of "annealing" on the forums that it covers "relaxing" the brass, to actual "grain realignment". I have gone from flame annealing, to a DIY induction annealer as I get much more repetitive results....but everybody has their own methods, and alot of them work...rsbhunter
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Gene Allen
Active Member
I anneal just long enough to see a slight red glow with the lighits off, you can't see it with the lights on, I would think if it is glowing red with the lights on it could be over annealed, just my thoughts!!
rsbhunter
Well-Known Member
The glow is a decent indicator, and without the AMP system to gauge it for us, as good as any...I do the same thing, and also gauge it by the depth of color change on the case...I know, not all case's change color the same, or at all....but the Lapua I anneal have a "band" that is approximately 3/16" down on the case body (6mm Dasher). I do not subscribe to the 750° tempilac method, as I don't believe that 750° for a micro second give the results needed . rsbhunter
