Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Annealing

The best $275 bucks you will ever spend. I load up the hopper and let it go. No needle nose pliers or using a cordless drill and socket routine.

https://annealeez.com/product/annealeez/

Thanks for the endorsement, but at the risk of being too “Big Stick like” I don’t want to sound as a know it all. The reference to many times past 10 reloads is seriously “many”.

I am still using 223 brass I got over 30 years ago because it was cheap military brass and it is still working. I full length resize all reloads because I use the ammo in as many as 5 different rifles and I don’t want the hard chambering you get without full length resizing.

So there seems to be a myth floating around that there is a need for annealing as a common practice in reloading. The OP in his original post eluded to that by how his question was worded. If he had been shooting in any competitive discipline, I doubt he would have asked that question.

Another myth is the need to clean primer pockets and flash hole every time you reload. All the ammunition I reload is done the simplest way possible with no case prep or unneeded steps that many consider necessary in the process of reloading.

In conclusion I shoot thousands of rounds every year in rifles and handguns and don’t

Neck size
Anneal
Clean primer pockets
Trim cases

While I do

Full length resize
Use a Dillon 650
Vibrate all cartridges once they are loaded for cleaning
Shoot 1 load in as many as 5 different rifles

And after decades of doing this, I still hit stuff and have way fewer problems that it seems that crop up here for needing help to overcome.

As for annealing, since I don’t do it, I haven’t thrown out enough cases due to split case necks to even mention a problem. Over working brass is another concern many seem to allude to and with all those cartridges being full length sized, it hasn’t been an issue either…

I'm more inclined to anneal harder to get brass such as 35 Remington as well as better quality brass such a Norma or Lapua. I don't bother for lower quality stuff, or something in abundance like range pickup 223 brass.

When annealing i spread the cases out in a shallow cookie sheet pan filled with about 1" of water to prevent annealing the case heads. I use a plumbers torch with just enough flame to cover the neck and shoulder areas and count each one to ten seconds. By then they just begin to glow cherry red and then I do the next one. After annealing they get thrown in the tumbler for complete water removal.

Had the annealeez after some usage ( actually quite a bit of usage) it started showing little issues here and there so I bought an Ugly annealer. It a lot better built better machine I would highly recommend it. and not much more expensive either.

It’s what I use as well. I did replace a torch head awhile back but otherwise it’s been great.

I started annealing my brass back in 2010. I was shooting a couple different rifles in PRS; one chambered in 6.5x47 Lapua and one chambered in .260 Remington. My .260 Remington brass was Remington brand. I noticed the brass would go four or five firings and every so often I'd get a split case neck with the Remington stamp brass. I started reading and found the "torch and drill" method. My brass started lasting much, much longer. I have a box of 50 that made 25 firings and is still going strong.

Since starting to anneal every firing, I notice more consistent neck tension, more consistent shoulder bump, and more consistent bullet seating pressures. I no longer experience my best precision on the first three firings. Is it enough to be worth it? Absolutely for me. It is a relatively low-effort endeavor on my Bench Source. Will it make a difference on killing a big game animal under 300 yards? Absolutely not.

I asked the same question a while ago and put this cheap rig together. I like annealing after 3-4 firings but mostly did it to increase case life. I’m not a long range shooter and don’t have much to add in terms of measurable differences at this point but have the confidence that I’m doing all I can as a steward of my resources.

Is it basically, drop a case in, rotate case to flame, count to three, rotate the knob to dump hot case, drop a new case in, rotate to flame, and repeat ad nauseum............

Yep

👍👍👍

so the candle method i have used for a few years is not good enough ? i suppose for hunting ammo it is ? but not bench shooting ?

I know for the kind of shooting I do it works good enough.

I shoot several different short and long range rifles in local benchrest matches out to 300 yards. I use Lapua brass exclusively and anneal after every firing. I believe it helps with a more consistent neck tension. I also believe the consistent neck tension attributes to greater accuracy.

I’ve always felt that annealing with propane is an inexact science and reproducibility is suspect.

I purchased an Amp annealing machine about 4 years ago and use it all the time. It is an induction computer controlled machine, leading to what I believe is greater consistency and reproducibility

I used to use candle method, but hated the soot so I went to alcohol burner. About 3-5 bucks. Does it work, you bet, is it benchrest quality, no. But a lot of what BR shooters do is just a waste of time for the average shooter. I will stick with torch or alcohol burner that’s worked just fine for 30 years.

well at my age and i will be 70 soon this year i will just stay using the candle method , thanks for your answers but i can`t see changing my method of candle annealing anymore . but i hope you guys are young enough to enjoy the better methods of anneal brass . good luck,Pete53

hey I know you.. 😁

This


Anyone who says annealing is unnecessary, makes no difference in case life, no difference in accuracy, etc is ignorant


Being ignorant isn’t bad as it can be fixed with information and experience. Being stupid is bad.

😂

At age 93, I'm old fashioned. I started annealing with a hand torch and a water bucket twirling the brass in my fingers when in the flame. Been doing it that way for many years and I've seen no reason to change. It was a process espoused by NRA publications in about 1958.

I did a bunch of tests on accuracy/annealing about 30 years ago and may have posted here. I anneal every 5 reloads. I found the accuracy to be best on the second reload after annealing. Very minute differences but enough that for my most accurate loads and serious hunting I always used the second anneal loads. After 5 reloads the accuracy tailed off and I started the process over. Have been following that regimen for over 50 years and I've seen no reason to buy expensive equipment to occupy room in my reloading setup and then not be able to do any better than what I've done for years. I have some '06 cases with almost 50 reloads. On 338WM I can only get about 11 or 12 reloads before starting case separation, but on 338 Jamison, with no belt to consider, I can get almost 20 reloads before primer pockets start loosening up.

Bob,

At 93 years old I'd like to pay my respects to you and you still be out there in the field...

God Bless you my friend... and may you have a good number of years in your future being able to still get out in the field...

you're an inspiration... I'm about 180 miles north of you, off of I 5 just north of Medford..

cheers
seafire...