Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Annealing question

Should I anneal my brass before or after I resize with my Lee collet die? Or does it matter.

If your brass needs annealing it needed it as soon as you last fired it. I don’t know that it matters enough to notice but I would advise before resizing. That is what I do.

Before. It will help with spring back.

I always anneal before sizing as well.

Anneal brass every firing BEFORE you FL size. Doing it after sizing would defeat the purpose.

Annealing softens the brass and resizing hardens it so before.

As always I am Mary Mary, quite Contrary....

I have done both, but long ago, settled on Annealing it AFTER I size it.. it being my last step...

Since I have a habit of having batches of brass in a lot of calibers seeing 50 plus reloads...and I have a habit of doing it as far out as every 4th reload.. and over the last 5 years or so, on hunting reloads.. each time.. even if just neck sizing..

guess in conclusion, to not argue with the gentlemen above... I'm not seeing it make any different..

My method is just based on what is the easiest flow for me.. nothing more scientific than that...

but with getting 40 and 50 reloads plus out of brass.. with few casualties, I guess I'm not doing anything wrong...

few guys push brass as far as I do.. but then I find, you don't floor your gas pedal at the powder scale... needing max velocity.. and the brass is stretched back and forth less.. and it hangs in there longer....

and I've been doing this for close to 30 years now I guess... just for times like we are currently experiencing once again, with another Commie DemocRat idiot in the White House....

I've never shot enough to worry about Annealing. If I get 3-4 out of Magnums and 4-5 out of standards, I'm cool. I'm more OCD when it comes to my Reloading, I tend to work up a load, then try it in new brass. I 'always" set up my FL Die to partial size/setting headspace on the shoulder, just enough to easily chamber. If the combo of rifle/load like it in New Brass, I will set up 50 new brass rounds & set aside "just for hunting". I then will shoot remaining brass until it gets loose primer pockets. Throw away. Most of the time, however, rifles tend to like the load combo in a fired case. If so, I use 1X brass "for my hunting loads". I then go to battle with my feverish, OVD Mind mildly confident that I am "set", lol.

The purpose for annealing isn't for making the brass last longer, that's a side benefit.

Pray tell, what cartridge are you getting 50 loads on?

Tag...

I always anneal before sizing. Do it on the theory that heat and the annealing process will slightly distort the brass. Sizing straightens the minuscule distortion. I load for hunting. I require accuracy and velocity so many of my loads are at max recommended. In most I average about 10-12 reloads before I have to dump the brass. I do have one batch of 30-06 brass that I kept firing just to see how many I could get before cracks and case separation and I got up into the high 40's but you could definitely feel the impending case separation.

Seafire mentioned his experience in the Starline 260 brass thread as being with a 223 but I think he has several experiences with others as well. He also is a mild load user of some renown.

The purpose for annealing isn't for making the brass last longer, that's a side benefit.[/quote]

I freely admit I thought that was the whole purpose. What is the use in doing it then?

I freely admit I thought that was the whole purpose. What is the use in doing it then?[/quote]

😀 now let’s not allow logic into this.

Uniform neck tension loading to loading is the main other reason.

I probably don’t anneal as often as many have reported. It’s pretty time consuming if you do it by holding the case in your hand and heating the neck by candle, which is the way I’ve done it - I did it this way the last time maybe a couple weeks ago.
My brother had a machine that automatically turned the case annealed the neck. That machine made it possible to get a lot of annealing done painlessly. Now one of his kids has it and I don’t get to use it.
Maybe I should look at buying such a machine.

I need one of those annealing machines 100%. I want to get as many reloads out of 45-70 as possible so annealing, neck sizing, and low pressures are key to making long life

Uniform neck tension loading to loading is the main other reason.[/quote]

Wouldn't this be as indiscernible to hunting rifle accuracy as "flash hole deburring/primer pocket uniforming", I mean, within 5-6 reloads?? I usually use the LEE Factory Crimp die for my hunting loads, doesn't that kind of negate the neck tension variable?

It depends on what the shooter and rifle can resolve and what's adequate for the application. In that same mode of thought I maintain a lot of people waste their time weighing charges to the nth degree.

Wouldn't this be as indiscernible to hunting rifle accuracy as "flash hole deburring/primer pocket uniforming", I mean, within 5-6 reloads?? I usually use the LEE Factory Crimp die for my hunting loads, doesn't that kind of negate the neck tension variable?[/quote]

No sir as you are creating the amount of neck tension of your choosing.

There’s another way I have not used for quite a while. Get the melting pot going and dip the neck into the molten lead. I might try that method again.

i always anneal when its needed by the candle method and before i resize brass makes resizing easer too. i noticed a real difference with my used 257 Weatherby mag. brass once i annealed this 257 W.mag brass resizing was much easier too resize in my press. so as has been posted anneal 1st - 2nd resize brass - 3rd reload or maybe trim ?

Annealing prior to sizing also will increase the ease when the expander ball is pulled back thru the neck. One of the major causes of non concentric necks.

Down the road I will have to try a few with the candle/wet towel method, see if it gains me anything. I always use a dry neck brush before sizing and even put a dab of Imperial Sizing Wax in the neck with e Q-tip, every 5th round. I also prefer the Elliptical Expander Ball of the Hornady New Dimension dies. I hardly ever load more than 12-20 rds at a time, so sometimes I will "prep" WW/RP, etc. I like to handload as an enjoyable hobby, maybe more than actually shooting. ha

Dead on!

When I was shooting hundreds of rounds a week I did a number of tests on accuracy. I've posted before on this. The second reload after annealing was the most consistently accourate. I annealed after the 5th reload and started the process again. After that the brass is just too hard for good neck tension. The first reload was never the most accurate. I surmised that another (2nd) sizing uniformed the neck tension a bit. Never tried resizing twice without firing on a first reload. After second reload, accuracy started tailing off due to hardening. On belted cases seldom got more the 11-12 reloads before you could feel the bump of incipient head separation at which point I'd start with another batch. Serious hunting loads were always on the second reload. Never a problem.

I have heard of the 2nd post annealing firing being the best from a highly respected local F class shooter. After the first 3 or 4 firings of my Lapua brass I anneal at least every other time on my Giraud machine. I'm not concerned about split necks, just uniform neck tension and shoulder bumps.

Hunting brass only gets annealed every 3 to 4 firings.

One the best things I ever bought.

Agreed. I set mine up with a large tank and a pressure regulator to make settings very repeatable.

I salt bath anneal my target brass every 4 firings. Hunting loads every 3 firings. Target loads are no where near max and I am up to 17 x fired on 6.5x55 Norma brass with no signs of having to replace any of the brass. I only neck size and use a body die to set back the shoulder when necessary. The Lee collet dies do an amazing job and now use them on all the calibers that I reload for. With salt bath annealing the temperature is always consistent and it's very affordable compared to some of the new machines on the market.

Seems like a rather "Set and forget" type machine, and I like that idea!

Where to buy?

https://annealeez.com/

I bought wheels to also do 300 BO brass. Watch the videos they have as well. These come with one set of wheels. Also extremely fast shipping.

This method is night and day better SALT BATH annealing

Where is your brass failing after all those reloads? Cracks somewhere or loose primer pockets?

Agreed!! I just bought the UGLY Annealer (very similar design) and it was worth every penny. Not just in time saved but with consistent annealing with every case.