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Annealing?

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magshooter1 View Drop Down
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    Posted: August/10/2009 at 13:45

What is the proper way to do it?  Why do you need to do it?  When should it be done?  Why does it need to be done?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BillyWayne Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/10/2009 at 14:54
This is how I anneal.  Throw out old brass.  Buy new brass.  Saves time and money. 
Embarrased  Sorry.  I should be a bit more 'fisticated.  I did look into annealing before but I do not shoot for plastic trophys and I have children that take up my time.  I am sure others here will be a better help.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sniper13 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/10/2009 at 17:27
I usually anneal every 3-5 fireings. Here is the way I do it...1st I take an annealing pen and mark case just under the shoulder ( the mark melts away when temp is at 650-700 degrees which is what you want). 2nd as soon as it gets to this temp useing small hobby torch or similiar torch,cool in water immediately, if the case head gets hot it will come apart when firing. This is something you need to be walked through in person, to be safe. It is good to do it for a couple of reasons, 1 you get 10 times the life out of your brass if primer pocket is ok, 2 its all about consistancy, when you anneal you are relaxing the material (70/30 copper to brass I beleive) so its not work hardened and brittle and basically worthless if you really care about consistancy.....hope this helps its my 2 cents worth.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sniper13 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/10/2009 at 17:42
I should tell you I get 10 times the life, but I only neck size, you wont get that if you full body resize.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/10/2009 at 19:28
i have a friend who is a blacksmith/metallurgist he told me the simplest way to do it (but its very painful) is to hold the case at the very end in your fingers and then heat the case neck and mouth area and continue to heat it till you cant hold onto it anymore, then drop it into a bucket of water. that annealing pen sounds like a finger saver to me though i may have to invest in one.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote magshooter1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2009 at 11:12
I also do a lot of neck only sizing when I can. 
 
So, the brass is annealed to prevent the neck/shoulder are from splitting due to its being brittle from being worked during repeated sizings? 
 
I am assuming the brass will have to be sized after annealing prior to loading?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sniper13 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2009 at 12:18
Yes mag shooter that is correct, due to it being relaxed the concentricity will be better....annealing should be your first step in brass prep, keep in mind this is only a very small part of the "perfect reload" and not one of the more important aspects to consume yourself with. Bullet choice and optimum charge weight are the most important to me, the rest is icing on the cake. OH...Pyro damn all that holding stuff...lol ....Also mag, when the neck is more plyable you get alot better bullet seat and crimp.

Edited by sniper13 - August/11/2009 at 12:20
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2009 at 19:03

Pyro,

My friend Fred Barker is a retired metallurgist and frequent contributor to PRECISION SHOOTING. He developed a similar technique, with the use of temp-paint:

Hold the case by the middle (not the end) with the tips of the fingers. Heat the neck area over the flame of a typical wax candle until the case is unformtable to hold (NOT until it burns the fingers), then drop in water or wipe with a wet towel. Fred preferred the latter method, as do I, because it also wipes off the carbon from the flame before it gets harder.

Fred found the results were just right with a variety of rilfe cases. The older methods like heating the neck until red-hot then tipping over in water got the necks too soft. Fred published the results in PS and I have been using it ever since. It's very simple and cheap--and works.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2009 at 21:32
i try to let it go before it burns, but its just a split second amount of time when the exact perfect moment occurs.  i use a benzomatic torch when i do it so it doesnt take very long to anneal one case, just sucks when you gotta do a bunch of them. i did have to do a bunch of them about 2 years ago. i bought 100 pieces of brand new remington brass in 6.5 rem mag. the cases looked "funny". you know how when you get new brass or a box of ammo the cases are shiny? well these brass were very dull, and being a dummy i didnt worry about it. well after the first three cases split their mouths open i figured something was up. then i talked to my blacksmith friend and he "schooled" me and i did the whole finger buring thing for about 30 min and i havent had a stitch of trouble since.
i dont know if it was a  bad batch of brass or what, but only one set of 50 case in that caliber have been ok to shoot without annealing first. pain in the butt, but i love the gun




Edited by pyro6999 - August/11/2009 at 21:32
They call me "Boots"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonoMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2009 at 23:32
Given what I've read about really doing it right my solution has been to buy or scrounge as much .308 and .30-06 brass as I can, resize as little as possible and worry about it when I finally get to the 4th or 5th firing on the last 100 rds. of my match brass. Smile

Seriously though I'm thinking of building something that will slowly spin the case in front of a blow torch then drop it through a little trap door when the temp crayon changes color.
Reaction time is a factor...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 8shots Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/12/2009 at 02:59
Another method I read about was to stand the cases in water, with only the portion to be annealed out of the water. Bake in oven untill done to a crisp and serve. Sorry meant to say bake untill neck has reached correct temp (The article did not say how that is achieved.) Get wife's permissiom first to use oven.
I wonder if a household oven can get hot enough though???
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/12/2009 at 06:12
Originally posted by jonoMT jonoMT wrote:

Given what I've read about really doing it right my solution has been to buy or scrounge as much .308 and .30-06 brass as I can, resize as little as possible and worry about it when I finally get to the 4th or 5th firing on the last 100 rds. of my match brass. Smile

Seriously though I'm thinking of building something that will slowly spin the case in front of a blow torch then drop it through a little trap door when the temp crayon changes color.

their already is such a device jon. i cant remember who makes it i want to say it was frankford arsenal?? looks like they dont make it anymore though. their are some similar devices to it out there though, but they are like $300+Shocked


Edited by pyro6999 - August/12/2009 at 06:25
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/12/2009 at 10:08
Hornady has a annealing kit that comes with a attachment to chuck in your drill and some temp paste.  I use a propane torch and if I put in in the blue part of the flame it takes 10 seconds to melt the paste.  After I do a couple to test with the paste while counting how long, then I just count the rest of them.  The money spent on the kit is worth it for just the attachments, it allows you to spin the cases so you know you are getting the annealing process uniform all around the case.  It makes annealing very fast as well.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonoMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/12/2009 at 10:33
supertool73, I didn't realize they had a kit with the drill holders. That would work fine for the volume I have in mind. Here's another Rube Goldberg idea though: A gear-driven holder mounted at a 30 deg. angle, connected to a stepped-down (200 rpm) motor and that's hollow inside so a blast of compressed air will shoot the case into a bucket of cold water!
Reaction time is a factor...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/12/2009 at 10:36
Yeah, it works great.  I just do it over a sink full of ice water with the torch sitting on the counter.  You just tip the drill forward and it falls out and you can pop the other one right in and hardly miss a beat.  I did 600 cases in an evening a while back.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote magshooter1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/14/2009 at 15:16
Thanks guys.  Good info there.  I'll probably put them in the holder for my variable speed drill, set the speed down low and hold them over a torch.  That way I only have to touch the lock ring on the holder to dump the hot cases into the water.
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