annealing brass

[buggybuilder]

When is the best time to anneal brass? Before or after full length resizing? Or doesn't it make a difference?
Thanks for any help.

buggybuilder

[MR45]

I anneal after every five loading. I have brass that have been loaded forty times. I try to neck size only.
Work for me.
MR45

[bobthenailer]

IMO before sizing & trimming to min recomended length.

[kenyerian]

Before you size and trim. In their 49th edition Lyman' reloading handbook does nor rccommend annealing because of the difficulty of temperature control. I used to anneal every 5'th reloading cycle but after reading about the dangers of over heating i just go with Lymans recomendation of discarding after the 8'th cycle.

[FAsmus]

Gentlemen;

To me the question isn't so much 'how often' but 'how' is it best done?

I have 30'06 cases loaded 60+ times. Records indicate I anneal necks about every 20 - 30 reloads. I finally recycled them because the primer pockets were getting loose. ~ Attrition over the years was about 9% through cracks in necks. (Usually an indication it was time to anneal again.)

My method won't work with short cases but it allows for exact temperature control and safety, here you go;

Have a good plumber's gasoline blow-torch handy (propane will work but I've never modernized my outfit) and a pot of cold water nearby.

Simply pick up each case by the casehead in your bare fingers and hold the neck in the full-force of the flame until it glows a nice cherry-red ~ Then quench it in the water. You will never burn your fingers because long before it injures you you will find the case too hot to hold and dropping it is natural. ~ But that won't happen with anything longer than a 308 Winchester. This technique prevents the case heads from ever become hot enough to be affected by the heating of the touch - thus - they won't be softened and become a hazard for further use.

The procedure is best done in reduced lighting so you may judge the color of the brass with precision ~ thus the temperature and degee of annealing will be uniform.

This is always done with fired brass. After the cases are dry simply run them through your normal reloadng procedure.

Good evening,
Forrest

[runfiverun]

i use tempilaq.
i know what temperature i'm getting.
i then set that time into the machine and feed it the cases.
i like to anneal clean brass,this keeps the scale from becoming an issue.

[RoyEllis]

Before you size and trim. In their 49th edition Lyman' reloading handbook does nor rccommend annealing because of the difficulty of temperature control. I used to anneal every 5'th reloading cycle but after reading about the dangers of over heating i just go with Lymans recomendation of discarding after the 8'th cycle.

Let me know when ya have some "ninth cycle" brass, I'll take those discards off your hands!:bigsmyl2: