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View Full Version : Annealing 223, Is it worth the trouble.



farmerjim
05-10-2015, 12:34 PM
Is it worth the time and trouble to anneal 223 brass ? I can buy once fired brass for $ 0.04 or less. After several times of reloading it, I can sell the scrap brass for $ 0.02. I can process the once fired brass fast with a deburring and chamfering tool and a primer pocket reamer , and a WFT trimmer all chucked in my mini lathe. An auto case annealer would probably be worth the time if not for the high initial cost. I just got an AR 15, and I know that I will now shoot it a lot more than my single shot, but I doubt that I will ever go over 1,000 per year. I have not loaded any of my 223 more than twice. How many reloads can I get out of 5.56 mil brass annealed vs not annealed ?

bhn22
05-10-2015, 01:12 PM
If you only deal with one caliber, it's hard to justify any additional cost. This statement assumes that surplus brass will continue to be readily available, which cannot be guaranteed. The biggest killer of 223 brass is the primer pockets from high pressure loadings.

kbstenberg
05-10-2015, 01:44 PM
I have tried annealing 7TCU. But I found that the shoulders have a tendency to callaps when I seat bullets

dragon813gt
05-10-2015, 03:32 PM
The answer is, it depends. How valuable is your time and what takes longer? It's much quicker for me to anneal brass than to process them immediately. My time is very limited so every minute counts. Brass prep is a tedious chore so the less I have to do it the better.

country gent
05-10-2015, 03:42 PM
With availability of once fired brass in .223 / 5.56 and the low cost of it annealing to extend case life may not be feasable. But the other benifits of annealing may be desirable. More consistant brass also give more consistant neck tension and crimps ( if you decide to crimp it). Annealed brass sizes easier and better with less spring back. Its a decission you need to make for yourself as to available time and benifits of doing it. A quick test would be to anneal 25-50 cases from a batch load annealed and 25-50 of same batch caes unannealed and shoot several groups to see if it makes a noticable diffrence in your rifle. Even better is a blind test a buddy loads mags with one batch or the other you shoot not knowing which is which. Annealing brass has several benifits other than increasing life.

Blackwater
05-10-2015, 05:09 PM
It's not really all that much trouble, and it's a skill that couild be worthy of knowing if supplies/components get any harder to find than they already are. Waiting until you HAVE to learn something is asking for trouble at that time. I just stand the sized/deprimed cases (so water can enter the flash hole and fill the inside of the case) in a pan of water to within about 1/2" of the shoulder, use a Bernz-O-Matic turned upside down (flame adjusted for smallest blue flame you can get in that position), play the flame on the case mouth in a circular pattern (brass conducts heat well and this has always proven "good enough" though some decry this method) and darken the room. When you first see the slightest tinge of a faint dull red glow (not orange - too hot), take a kitchen knife, dowel or whatever, and tip the case over into the water and you're done with annealing. I've gotten as many as nearly 50 rds. out of '06 cases before doing this, and with no case failures. Early on I DID get some too hot, and those were too soft in the neck and I had to throw them away. I had my lips pooched out for a week after that! If cases are that cheap, just stock up on them before they get expensive, and you wind up ruing the day your failed to do so. That's what I'd do anyway, but of course, it ain't me, so YMMV.

farmerjim
05-10-2015, 08:37 PM
I will give it a try on about 30 rounds one annealed and one not and see if accuracy changes. I will try my AR and my H&R. The H&R is shooting a raged hole group at 100 yards ( with 55 gr hornady FMJBT ) so I don’t think that one can get much better. I just have a M4 flip up sight on the AR, but I can put a scope on it for the test.
I am retired, so I do have the time to do what I want in all but the spring (like now) I grow 4 acres of vegetables for sale at the local farmers markets and this keeps me quite busy.
I still need to know the average reload life of the 223 brass, annealed vs not annealed to put into the equation. I have thousands of 223 brass and only a few have been reloaded twice, and many not even once.

Fireball57
05-10-2015, 09:43 PM
As you well know, farmerjim, factors such as individual rifle specifications, bullet construction, even geography can effect the character of a brass case. Granting me that, in my match CMP AR15, with Winchester cases, I get about 12 to 15 reloadings until the primer pockets no longer hold the primer. My loads aren't maxed out and quite frankly, recycle the lot of 1000 at that time. Have a good day.

Bzcraig
05-10-2015, 11:03 PM
I have tried annealing 7TCU. But I found that the shoulders have a tendency to callaps when I seat bullets

Collapsing shoulders from bullet seating or using Lee FCD is often over annealing.

Garyshome
05-10-2015, 11:15 PM
1,000 per year is only 33.3 mags
I don't shoot mine much either but I'll shoot more then 34 mags this year.

wrench man
05-11-2015, 12:15 AM
If I could get it for almost free I wouldn't bother either.

Iowa Fox
05-11-2015, 12:26 AM
It just depends on what your doing. AR-Not worth it. Shooting bug holes, or I should say trying, out of a high end bolt rifle yes its worth it. Long range shooting yes its worth it. Without annealing its hard to control datum line spring back even if your using a bump die.

Bzcraig
05-11-2015, 12:37 AM
Maybe I'm more addicted than I thought, I even enjoy case prep! I fire up my propane torch, chuck a deep socket in my cordless drill of appropriate size for case, drop a case in socket and slowly turn, then drop in a pan full of water with just a tip of the drill.

GabbyM
05-11-2015, 12:46 AM
I started annealing all my re manufactured 5.56mm NATO brass just a bit over a year ago. Reasons being.

1. I'd stored some loaded rounds made from brass that had been fired a few times with no annealing. After about three decades in storage I took it out to rotate by shooting it up. discovered about one in three had a split neck causing failure to cycle action due to low pressure. So I scrapped 850 rounds of ammo. Age hardening of the brass is the diagnosis. Annealing would of prevented this.

2. Accuracy is on par with new commercial brass if I anneal necks after first initial FL resizing. Then neck size and load. Uniform neck tension is what you get.

I also uniform primer pockets and deburr flash holes. Recently purchased an RCBS X die and it seams to work as advertised and as many here have stated good results in long life brass. I anneal 5.56mm brass simply by holding it in fingers and rolling in flame of a ten dollar torch. Dropping in coffee can with water. I can do 500 in an hour. I end up with very accurate ammunition. which is what I want.