Anneal new LC brass?

[Revolver]

Lake City 7.62x51 brass, once fired, mostly 2007 manufacture +/- a few years. I would like for this brass to serve me as long as possible so I am wondering if it should be annealed during my initial processing and prep? I could be wrong but I'm speculating that the military doesn't reload so besides any annealing required for successful manufacture would they take the effort to give the cases a final annealing before loading? It doesn't have the indicative discoloration while some Greek 303 Brit I have is quite distinctly annealed. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[Outpost75]

The normal manufacturing process for military 7.62mm brass requires a final stress relief which is done by either a gas flame anneal, or in the SCAMP process by inserting the neck into an electric induction coil. If the case necks show no visible anneal color, you should inspect closely to see whether the cases were perhaps tumble cleaned, removing the anneal color, before you got them. I would try squeezing the case mouths VERY hard using nothing more than your thumb and fore-finger and if you cannot deform the neck after using all of your strength, using the fingers only, then go ahead and anneal them.

[dragon813gt]

It won't hurt to anneal it. You will start at square one in regards to neck tension.

[GRUMPA]

Although by the date stamp yours isn't all that old. I have folks writing me about old factory ammo where the case neck splits. Seems over time the brass reverts back to its hardness and therefor whatever annealing was done at the time is now useless. But if you think about it, how good was the annealing process when they made the ammo in the first place.

If it were me (only because I have a machine just for that) I would anneal them. I don't like to leave things with that unknown quality about it, I'll go ahead and anneal that way way I know for sure.

[Eddie2002]

I try to anneal any once fired brass I get just to have a starting point but I'm shooting 30-06 not 308. If the case fights you while FL resizing it probably needs annealing.

[Revolver]

Thanks folks!

[popper]

Anneal then size and properly use lots of case lube. No one-shot! More than likely MG fired in a large chamber so size about 1/2 way then again all the way. Use the Hornady PP uniformer - even if run through a swaging PP device. Some crimp may remain and it's a PITA when you start priming.

[waco]

Anneal then size and properly use lots of case lube. No one-shot! More than likely MG fired in a large chamber so size about 1/2 way then again all the way. Use the Hornady PP uniformer - even if run through a swaging PP device. Some crimp may remain and it's a PITA when you start priming.

Curious as to why you dislike One Shot case lube.......

[mold maker]

The only stuck cases I ever had, had a liberal cost of One Shot. I have never stuck a case with Imperial Sizing Wax. The force needed is also reduced.
Lots of others with the same experience.
YMMV

[edwardware]

. . .Seems over time the brass reverts back to its hardness and therefor whatever annealing was done at the time is now useless.

Indeed it does! The grain size of the copper and zinc alloy changes over time. . . it changes much faster with strain (sizing, expanding, seating, firing, etc), but it never stops.

[osteodoc08]

The only stuck cases I ever had, had a liberal cost of One Shot. I have never stuck a case with Imperial Sizing Wax. The force needed is also reduced.
Lots of others with the same experience.
YMMV

Same experience here. The ONLY stuck cases I've ever had was when I tried one shot. What a waste of time and money.

[rr2241tx]

Always anneal new to you brass, it is easy, quick and your brass will fit your chamber after the first firing so there will be less work hardening.

All the alcohol and lanolin case lubes require a drying period to work properly. Not letting them dry can result in capillary lock in the sizing die, particularly if they were fired in military chambers before you got them. Used according to label directions they work fairly well to resize brass fired in a SAAMI chamber but they are NOT case forming lubes. Treat all military surplus brass as if you were case forming and lube accordingly with STP, RCBS, Lee, or Imperial and life will be less stressful. An old adage comes to mind: Plow around the stumps.

[Humpy]

"FA started the production stress relief of cases on Cal..30 Ball M1 Lot FA 2063, June 1938.However, between 1935 and 1937 there were also lots made on an experimental basis, until they could get the process finalized."

", the the flame anneal-- cases were rotated 4-5 revolutions while being flame processed for approx. 5 seconds. After flame anneal the cases were conveyed to a stress relief gas fired oven for 30 min. at 375 degrees F. Water quench was not used. Since the flame is directed to the upper part of the case the head hardness is not normally changed, same for the stress relief oven since the temperature was kept at a modest 375 F. for only 30 minutes. Just to be sure, after forced air cooling, a random sample was taken for measuring the head hardness."

The above info is from Col Frank Hackley in emails he sent to me a few months back. He just published "History of Modern U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition Vol III 1946-1977. If you don't have a copy you need to get one. Tons of good info.

I have never seen a military case that did not exhibit blue tint of neck/shoulder. Now that being said if you tumble cases in stainless steel pin media the blue will be gone and no marks on the cases at all.

Personally I have a Variac and made a case rotator for a electric drill and I have the RPMs at about 15 and use a propane torch with fine tip with the bright blue internal flame adjusted to about a inch long and I just touch the tip of that starting about 1/4" below the shoulder and play the flame up and down the neck to a count of 6 (about 6 seconds). At the end I point the drill down and the case drops out of the turning holder and onto a towel.

I can virtually duplicate the tint that comes on LC Match cases. If yours come out darker than military unfired you got them too hot. This is generally from getting them to the red stage and you don't need that as the grain structure will be altered. In other words you just shortened your case life.

I got a electronic metronome that I plan on using set to one second ticks but have not got around to using it as a wreck shut my competition shooting down three years ago. I just had the neck surgery May 2016 and C5, C6 and C7 were fused and then a titanium plate installed. At this point I don't know if I will be able to compete in HP again.

[Shiloh]

It won't hurt to anneal it. You will start at square one in regards to neck tension.

I've done this with '06

SHiloh

[EDG]

If you investigate the complaints about One Shot you find that most are with 5.56 brass because of the mickey mouse little rim.

Always anneal new to you brass, it is easy, quick and your brass will fit your chamber after the first firing so there will be less work hardening.

All the alcohol and lanolin case lubes require a drying period to work properly. Not letting them dry can result in capillary lock in the sizing die, particularly if they were fired in military chambers before you got them. Used according to label directions they work fairly well to resize brass fired in a SAAMI chamber but they are NOT case forming lubes. Treat all military surplus brass as if you were case forming and lube accordingly with STP, RCBS, Lee, or Imperial and life will be less stressful. An old adage comes to mind: Plow around the stumps.

[bullet maker 57]

I anneal all new to me cases. I then have a good starting point.

[M-Tecs]

If you investigate the complaints about One Shot you find that most are with 5.56 brass because of the mickey mouse little rim.

Sized 40K or 50K of LC 556 using One Shot without any issues. It is my preferred lube for normal sizing.

[blikseme300]

I anneal all new to me rifle brass regardless if it is actually new. You can't anneal too often so I take the time to anneal whenever I prepare rifle brass for reloading. I have slowed down from my manic bulk reloading in the past to concentrate on good reloads for my rifles. The satisfaction from well performing CB shooting at a slow pace beats the bangs-per-minute from the past.

[Good Cheer]

Revolver, my experience is that I can anneal .308's so good that the bullets fall out.
What the...

So as they say, experience is the best teacher.


So, can you tell what they were fired in? Checked the as fired expansion?
Some I've seen were so large that you wanted to anneal just because they'd already been worked so much.

[Blackhawk357]

Thanks for the heads up on one shot lube that's what I have been using with mixed results. Annealing brass, Does anyone recommend a you tube video that I can watch where you would use a map gas torch?


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