Annealing 22 rimfire cases

[plumber]

Now that I'm waiting for my setup from Corbin, I'm trying to get some prep work out of the way. I'm working on getting my cases clean right now, but am wondering about annealing. Do you anneal before or after running the case through the jacket maker, and how do you do it? I'd like to figure out a cheap way to do it in bulk.

[MIBULLETS]

plumber, I anneal after de-rimming. This is what Corbin recommends as well. Some guys do it before and get good results too. I have tried it that way and it feels like the cases stick more in the die and takes more force to get them through. It could have something to do with the tolerance of the punch and die. For my set up I'll stick with annealing after. Try it both ways and see what works best for you.

As for annealing, I do mine in my wifes electric self cleaning oven. I set the oven as high as it will go (550 F). Once it is up to temperature, I put the cases in on a old cookie sheet and set the oven to clean. I leave them in for a bout a half an hour.

[MightyThor]

I also anneal after de-rimming. I have a friend with a heat treat oven and I ran test batches of cases from 600 to 800 degrees and found I like the 800 degree setting the best. Read somewhere that you could limit scale by eliminating oxygen during the annealing and that stainless steel foil works well as a pouch to keep oxygen out. Seems to have worked.

[plumber]

Sounds like I need to put a thermometer in the oven! That would be great, as it would take a long time to do a five gallon bucket with a torch.

[deltaenterprizes]

I had a 3lb coffee can with both ends cut out with some SS screen attached inside filled with cases placed over a large propane burner. When they glow red they are done!