AusVarmint

Hi all.

Just wondering if any of you guys are annealing your cases and how you go about it? Different methods will be appreciated. Also success stories or tales of failure from annealing would be good ie- I did x, then y happened, then tried w and got z result... if that makes sense...

Cheers. James.

I do it because a few I know tried it and said it was easy! I have not done any scientific experiments to say annealed cases produce more accuracy than non annealed.

I can only say it is completely necessary when forming 17m4 cases from223 as they split when the 17m4 sizing button comes thru the neck if they havent been annealed.

I use a sinclair case holder in a drill. Spin the case with a mapp gas blow torch on the neck shoulder while counting slowly to three before dunking into a tub of cold water

The absolute EASIEST way to get it done on small 223 sized cases.

Hold the case halfway between base and shoulder with your fingers and pointed at say 45deg and upwards. Heat the neck area with a candle whilst rotating ... yes I said candle! When uncomfortable to hold in your fingers, use a damp cloth to wipe down and cool them plus get rid of the soot that's accumulated on the neck area ... you'll get a near perfect anneal.

Disadvantage ... slow and dirty because of the soot.
Advantage ... heaps of time to rotate the case for even heat distribution and you wont 'cook' your brass which is a possibility when using a gas torch. Brass does not require water quenching, but if using a gas torch on a small case you need to stop the migration of excessive heat to the base ... hence where I think the quenching idea came from.

What your looking for is a slight bluish discoloration ... never a cherry red or dull red.

Is it worth it? Done correctly ... 100 cases of 223Rem can outlast a barrel 10 times over.
Cheers...
Con
PS: The candle method was developed by a metallurgist/benchrester in the USA and reported upon in Precision Shooting in around the mid 90s.
PSS: Just to add ... I run a shortened 300RUM wildcat. Trimming brass on a trimmer requires annealing afterwards, trimming using a powered cutting wheel heats the brass enough that no anneal is required ... and it never glows red or anything.

Interesting Con. I haven't heard of the candle technique. Do you think it would work with small metho wick lamp - slightly cleaner and hotter flame than a candle, but no-where near as intense as the gas torch.

JasonF wrote:Interesting Con. I haven't heard of the candle technique. Do you think it would work with small metho wick lamp - slightly cleaner and hotter flame than a candle, but no-where near as intense as the gas torch.

Now that is a good idea!

Check out how AmmoSmith does it:

http://www.ammosmith.com/general-reload ... -in-hd.php

Really quick and effective, especially if you're doing lots of brass.

JasonF wrote:Interesting Con. I haven't heard of the candle technique. Do you think it would work with small metho wick lamp - slightly cleaner and hotter flame than a candle, but no-where near as intense as the gas torch.

Only one way to find out!

I use a small torch that is very hot and intense. I struggle to keep the case turning at times and I'm annealing 300RUM length cases. At Bertram's factory I noticed his annealing machine uses a very 'soft' gas flame ... no cherry reds, no intense heat but rather a slow and gradual heating over maybe 30seconds followed by air-cooling.

The candle technique is attributed to Fred Barker ... using heat sensitive paints he determined that a candle had enough 'oomph' to get to the required temperature without risking the brass' neck/shoulder. Holding with fingers half way up the case ensures you dont let it go too long, wiping with a damp cloth stops the migration of heat towards the base ... but also gets the soot off.
Cheers...
Con

I think I have a thread on here regarding annealing, or under someone elses. Has directions and pictures.

Sounds like the good old Bunsen burner from the school science classroom would be perfect.

Thanks Bec - for those who can't be bothered waiting for the video, they use the same method as TrevorT described, except they sit the case in an extended (spark plug) socket mounted a drill driver instead of in the Sinclair case holder. It is quicker to drop the case out of the socket into the water.

Ackley Improved wrote:I think I have a thread on here regarding annealing, or under someone elses. Has directions and pictures.

This the one? http://www.ausvarmint.com/forum/viewtop ... =annealing

More useful material here http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

Also shooters.com.au have the tempilaq paste for detecting the correct heat level - http://www.shooters.com.au/product.asp? ... 7&cID=1140

Thanks everyone I've found all the information and links very helpful.

AI- I did try a search on the subject before I made the post but didn't find your previous post. A good write up thanks!

JasonF wrote:...sit the case in an extended (spark plug) socket mounted a drill driver...

As the bloke on the video said it was a 1/2" (then he later said 12mm, but close enough) socket, you'll actually find there wont be many, if any spark plugs that would suit that socket. It would be referred to as a deep socket, not spark plug socket. In the auto industry, the common plug sockets are 16mm and 19mm or 5/8" and 3/4". (Yes, I'm a wanker who likes to correct people to feel like a big man ) Although it may suit bike/ lawnmower applications now I think about it...

Thanks all!

clickclickboom wrote:Thanks everyone I've found all the information and links very helpful.

AI- I did try a search on the subject before I made the post but didn't find your previous post. A good write up thanks!

JasonF wrote:...sit the case in an extended (spark plug) socket mounted a drill driver...

As the bloke on the video said it was a 1/2" (then he later said 12mm, but close enough) socket, you'll actually find there wont be many, if any spark plugs that would suit that socket. It would be referred to as a deep socket, not spark plug socket. In the auto industry, the common plug sockets are 16mm and 19mm or 5/8" and 3/4". (Yes, I'm a wanker who likes to correct people to feel like a big man ) Although it may suit bike/ lawnmower applications now I think about it...

Thanks all!

My apologies for the inaccuracy - just trying to make it easier to understand.

Hornady sell an annealing kit which has the 'sockets' which are sized to fit 223, 308 and belted magnum case heads if you have money to burn.

Also '220' sells CustomReloadingTools.Com annealing tools.
They come as a kit of Small & Large Rifle. They hold the case via the primer pocket (hence small & large rifle).
I am tempted to buy the kit & some tempilaq and give annealing a go.

G'Day all,
Annealing is a relative thing. For hard to form cases like TrevorT said, you probably need to anneal to ensure a low failure rate during forming. Also for the finished cases as they work harden, you should anneal to avoid the time consuming and sometimes protracted forming process to make new cases, especially with some of the exotic wild cat cartridges. You may also need to anneal part way during the forming process.

However for readily available brass like 223, 22-250, 243, 308 etc is there a point? I figure buying new brass should with care give you around 10-15 firings and then throw it, buy new brass and away you go. Wasteful, maybe, but if you get the annealing wrong and make the head of the case even just 1 in 100, you will probably blow the case up or lock up the bolt in the middle of whoop whoop and ruin a once a year trip.

So to be safe and ensure reliable functioning EVERYTIME, ditch the old brass and buy new factory ANNEALED brass for safety sake.

FWIW, I dont anneal my 6ppc brass for those reasons. At $1.40+ per case: my eyesight and good looks (WTF ) thats a cheap way to keep them just as I like them - intact.

Food for thought but please weigh up the risks, do your research thoroughly and use a technique that is commonly and widely used.

Cheerio Ned