Why would you anneal brass, is it worth it?

By Kase AnnealR

Let’s look at the basics…

When you fire your rifle you ignite the gun powder in the case via the primmer, the pressure inside the chamber rises as the projectile exits down the muzzle and the walls of the brass case expand (and contract). This process makes the brass harder as well as every time you resize your brass, you work-harden it.

Why….

The process of annealing brass is to change the metallurgical properties of the brass to soften it to its factory state. Brass is not affected by heat like steel is, steel is heat treated to make it stronger. By heating brass you make it softer.

There are several reasons why you would want to anneal brass; case longevity, re-sizing to wildcats and most importantly improving accuracy.

Case Longevity; we all wish we could afford to buy factory ammo and leave the brass at the range or in the field. Depending on the caliber we shoot and amount of ammunition we go through it is uneconomical to do so unless we are being paid to. Reloading is part and parcel of shooting in Australia and if you would like your cases to last longer annealing them is a step in the right direction.

Reforming cases; a lot of people reform brass to wildcats for their pet rifles. Often reloaders need a particular brass case isn’t available and or are making a case that does not exist or it is just plain and simple it is too expensive to buy. Annealing helps reform cases by softening the brass in between each resizing die therefore helping to resize and extend the cases life of your newly reformed brass.

Improving Accuracy; a CONSISTENT annealing process will allow you to have consistent neck tension. Consistent neck tension is one of the best and easiest ways improve accuracy. Inconsistent neck tension is easily noticed when seating bullets, some seat softly and others bullets seat firmer. If you can get a consistent grip on your bullets via neck tension your accuracy will improve a notch. How much you say, well this will depend on your own reloading techniques and the time taken to prepare your cases for reloading. Accuracy is all about consistency, from brass prep to powder measure and seating of your bullets, above all you must understand how to read the conditions in front of you when you gently allow the trigger to break.

How….

Annealing brass; there are a few methods to anneal brass, none of which are consistent without the aid of machines to precisely time to process. They include the rotating drill method, molten lead method and the water basin method. All of the above processes are subjective at best, with no consistency what so ever.

The ideal way to anneal brass is to use a machine with a timed process, so you get consistent results. By using an annealing machine to anneal your brass you can set the required temperature you want your brass to reach (the use of Tempilaq – temperature indicating paints is recommended) so you get a consistent heat treatment on each and every piece of brass you anneal.

With Kase AnnealR MKII you have complete control along with repeatability. The digital readout is 0-100, the motor spins at 17rpm (it has 34sqcm of torque) so each increment on the digital readout is equivalent to .17 of an rpm. That is repeatability and consistency and that is name of the game.

Once you have determined what speed is required to anneal your cases in each caliber, all you have to do is make a note of the number and use it next time you want to anneal a case of the same caliber.

Here is the caveat; the flame has to be in the same spot every time you anneal which is no mean feat. The inner blue flame of your torch should just kiss the point at which your case shoulder and neck meet.

Benefits…

I have covered most of the benefits of annealing already but if you want to list them;

Consistent neck tension

Forming of wildcat cartridges

Resizing cases to different calibers

Reduced ES

Improved case life

Improved accuracy

Here is the way I reload my ammunition;

Shoot

De-prime

Tumble clean (stainless steel) & dry

Anneal (using 750f/399c Tempilaq as guide)

Resize

Trim if needed (chamfer and de-bur)

Reload

Shoot

That is the process I use for all my rifle brass, you can do it any way you like but I would recommend that you anneal BEFORE you resize.

Any questions drop me a line.

Hot barrels and safe reloads.

Further reading;

http://bisonballistics.com/articles/the-science-of-cartridge-brass-annealing

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html