Annealing Brass Question

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · January 1, 2009, 05:58 PM

I purchased remington bulk brass (.243) and was wondering if has already been annealed? Would it hurt to go ahead and anneal it? I am new to annealing...but I wanna give it a whirl. I already have FL sized, neck turned, and deburred flash hole. If i do anneal it, do i need to neck size after the annealing process?? Thanks guys!!!

~~ICH~~

armedtotheteeth · January 1, 2009, 06:03 PM

I never do anything after annealing the cases exceptdry them and tumble them. The tumbler takes of the discoloration from the torch. I doubt those cases need annealing. Im sure it has already been done.

**Unclenick** · January 1, 2009, 09:58 PM

They are already annealed, but have been polished afterward. If you hold them in the light just right you will see the slight color change where the oxide came off.

zippy13 · January 1, 2009, 11:48 PM

I don't want to jump to any conclusions...
Is your bulk Remington brass new or sorted range brass? If range brass, then a thorough inspection is recommended and annealing may be appropriate.

dahermit · January 2, 2009, 08:17 AM

Quote:

... Would it hurt to go ahead and anneal it? I am new to annealing...but I wanna give it a whirl...

New, unfired brass should not be annealed. If annealing old brass, follow the instructions and do not over do it...it can become too soft and cause unintended problems.

Sam06 · January 2, 2009, 09:10 AM

The Brass is annealed at the factory like the above folks have pointed out. Here is some info on annealing:

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

Unless you are loading the rounds very hot you should not have to anneal till you have loaded the brass 8-10 times. For a common caliber like 223 its not really worth it. When I started out I ruined about 1 in 4 pieces of brass during the annealing. Now I have it down and maybe ruin 1 in 50. The only brass I anneal is 6mmbr. It expensive(Lapua) and I have to turn down the necks so I want to save it as long as I can. I have gotten 45 loads out of one piece but the average is about 18-23 loadings from one piece. Now that is with neck turned brass, in a very tight custom chamber, using custom NECK dies in a round that does not generate that much pressure.

But if you want to play with fire and anneal your brass go for it

It is kind of fun and the brass will last a long time...............Sam

armedtotheteeth · January 2, 2009, 10:37 AM

one trick to annealing brass is ... well here is how I do it. Works good
Line the brass up in several straight lines in a shallow pan. Put them about 1/2 inch apart in lines. You need to leave room between the lines to lay your brass down.
Put some water, maybe 1/2 inch or so in the pan. Enough to submerge the case when on its side.
Now, important step, before you heat up a case.... turn the lights of in the room. You can get the cases too hot in a bright room. All you need is a slight orange color to it. Also, you only anneal the neck, not the case body the water help keeps the base cool. When its hot , knock it over into the water. I heat mine up with the torch pointed down the line, as to heat up the next case in line as i go. It goes pretty fast. These cases need a good tumbling afterward to get the discoloration off. It is only cosmetic though. I havent had a split case yet, and some of my 300 WIn mags have had 20 firings on them . My loads aint hot, they are more like Thermonuclear

. The Primer pockets always give out and wont take a primer before i see any other problems. I treat my 223 cases, 338 Federal, and my 303 cases the same way.

jmorris · March 6, 2009, 10:04 AM

I found a photo of one of these and thought it would be neat to have but I couldn't part with the $480 asking price so I built one. It makes the annealing process very consistant.

Video
http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o...t=annealer.flv

It’s hard to capture the amount of annealing done the two photos are of the same cases in different lighting. The annealed case (right) looks just like the ss109 I had on hand.

Now it just needs a frame/basket and adapted to work with the Dillon case feeder.

Sam06 · March 6, 2009, 10:22 AM

jmorris, That is a neat set up. I have thought about making one like it also. Is it powered or hand turned.

On a side note we have the same washer

jmorris · March 6, 2009, 10:32 AM

It's powered, 12v dc gearmotor and an adjustable powersupply to set the dwell time. http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o...t=annealer.flv is the link to the video.

totalloser · March 7, 2009, 02:41 AM

I can't stop grinning! That's awesome!

antibiotic · March 7, 2009, 06:38 AM

thats a great table top machine you got there. i had to laugh cause i do odd projects on my wifes washing machine too. i use the dryer for storage. shes always after me to clean up my mess......

**Shane Tuttle** · March 7, 2009, 09:37 AM

You guys still married after doin' that on your wives' washer?! You must have a VERY comfortable couch!

kyle663 · March 8, 2009, 01:20 PM

actually my couch is comfortable and i get to watch the outdoor channel on the big screen then

jmorris · March 9, 2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

You guys still married after doin' that on your wives' washer?! You must have a VERY comfortable couch!

Hate to admit it but I do the laundry, so I just bitch at myself when appropriate.

I’ve had a few tinkers looking to build one ask me about the “saw”. It is 1/8” steel cut out with a CNC laser, if your interested $45 + shipping will get one to you.

January 1, 2009, 05:58 PM	#1
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	Annealing Brass Question I purchased remington bulk brass (.243) and was wondering if has already been annealed? Would it hurt to go ahead and anneal it? I am new to annealing...but I wanna give it a whirl. I already have FL sized, neck turned, and deburred flash hole. If i do anneal it, do i need to neck size after the annealing process?? Thanks guys!!! ~~ICH~~ __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

January 1, 2009, 09:58 PM	#3
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	They are already annealed, but have been polished afterward. If you hold them in the light just right you will see the slight color change where the oxide came off. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 2, 2009, 09:10 AM	#6
Sam06 Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Fayettenam Posts: 1,086	The Brass is annealed at the factory like the above folks have pointed out. Here is some info on annealing: http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html Unless you are loading the rounds very hot you should not have to anneal till you have loaded the brass 8-10 times. For a common caliber like 223 its not really worth it. When I started out I ruined about 1 in 4 pieces of brass during the annealing. Now I have it down and maybe ruin 1 in 50. The only brass I anneal is 6mmbr. It expensive(Lapua) and I have to turn down the necks so I want to save it as long as I can. I have gotten 45 loads out of one piece but the average is about 18-23 loadings from one piece. Now that is with neck turned brass, in a very tight custom chamber, using custom NECK dies in a round that does not generate that much pressure. But if you want to play with fire and anneal your brass go for it It is kind of fun and the brass will last a long time...............Sam __________________ The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.

March 6, 2009, 10:22 AM	#9
Sam06 Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Fayettenam Posts: 1,086	jmorris, That is a neat set up. I have thought about making one like it also. Is it powered or hand turned. On a side note we have the same washer __________________ The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.

March 7, 2009, 02:41 AM	#11
totalloser Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2007 Location: Fort Bragg, CA Posts: 679	I can't stop grinning! That's awesome! __________________ You only truly believe in freedom if you believe in the freedom of those you disagree.

January 1, 2009, 06:03 PM	#2
armedtotheteeth Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2005 Location: podunk, Texas Posts: 1,610	I never do anything after annealing the cases exceptdry them and tumble them. The tumbler takes of the discoloration from the torch. I doubt those cases need annealing. Im sure it has already been done.

January 1, 2009, 11:48 PM	#4
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	I don't want to jump to any conclusions... Is your bulk Remington brass new or sorted range brass? If range brass, then a thorough inspection is recommended and annealing may be appropriate.

January 2, 2009, 10:37 AM	#7
armedtotheteeth Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2005 Location: podunk, Texas Posts: 1,610	one trick to annealing brass is ... well here is how I do it. Works good Line the brass up in several straight lines in a shallow pan. Put them about 1/2 inch apart in lines. You need to leave room between the lines to lay your brass down. Put some water, maybe 1/2 inch or so in the pan. Enough to submerge the case when on its side. Now, important step, before you heat up a case.... turn the lights of in the room. You can get the cases too hot in a bright room. All you need is a slight orange color to it. Also, you only anneal the neck, not the case body the water help keeps the base cool. When its hot , knock it over into the water. I heat mine up with the torch pointed down the line, as to heat up the next case in line as i go. It goes pretty fast. These cases need a good tumbling afterward to get the discoloration off. It is only cosmetic though. I havent had a split case yet, and some of my 300 WIn mags have had 20 firings on them . My loads aint hot, they are more like Thermonuclear . The Primer pockets always give out and wont take a primer before i see any other problems. I treat my 223 cases, 338 Federal, and my 303 cases the same way.

March 6, 2009, 10:04 AM	#8
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	I found a photo of one of these and thought it would be neat to have but I couldn't part with the $480 asking price so I built one. It makes the annealing process very consistant. Video http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o...t=annealer.flv It’s hard to capture the amount of annealing done the two photos are of the same cases in different lighting. The annealed case (right) looks just like the ss109 I had on hand. Now it just needs a frame/basket and adapted to work with the Dillon case feeder.

March 6, 2009, 10:32 AM	#10
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	It's powered, 12v dc gearmotor and an adjustable powersupply to set the dwell time. http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o...t=annealer.flv is the link to the video.

March 7, 2009, 06:38 AM	#12
antibiotic Member Join Date: March 18, 2008 Location: cleveland ohio Posts: 37	thats a great table top machine you got there. i had to laugh cause i do odd projects on my wifes washing machine too. i use the dryer for storage. shes always after me to clean up my mess......

March 7, 2009, 09:37 AM	#13
Shane Tuttle Staff Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 9,443	You guys still married after doin' that on your wives' washer?! You must have a VERY comfortable couch! __________________ If it were up to me, the word "got" would be deleted from the English language. Posting and YOU: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

March 8, 2009, 01:20 PM	#14
kyle663 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: IL Posts: 311	actually my couch is comfortable and i get to watch the outdoor channel on the big screen then __________________ NRA member 22LR,17hmr, 9mm, 9mm makarov, 38 S&W, 38/357, 41mag, 44mag, 45ACP, 7.62x39, 7.62x54, 222rem