Not going to hurt the brass just not necessary. Bottleneck yes, extends life and gives more uniform neck tension.

 

Any time brass is worked it hardens, so when you resize and crimp when hand loading you are work hardening the brass. It won't hurt cartridge brass to properly anneal it prior to each reloading cycle.
Annealing properly puts the brass back to original condition, producing uniform neck tension and letting the neck expand to seal against the chamber better with low pressure loads.

 

I anneal any rifle case every firing. The handgun stuff no. It's a well worth investment to us that like to handload for accuracy and case longevity. The only reason I got into annealing is because of neck tension. I could feel the difference while neck sizing and seating the bullet. So, I bought the machine that competition users use. The AMP! Worth every penny in my opinion. Cost the same as one of my average rifles that I buy several times a year.

 

Wow, that's quite a unit! Just watched the video. It sure looks like the best method for consistency and production. If money was no object... But unfortunately, that's not the case. I'll have to settle for a more affordable alternative.

 

I don't know if annealing every time is really necessary. I am running more or less a test off and on that's gone on over several years. Rifle is the the Ruger #1 chambered to the .375 H&H. Started out with 20 rounds of Winchester brass and the load is a moderate charge of IMR4350 with a 270 gr. cast bullet. Recoil is about like a stiff 220gr. 30-06 load.

The bullets take a fair stiff crimp which puts some stress on the outer edge of the necks. I use a neck sizing die for four reloads, then full length on the fifth reload. At the fifth reload brass is annealed. Brass life is fantastic. These rounds have been reloaded twenty times and I probably can get at least one more loading before I decide to scrap them. The primer pockets are getting a bit loose. Other than that the brass seems just fine.
Paul B.

 

I nearly bought an annealer last year that ran on a propane tank, can't remember the brand. Never thought about annealing straight wall brass but anything that extends case life is good I guess.

 

I have toyed with buying an annealing machine here in there, mainly for the 7MM REM MAG I load for long distance. Only other bottle neck cartridges I load in any frequency are 30-30 and .223. .223 brass is so plentiful (mostly for free) and I load it in such quantities that annealing is unpractical. 30-30 has gotten a little less economical but I still have many cases that have gone through 5+ full power loads with requiring annealing. I anticipate I will eventually work a rig or buy one mainly for the 7MM. However, I load a large amount of straight wall cases and see very little benefit to bother with annealing. Sure, it won’t hurt, but it will mostly be a waste of time.

 

I also have a Giraud trimmer, big time saver.

 

If you haven’t found any reason to anneal that may be because you didn’t find it necessary. How many of us anneal autoloading pistol brass?

I have done extensive positive accuracy testing with cases I rarely anneal, but that is not a practice that is universally applicable. In many instances annealing does not help but that is cartridge and shooting range dependent. For instance, I rarely anneal 25-20 cases because testing conclusively shows I do not need to. Except when I bought 900 rounds of brass that was loaded 30 years ago and was splitting just sitting on the shelf. Annealing saved the day.

My perspective is I need to understand when it is needed and when it is not and then go with what works. For a number of reasons annealing cases for every shot when using a stock 336 or 1894 is being really excessively OCD about it. Long range shooting with rifles capable of higher velocity and accuracy don’t follow that logic because they can tell the difference.

If what you are doing helps go with that. But to know for sure something helps or not you have to do a lot of shooting in a statistically relevant way. More than most are willing to do. If you have done your due diligence and you know, as a reloader that is where you want and need to be.

 

Common for factory brass that has sat for years to age harden to the point that it is brittle or splits when it is first loaded decades later. Any old brass even if unfired is suspect and may need to be reconditioned. It is not uncommon to run across new lots of brass that split excessively as well.

 

Well…..if you pay enough for the bullets, and depending upon the usage, you may not need either device. For us bullet casters the details are in other areas. Not having the latest widget will not be a handicap for many. It’s not necessarily the equipment that gives you a leg up on everyone else. Most of it is in becoming a better shot and reading conditions correctly.

 

I agree with you to a point. However, bench rest shooting is an equipment game. The best equipment usually determines the winner with an equal group of shooters. It's not that hobby shooters have to follow every detail of the professional, but we can always learn from them to make the best ammo we can.

Most here don't own a concentricity gauge or a chronograph, but think they are making amazing ammo because they had some improvement over factory with their first box of reloads. There is always room for improvement along with new technology and products. I would have appreciated such advice when I started handloading 25 years ago.

 

To clarify, I think mine is a MK2, it came with Aztec.
Have the Giraud annealer and trimmer, both are good for what they do.
I don’t generally anneal pistol brass, but I do roll size all of my 9mm and 45acp before each loading, that’s just the workflow. A batch of pistol brass for me is a 50cal ammo can, regardless of caliber.

Oddly, I enjoy brass prep.

 

nice^

 

The equipment used and the technique applied only matter if they make a difference in the outcome.

The simple truth is that many “benchrest techniques” and “latest fads” do not make a difference in observable accuracy in many rifles and in a lot of average usage….and I am enough of a statistician and I shoot enough to know what helps me and what does not. If you are one of those people do whatever helps.

I have a lot of concentricity tools, neck turning equipment, chronographs, straight line dies including classic Wilson benchrest dies, the whole bit.

If you don’t have a benchrest rifle, benchrest accuracy will elude you no matter how much benchrest equipment you own. The main equipment limitation is the rifle itself, and if that is not acknowledged all the ancillary tools you buy are not going to turn it into a bughole gun. One of the fallacies of reloading is that rifles that are inherently limited in accuracy can be miraculously turned into very wonderful shooters by the magical application of anal retentive accuracy techniques.

If one believes that, show up at a benchrest match with a 336 or 1895 and let us know how you do.

Not saying that good quality very accurate rifles don’t deserve careful reloading application. Just saying that first one must be aware of what equipment, including the rifle, is really limiting by an honest appraisal of what you have. Shoot in a statistical way and prove to yourself what actually helps and what does not.

In the matches I shoot in everyone is aware of the latest equipment and use it.

Here’s the real secret…….the best shooters win matches when the equipment is a level playing field. The one thing that is not equal in a match is shooter skill. One notices that winners usually win often, and that is primarily skill in shooting. Equipment improvements help most when the shooting skill is there to prove it matters and the rifle can tell the difference.

 

I anneal my 375 Win brass quite regularly since the cases tend to lose neck tension after a few firings. I use a handheld Benzomtic butane torch which gets the job done with a minimum amount of fuss.

 

For those looking for an annealer at a reasonable price, look into the Ugly Annealer, $299 at Amazon. Uses propane. Easy to set up and operate.

 

I certainly don't need to anneal. Frankly, about half of my shooting is done with iron sights. Almost any round, factory or handload will be more accurate than my old eyes and/or low magnification optics will afford me for most of the calibers I shoot. But I take great pleasure and pride in producing the highest quality ammunition possible. Along those lines, I became interested in annealing my brass, hence this post. I went from not annealing to considering a power drill and handheld torch, to maybe an Ugly Annealer. Now I want that AMP Mark II. Why not? I haven't bought a new firearm since the new 1895 SBL. Maybe I'll splurge!

 

It would be my guess that those saying to not anneal straight wall brass are mostly thinking about pistol cartridges. It would be hard to anneal something as short as 9mm or 45 ACP brass without heating the case head. However, when you get to longer straight wall rifle brass like the 45-70 or 444 Marlin, I think that is a different matter as you are dealing with much longer cases. I have annealed 45 Colt brass that I shoot in a Marlin lever gun with some fairly hefty loads, but that is probably the exception. 45 Colt or 44 Magnum is about the shortest length case I would even think about annealing.

 

I'm an extremely frugal guy, not a gadget guy, but love the AMP Mark2. If it's in your budget, then splurge. You'll love it! Everyone's financial situation is different, and I get it. I quit bar life and eating out years ago. So, the AMP was an easy purchase at this point in my life.

 

If you feel that it will help you then go for it. I have been loading for over fifty years including 45-70, 348, 358 and .375 Win and have never spent the time to do more then clean the brass before reloading it.

 

I have been on a mission to see how many firings i can get out of my Hornady 45-70 brass. It takes some time...

So far, i have fired that lot 9 times (full house loads+).

I think annealing is interesting. Especially for folks that are making a different cartridge case from another or, parent case, long range shooting while nailing down that last bit of velocity spread or if one believes there is economy in the long haul of annealing the cases, compared to buying a new bag.

There are some guys from the poor house that will tell you they have been loading since the days of Adam and Eve with a single stage press and thats all you need.

Some guys need to buy all the new tools.

Some guys have a bunch of money and a vacation home on a lake with a boat parked in front.

Who cares!!

 

I feel that consistent ammunition is as much a part of accurate shooting as an accurate rifle, shotgun or handgun. Give yourself all the advantage you can whether for paper, game or defense.