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Annealing
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What cartridge are trying to anneal. If you are thinking about .223 the annealed top is not the only difference between the .223 and 5.56. The casing just above the rim is thicker to hold up to the the higher pressures. You might be doing something totally different. Just thought I would drop that out there just in case. it never hurts to relay information just to be safe. Don't take it the wrong way. Please!
I just read the whole thread. I get what you doing now. Some times I throw out info or an opinion before I read the whole thread. Nasty habit I know.
Run it over a quality chrony like a mangnetospeed or Labradar and you will see SD grow and shrink. Neck tension is pretty important for constant velocity.
Do you really have to anneal that often to maintain accuracy?
Typically i use the brass 5-6 times and I have not noticed any decline in quality...
Wonder what that says about my aiming skills? ha Ha
Twitch, my reloads for rifle would typically just be used for plinking and not worth the time for me to anneal.
If i am making target rounds I use once fired brass or new for my loads.
Just banging away at the range I feel there is more variable in my hold of the rifle than neck tension.
Do most of you all anneal every reload cycle?
What about if you use a Lee FCD?
Would that not reduce the neck tension variable?
Interesting stuff indeed....
Lots of knowledge and experience on this board.
If i am making target rounds I use once fired brass or new for my loads.
Just banging away at the range I feel there is more variable in my hold of the rifle than neck tension.
Do most of you all anneal every reload cycle?
What about if you use a Lee FCD?
Would that not reduce the neck tension variable?
Interesting stuff indeed....
Lots of knowledge and experience on this board.
Now that I have a machine to partially automate the annealing I do it every firing. Before this year when I did it by hand with a torch and drill it was every 3 firings.
Each manufacturers brass is a bit different in how it reacts to not being annealed. Lapua seems to do better for longer than my Hornady brass between annealing. My hornady 6.5 creed brass is on its 3rd firing and I get real wonky flyers. I have some lapua 308 brass that's on number 3 since annealing and it shoots lasers still.
I use Lee collet neck dies and Redding fl and body dies depending on what I'm doing. They all serve the intended purpose well. They all work the brass by different amounts and annealing makes them all more consistent. Never used the Lee crimp die on rifle before so I can't comment on it.
As to if annealing is worth it, it's relative. If you have a rifle that shoots bugholes, you shoot bugholes and you expect to always shoot bugholes and you pay to shoot bugholes at matches, then yes. If I shot BR or ELR then I would drop the grand on an AMP machine in a heartbeat. If I want to shoot minute of pie plate or do mag dumps then annealing brass won't mean squat.
Each manufacturers brass is a bit different in how it reacts to not being annealed. Lapua seems to do better for longer than my Hornady brass between annealing. My hornady 6.5 creed brass is on its 3rd firing and I get real wonky flyers. I have some lapua 308 brass that's on number 3 since annealing and it shoots lasers still.
I use Lee collet neck dies and Redding fl and body dies depending on what I'm doing. They all serve the intended purpose well. They all work the brass by different amounts and annealing makes them all more consistent. Never used the Lee crimp die on rifle before so I can't comment on it.
As to if annealing is worth it, it's relative. If you have a rifle that shoots bugholes, you shoot bugholes and you expect to always shoot bugholes and you pay to shoot bugholes at matches, then yes. If I shot BR or ELR then I would drop the grand on an AMP machine in a heartbeat. If I want to shoot minute of pie plate or do mag dumps then annealing brass won't mean squat.
Sometimes that is right where I am at Twitch.
Other times I enjoy making high-quality match target hunting rounds.
Most of the time i reload just so i can shoot cheaper (try pricing .45 Colt box of 50!)...
The necks on all rifle brass is annealed at the factory (maybe handgun also, not sure about that, but likely). The difference between the 5.56 and .223 is that you can see the annealing on the 556 but 223 and certain 556 brass has the annealing stains polished off to make them purtier. I use LC 556 brass for most all my .223 loadings. I have a few single shots where I use .223 head stamped brass.
Rosewood
