Looking for some advice on if I should invest in an annealing machine. I realize there are multiple reasons that would shorten lifespan of brass and that how hard you push it would be number one. Outside of loose primer pockets, split necks and the obvious ones what sort of signs tell you it’s time. I have been running some .223 lapua going on my 5th reload, pockets are good and load is mild but I’ve been getting random fliers I can’t explain. Wondering if maybe neck tension is not consistent due to work hardening causing some accuracy variations. Thanks in advance!
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Brass lifespan
- Thread starter Hobo_Steve
- Start date
If you spend the money to start annealing just for brass life, you are likely to be disappointed. Consistency between firings is the benefit. Brass life on reduced/delayed split necks is a side-effect.
But for your 223 Lapua brass, you’ll quite likely see a benefit of returned consistency.
But for your 223 Lapua brass, you’ll quite likely see a benefit of returned consistency.
Considering your situation, investing in an annealing machine might help maintain consistent neck tension and potentially improve accuracy for your .223 Lapua brass. It's a worthwhile consideration given your reloading needs and the observed fliers.
Sounds like you've got a handle on what the issues are. Work hardening of the neck can certainly cause random flyers . . . especially after 4 firings. While there might be other issues at play, this is the first place I'd address. Work hardening over a number of firings, due to the amount of movement with the sizing process results in more inconsistency in the interference fit (like how hard the neck is holding onto the bullet). There tends to be more variation in springback as cases work harden. Annealing will make all that more consistent and, of course, brass longevity improves.
You can really extend brass life and increase consistency with annealing, but whether it’s going to be worth the expense for you depends a lot on how much you shoot/reload, and whether the brass is trivial.
The AMP Annealer isn't cheap, but it's probably one of the better investments I've made in my reloading gear over the past 25 years. It takes all of the guesswork and headaches normally associated with annealing and makes it something so fast and simple that I now anneal all of the brass I use in precision loads after every firing.
If I was just shooting common cartridges where brass was relatively inexpensive and abundant, I probably wouldn't be annealing.
The AMP Annealer isn't cheap, but it's probably one of the better investments I've made in my reloading gear over the past 25 years. It takes all of the guesswork and headaches normally associated with annealing and makes it something so fast and simple that I now anneal all of the brass I use in precision loads after every firing.
If I was just shooting common cartridges where brass was relatively inexpensive and abundant, I probably wouldn't be annealing.
Two years ago I decided to take .308 lapua brass as far as I could safely. Around the 5th reload, I also started getting flyers, so I invested in an AMP. The flyers went away and I took that Lapua brass to 22 firings using 165 gr bullets and 44.9 grains of Varget which is almost a max load.
Years ago I managed to split about 60% of my necks on hot .223 loads (LC brass) after the 4th firing. Accuracy was always good. Annealing helped the longevity of my necks, but by firing 6-7 the primer pockets were loose enough that I was junking the brass anyway.
I've not noticed any glaring consistency disparities between annealing every firing vs every other firing, but I am a believer in its ability to extend case neck life.
I've not noticed any glaring consistency disparities between annealing every firing vs every other firing, but I am a believer in its ability to extend case neck life.
Virgin to 1st reload you'll usually see a slight velocity change. 10-15fps on the average. 2nd, 3rd, 4th firing you're not likely to see any change. 4th-7th firing gets into the realm where the neck is work hardened and you may or may not see velocity ES climb up a bit, and you'll start getting neck splits if you don't anneal.
Whether you anneal every firing or every other or every third firing (provided you get it hot enough long enough, but not too hot for too long... which is a whole 'nother thread...) isn't really going to show much of any difference you'll be able to notice/measure for velocity spreads or accuracy.
Annealing is not likely to shrink ES/SD unless your necks are already very hard (typically that 4th-6th firing zone). Especially unlikely to see a change vs virgin cases.
Whether or not it's worth it depends on if you're going to run into other issues first. If you're running loads hot enough (or have a semi-auto gassed up enough) to lose primer pockets, or if you bump the headspace .005-.010" every firing and you're going to get head separations, there's little point in annealing. However, with mild loads and minimal sizing you can get 20-40 firings in bolt guns, and 10+ in gas guns. YMMV.
Whether you anneal every firing or every other or every third firing (provided you get it hot enough long enough, but not too hot for too long... which is a whole 'nother thread...) isn't really going to show much of any difference you'll be able to notice/measure for velocity spreads or accuracy.
Annealing is not likely to shrink ES/SD unless your necks are already very hard (typically that 4th-6th firing zone). Especially unlikely to see a change vs virgin cases.
Whether or not it's worth it depends on if you're going to run into other issues first. If you're running loads hot enough (or have a semi-auto gassed up enough) to lose primer pockets, or if you bump the headspace .005-.010" every firing and you're going to get head separations, there's little point in annealing. However, with mild loads and minimal sizing you can get 20-40 firings in bolt guns, and 10+ in gas guns. YMMV.
