Post by: gasman on February 21, 2013, 04:58:42 PM
Been having an issue with my .25 WSSM brass splitting at the neck. Some say its the Winchester brass and I should Anneal the neck and shoulder and it should extend the case life.
Been looking at some You Tube videos explaining the process and what to do and not to do.
Some say to cool off if hot water, while others suggest cold water and some to not even use water at all and let dry naturally.
Any one have preference and why?
It does not look difficult to do but would like step by step instructions.
Like, re-size before or after annealing?
Should you anneal new brass? why or why not.
Deprime before or after?
pollish before or after annealing?
A curious mind would like to know ;)
Post by: Cap.Silver on February 21, 2013, 05:43:57 PM
I'd do after 5 firings ... all new ammo is annealed at the factory ,some is polished some is not ...like the federal military i think isn't polished .It's like Chevy vs.Ford and Dodge :chuckle:
Fear not my friend ,get the torch and anneal away :tup:
Post by: yorketransport on February 21, 2013, 08:39:19 PM
The easiest way I've found is get a temperature crayon or other temp indicator from a welding shop. I use a 650` temp stick and mark the cases just below the shoulder. Then I rotate them through a bottle torch until the indicator "melts". Then drop them into cold water. I believe that it's the rapid cooling that helps to "cure" the brass.
I anneal the cases, then tumble them, the size and load them as normal.
Andrew
Post by: scotty1969 on February 21, 2013, 08:42:29 PM
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on February 21, 2013, 08:52:44 PM
The slow cooling method scotty1969 described is the way I learned to soften steel. Brass is evidently a different animal.
Post by: scotty1969 on February 21, 2013, 08:56:01 PM
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on February 21, 2013, 09:20:37 PM
your right it is a diff. animal but the molecular structure is the same it wont harden so much with brass or aluminum if cooled quickly but the structure(bond) will weeken substantially and wont be long before seperation or cracks start
You are probably right. The only brass that I've annealed is a batch of 30-30 brass I had years ago that was so hard that even after full-length resizing, the neck sprang back so much that it wouldn't hold the bullet. Lately I have been necking down Hornady 6.5 Grendel brass to .204 to make my 20 LBC wildcats, and the cases have to be neck-turned a scosh to thin them down. I've been averaging 1 split neck in 50 cases after the first firing and resizing, which I think is acceptable loss for such a small-neck/large volume cartridge. I think modern brass is formulated better than the older stuff was, making annealing rarely a neccesary step in reloading. :twocents:
Post by: scotty1969 on February 21, 2013, 09:28:43 PM
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on February 21, 2013, 09:49:28 PM
Post by: halfpipe88 on February 22, 2013, 12:14:41 PM
Post by: scotty1969 on February 22, 2013, 05:38:59 PM
Post by: gasman on February 22, 2013, 08:36:43 PM
Post by: Worldhunter on March 03, 2013, 10:18:52 AM
http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-preparation/neck-turning/neck-turning-accessories/sinclair-driver-caseholders-prod33962.aspx (http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-preparation/neck-turning/neck-turning-accessories/sinclair-driver-caseholders-prod33962.aspx)
Be very cautious not to overh heat the shell.
Post by: fishcrazy on March 03, 2013, 05:05:41 PM
Kris