8654USMCRet
New member
For me, annealing was once something mysterious – that is until I read about it and started annealing brass.
Before I go further, some considerations for this post:
In support of my 6.5PRC Ruger long range gun, I anneal Hornady 6.5PRC brass for top accuracy. I have found that annealing this brass provides me with much greater brass life while allowing me to maintain the 5-6 FPS SDs when I chronograph my ammo – thus resulting in greater accuracy. For me, “greater brass life” means between 6 and 7 times of usage. Typically, I do not discard my 6.5 PRC brass until the primer pocket loosens or I see signs of over pressure or cracks. I solely shoot the 153gr A-Tip round with RL 22 and Fed 210M primers. This load allows me a very high degree of accuracy to 1528 yds (an informal steel target match here in Virginia).
I also anneal 5.56 / 223 brass. I solely shoot this ammo in my Kimber Long Master Classic bolt action Varmint rifle. I shoot Hornady 52gr ELD, 53gr VMax, and 68gr HPBT match grade rounds and use the gun for varmint / target and plinking. Like my 6.5PRC, I anneal this brass for accuracy and brass longevity. I mainly use Lake City (LC) and Federal (other military brass so) I have to load lesser amounts than what the reloading guides generally depict. Being military brass, I also remove the crimp. This brass is easy to anneal and I generally use this brass until the primer pockets loosen or I see cracks.
I use the Thumler’s Tumbler Model B annealing machine (available at Thumler's Model B Tumbler - $279.99). This model has served me well for the past 10-12 years. About a year ago I sent it into the manufacturer for electronics replacement but aside from this one servicing, its been a great tool in my reloading tool-kit.
If memory serves me correct, it cost me about $300 or so and has annealed close to 30K pieces of brass.
For me,
Before I go further, some considerations for this post:
- These are my experiences and my opinions. Yours may differ and that’s OK.
- ALWAYS follow the manufacturers’ recommendations for brass usage, pressures, annealing machine setup, and the like.
- Absolutes are dangerous.
- I generally shoot mild loads. I’m not one who tries to attain the barrel burning velocities but concentrate on accuracy.
In support of my 6.5PRC Ruger long range gun, I anneal Hornady 6.5PRC brass for top accuracy. I have found that annealing this brass provides me with much greater brass life while allowing me to maintain the 5-6 FPS SDs when I chronograph my ammo – thus resulting in greater accuracy. For me, “greater brass life” means between 6 and 7 times of usage. Typically, I do not discard my 6.5 PRC brass until the primer pocket loosens or I see signs of over pressure or cracks. I solely shoot the 153gr A-Tip round with RL 22 and Fed 210M primers. This load allows me a very high degree of accuracy to 1528 yds (an informal steel target match here in Virginia).
I also anneal 5.56 / 223 brass. I solely shoot this ammo in my Kimber Long Master Classic bolt action Varmint rifle. I shoot Hornady 52gr ELD, 53gr VMax, and 68gr HPBT match grade rounds and use the gun for varmint / target and plinking. Like my 6.5PRC, I anneal this brass for accuracy and brass longevity. I mainly use Lake City (LC) and Federal (other military brass so) I have to load lesser amounts than what the reloading guides generally depict. Being military brass, I also remove the crimp. This brass is easy to anneal and I generally use this brass until the primer pockets loosen or I see cracks.
I use the Thumler’s Tumbler Model B annealing machine (available at Thumler's Model B Tumbler - $279.99). This model has served me well for the past 10-12 years. About a year ago I sent it into the manufacturer for electronics replacement but aside from this one servicing, its been a great tool in my reloading tool-kit.
If memory serves me correct, it cost me about $300 or so and has annealed close to 30K pieces of brass.
For me,
- Annealing saves me a fair amount of money by providing me more use of each piece of brass – which as we all know, brass gets more expensive each day.
- Annealing allows me to get the most accuracy out of my long-range rifles by absolutely having the same EXACT round each time I fire the weapon.
- Annealing, like the rest of reloading is also therapeutic to me. After all, if I’m concentrating on reloading, all the other worldly problems fade away – at least for a little while.