OK Ballistics - Thats D.O.P.E. - Oklahoma Gun Forum
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Annealing
- Thread starter ClintC
- Start date
I'm really getting into that Hornady Pod Cast. The one where they did the visual on powder through the barrel was eye opening
Couple of the guys did mention that they don't anneal each firing. I have no hard data to prove or disprove that, but my brain says each time or no time to keep it consistent?
Couple of the guys did mention that they don't anneal each firing. I have no hard data to prove or disprove that, but my brain says each time or no time to keep it consistent?
Yes sir. So far, I have not noticed a change in POI, ES or velocity on my X-Bolt in .308. I've been running SP Alpha OCD and have 6 loadings on them
I annealed some 308 cases and did a pressure test seating bullets and you had to anneal nearly 30 seconds to get a different seating pressure.
These were Winchester cases.
Not annealed and fired 2 times the seating pressure was in the 18-20 psi area and annealed it was in the 40 psi area.
Necks were brushed after annealing and before full length sizing.
Then lube was Qtipped out of cases and then chamfered and then brushed and Qtipped again.
Lapua 308 cases did not show much variation in annealed vs multiple times shot. 85 psi area for that brass
On paper if i do not anneal each time my groups suffer.
If I have a shoulder bumped back farther than another my groups suffer.
If I am happy with 1 MOA I can skip some measuring and annealing.
I am not happy there.
These were Winchester cases.
Not annealed and fired 2 times the seating pressure was in the 18-20 psi area and annealed it was in the 40 psi area.
Necks were brushed after annealing and before full length sizing.
Then lube was Qtipped out of cases and then chamfered and then brushed and Qtipped again.
Lapua 308 cases did not show much variation in annealed vs multiple times shot. 85 psi area for that brass
On paper if i do not anneal each time my groups suffer.
If I have a shoulder bumped back farther than another my groups suffer.
If I am happy with 1 MOA I can skip some measuring and annealing.
I am not happy there.
I'm curious then what the break-even point is between just buying fresh brass vs an annealing machine like the Amp one ($1700).
Like swampratt said above Lapua brass just seems like better brass so how many shots can you get out of a 100pack ($120) before you need to buy a new set.
Plus there's always range pick ups so that adds to it.
Also a lot of this stuff I think just appeals to people like us. I'm sure many here would willingly buy the commercial machines that make brass in the first place if we were then left with the task of finding a supplier of rolls of raw brass sheet lol.
Like swampratt said above Lapua brass just seems like better brass so how many shots can you get out of a 100pack ($120) before you need to buy a new set.
Plus there's always range pick ups so that adds to it.
Also a lot of this stuff I think just appeals to people like us. I'm sure many here would willingly buy the commercial machines that make brass in the first place if we were then left with the task of finding a supplier of rolls of raw brass sheet lol.
Prior to annealing, I would get 6-7 reloads from my LP Lapua .308 before I would start having split necks. That original 200 pieces I bought, I was down to 173 on the 6th loading before I started annealing on the AMP. I'm still reloading that lot of brass for the same rifle and I have 172 left. Had to sacrifice one to the Aztec Gods. I just loaded that lot of brass up last week and they now have a total of 16 loadings.
For me, I'd take 10 plus years of shooting to save enough making the Amp Annealer worth it for that reason. My biggest seen improvement is the consistency on headspace and neck tension. After 4-5 loadings, I would have to screw my die down further in the press to get the same .002" shoulder bump I wanted. I had to run a mandrel one size larger than the T2 to get the same .003" neck tension. Spring back was at a point were I was ready to toss the brass. This alone is worth the cost in my opinion.
Thats my set up; basics.
For no better than I shoot, I don't buy any of the top end brass, I normally buy a minimum of 500 pieces of winchester brass for a rifle, if I shoot it well enough then I keep it & I buy more brass.
If I get rid of the rifle, I keep the brass for other rifles I have in that caliber, or for another rifle I may buy to replace it with, so I don't have to anneal brass very often.
The least amount of brass I have is hornet & 7rm, so every so often the brass gets annealed.
Put the 6GT brass through and de-primed. Just got done with 223 brass. Going to de-prime and drop them into the tumbler. I really need to get the rest of my 6.5 CM brass shot so I can anneal and reload. Best 250 I ever spent. Annealing took me forever. Tomorrow after work. Start sizing and loading.
