Annealing, is it worth it

[Dcrafton]

Is annealing your brass worth the effort? Does it effect case life?


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[BloodAndRust]

If you have to ask, probably not. Annealing can extend the life of your rifle casings, but you'd need to consider whether the brass is worth ($) the extra equipment and effort of annealing- Starline .338 Lapua, quite possibly. 5.56 range pickups, no. You'd also need to consider how much brass you have and how often you shoot- if you've got a bunch of brass and you only load each casing a time or two a year, probably not.

If you're just trying to add more processes to your casing prep because you love reloading, swing for the fences.

 

[Bearlodge10]

Your answers will be about the same as the barrel break in process. Some swear by it and others say you are good without it. To me it depends on what cartridge you are shooting and what you are looking to get out of the annealed brass. In my opinion, if you are shooting an improved cartridge or necking brass up or down, then annealing is worth it. Furthermore, if you are looking to extend the life of your brass because of the amount you shoot then annealing is beneficial. With that said, if you are shooting standard cartridges and don't do a bunch of shooting/reloading then it isn't worth it. Please understand that annealing can extend the life of brass in any situation but it takes time, energy and varying amounts of money that could be put toward reloading or reloading components.
I am new to the annealing game, having just put together a 338-06 build. I decided to anneal brass when necking up or down in the hopes of getting consistent results with the brass and to extend the life of it. I don't plan to shoot the gun a lot once I get the load together that gives the best accuracy. Realistically, I am planning on that to take some time and a good deal of various loads.

 

[Rthur]

Neck tension becomes more critical as you go further out.
Average hunting distances not worth it.
Consistently shooting around 1k and out, yep.

R

 

[Sekora]

I load for hunting rifles primarily. I say absolutely. It has increased my accuracy, which is my primary goal with reloading, and extended my case life tremendously.

 

[Sekora]

And BTW, all I use is a plumbing torch.

 

[Billinsd]

I just bought temp paint and a torch and rotate the brass with my fingers (use the paint too, your fingers may be more or less sensitive than mine) I don't use a drill. It turns out that when the brass is annealed, the paint melts at the shoulder, it's too hot to hold at the bottom (don't anneal the bottom). This is real slow for annealing lots of cases, but for me it's great. Google the instructions for the hornady annealing kit. Bill
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012738899/hornady-annealing-system

 

[SwampDog13]

My reasons for annesling is more about consistency then it is about case life. As that brass work hardens from firing, and resizing the neck tension will change as well. I run all my brass through an annealeaze after every firing, you'll feel the difference when seating bullets.