Case annealing

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I broke down and got one of Doug Girauld's case annealers.

http://www.giraudtool.com/annealer1.htm

My goal was to get more consistent prairie dog loads with my usual mixed bag of surplus 223 brass. From all my research annealing doesn't do a whole lot for accuracy, but generally helps make the loads more consistent by evening out neck tension. Neck turning is the next logical step, but is a pain for high volumes and limited value in production rifles.

My notes so far after loading 50 annealed and 50 without:

1. The machine is easy to set up and use. It's well thought out. As an engineer and gadget nut I'm impressed.

2. While you can readily over heat the neck, you really would have to make over heating down to the base a deliberate action. The range of adjustment makes it pretty easy to do a good job. I did some experimenting with temperature indicating liquid and found that with the lights out adjusting to just a hint of maroon color was about right with 223's.

3. While reloading I noticed no difference full length sizing, but resistance increased pulling the case back down off the expander ball. I believe the non-annealed necks spring back further and come off the ball easier. The catch, however is that the neck ID of the non-annealed ends up being about .0005" tighter. You could easily feel the difference when seating bullets...much harder on the non-annealed cases due to the slightly tighter ID and harder brass.

4. Also noticed that copper shaving pretty much disappeared with the annealed brass. Some of those old surplus cases would shave copper despite proper chamfers. Again hard brass and tighter ID.

5. I have a RCBS case mic. I checked for any changes in shoulder length both annealed and not. In all cases the shoulder is pulled back about .0025-.0030".

6. I've read that annealed cases will chamber easier. That's highly subjective in production guns. I think I could detect a slight difference in my Savage.

7. In all my research on annealing there is much conflicting information and not much useful stuff.

 

[rjrivero]

Very cool. I just found the video of it in action. Simple, elegant. That's a winner for sure! I may have to pick one of these things up!!

 

[LBEE]

I have been annealing Brass for over 25 Years With a Pan of water where the Brass stands with Water Half way on Brass Heat the shoulder & Neck for just a second ( not RED) If turns RED To Hot, tip over in Water, then Move to the next one, works Great & not expensive.

 

[JohnM]

That Giraud is nice but spendy.
Anyone seen the Anneal-rite?
Of all the simple manual annealers I've seen, that one looks to be about as good as they come.

 

[jmorris]

The Giraud like the other auto annealers are on the expensive side but that's just the price you pay for things made in the USA. Make them in China out of castings and you could pick one up at harbor freight for $20.

I also don't like how many of them the user has to buy a conversion for every case head (at least) he intends to anneal.

It was those reasons (cost mostly) that I built my own. Just like the brass-o-matic, one plate will work for every case (although the case feeder only works up to 300 win mag). I also modified the torches so they would run on a 20# propane cylinder instead of the little bottles.




Quick videos of how it works.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

Having both a lathe and mill I contemplated making my own machine, but just don't have the time. Pretty much all the systems work reasonably well, but for prairie dog ammo volumes pretty much narrows it down to this one for both speed and simplicty. Only one torch to deal with and a 6-7 second cycle rate really sold me.

 

[amlevin]

After trying the "pan of water" method for years I finally decided to do something different. Didn't feel like spend the "price of a Hunting Rifle" in an annealing machine so I went to the tool box.

An "Impact Wrench Socket", an adapter to hold it in a cordless drill, a bernz torch, and a Tempilstik heat crayon put me in business.

A 13 MM Deep socket (impact style for heavier construction) holds my .308 cases so only the last 1/4" of the case wall, along with the shoulder and neck, are exposed to the flame. With the case in the socket, rotating, it takes my torch a total of 6 seconds to heat the case to the proper temp. The case is then dropped on a heat resistant surface to cool, another loaded, and the process repeated. I can do about 6 pieces of brass per minute without breaking a sweat. In an hour I can anneal all the brass I'll be shooting that month and I only anneal about every 5 reloads.

May not be as "sexy" as the machines out there but my total expense was about $6 for the socket, another $4 for the adapter, and $8 for the "crayon". For less than $20 I am in the "annealing business".

BTW is annealing necessary for "accuracy" or does it merely make brass last longer?????

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

BTW is annealing necessary for "accuracy" or does it merely make brass last longer?????


Everything I've read points to improving consistency in most cases which is my key driver with all the surplus brass I have. Accuracy is a bonus.

 

[jmorris]

After trying the "pan of water" method for years I finally decided to do something different. Didn't feel like spend the "price of a Hunting Rifle" in an annealing machine

I have helped a few hundred folks put together annealing machines similar to the one above. I have a local shop CNC laser cut the "blades" out and send them with scale traces of the top plate, torch arms and drive wheel.

If you are interested in a little more automation of annealing but not sure if it's a project you can take on, hit the link below for step by step of my machine. Also, the first video is of one sent to me by a fellow that put one together and made it even more simple.

http://m121.photobucket.com/albums/jmorrismetal/annealer/

 

[fguffey]

fguffey

Looks/seems like annealing and related equipment is covered, options are available, I make annealing equipment for my use, no one here would recognize it and it requires the least amount of space.

F. Guffey

 

[jmorris]

Looks/seems like annealing and related equipment is covered, options are available, I make annealing equipment for my use, no one here would recognize it and it requires the least amount of space.

Well, are you willing to share a few photos?