308 Annealing

[rangeryo]

Quick question, and I'm sure it's been covered before but..

I've got 200 rounds of prepped brass for my 308. All dimensions to SAAMI specs for now, and sorted into < 1gr weight lots of 50. I've got my rifle at Hawk Hill Customs getting an action job along with one of his in house barrels. I'm thinking about going ahead and annealing this brass post sizing, as most of it has been fired 2-4 times in the old barrel. Are there any drawbacks to annealing sized brass? I understand that this is typically done before sizing, but I figured it might help ensure I get a positive "fire forming" effect so that I can accurately size the brass to fit its new home (chamber).

Thoughts? Comments?

 

[jmorris]

No you can anneal after sizing. The only draw back that could occur would be from what method you use to anneal.

 

[rangeryo]

No you can anneal after sizing. The only draw back that could occur would be from what method you use to anneal.

Just the good ole propane torch and with the brass in a 12mm socket chucked up in a drill.

 

[alpine44]

At some point I was concerned that neck tension might be low on brass annealed after sizing, but that was not the case. Depending on the history of the brass I anneal before or after sizing and could not detect any difference in "feel" or accuracy.

Also, factory brass seems to be annealed after sizing. Otherwise, evidence of sizing would be visible on the oxidization layer.

 

[scotharr]

Just the good ole propane torch and with the brass in a 12mm socket chucked up in a drill.

I'm not a proponent of annealing without a machine....just don't think you can do it consistently enough to ensure good accuracy. I would not anneal it your case.

 

[rangeryo]

I'm not a proponent of annealing without a machine....just don't think you can do it consistently enough to ensure good accuracy. I would not anneal it your case.

I'm a welder by trade and a damn good one at that. I'm pretty good at applying just the right amount of heat for the task at hand. I have no doubt that I can consistently anneal a few hundred pieces of rifle brass. To the average Joe, I'd probably say that I agree with you, but in this particular instance, I do not.