Annealing

[Tascosa Joe]

Would someone (probably Coffinmaker) guide me to the directions for annealing cases?  Thanks.
T-Joe

[Coal Creek Griff]

Here's a link to a prior discussion.  The second post, by OD#3, outlines the basic method that I use.  Hopefully that gets you going in the right direction.  There are, of course, many variations, opinions and even purposes regarding annealing, but for most of the shooting that I do, this works quite well.

https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,59533.msg710689.html#msg710689

CC Griff

[45 Dragoon]

Yep, heat and quench is the way to go!

Mike

[Coffinmaker]

Yepper.  I were a "Doubting Thomas" until OD#3 Convinced (Shamed) me to try.  Oh boy does it ever work.  Be sure to read the complete thread referenced by C C Griff.  It's a real fun read.  Then GO FOR IT!!

PS:  After a few cases don't get the socket anywhere near your fine Duluth Trading Co. Trousers.  They (the trousers) WILL melt.  (OOPS)

[Tascosa Joe]

Thanks to all.  Currently I have a .44 Spl  '66 that I shoot .44 Colt in and a .45 Colt Henry that could use some help.  I also have a '73 in .45 Colt that shoots all day long with anything.  It likes 38 gr of 2F Goex and a 250 gr SPG lubed bullet.  It will shoot 60 rds with NO maintenance.  The 66 and the Henry are a different story.

[greenjoytj]

How many shots and re-sizing cycles before the cases need to be annealed again?

As the cases work harden between annealings do they slowly start to acquire more blow by blackening creeping further down the side of the cases?

Is it possible to over anneal making the cases neck too soft so they become difficult to extract?

[Coffinmaker]

  greenjoytj   

I don't know.  I haven't run my cases (I have a lot) enough (I'm at three loadings) to know the answer.

Not that I have noticed.  I'm at three loadings and haven't seen any difference.  I would expect that to be the case but haven't seen it yet.

Yes.  I have a few cases that were "sticky" to extract.  Took a little extra lever effort.  Don't care.  I was really tickled I could run the gun at all so a little "hitch" didn't matter.

Tascosa Joe:

You're gonna like the result with annealed cases.  My 44 Spl '66 was nearly a "write off" as the chamber would foul out in four to five rounds.  Now the '66 will run indefinitely.  Same same results with my 45 Colt (ALL four) Henry rifles.  I have so far, run as many as 6 matches with no more than a swab down the bore between matches.  It works!!

[Coal Creek Griff]

Is it possible to over anneal making the cases neck too soft so they become difficult to extract?

I don't have a lot of experience with over-annealed brass because I try to be careful.  My understanding, though, is that the brass is simply ruined if it is over-annealed.  I don't know if the result is sticking in the chambers so much as totally losing the elasticity of the brass and not providing neck tension, crumpling during bullet seating, etc.  The brass cannot be "repaired" at that point and just goes into the recycling bin.  Again, that's not from personal experience, but from what I've heard from others.

CC Griff

[greenjoytj]

I am sure I have over annealed some of my Starline brass.
Stuck cases occur in my Ruger New Vaqueros  which have tight chambers compared to my Miroku/Win M73.
They were not sticking before the annealing process.
A case fired in the M73 will insert into the NV's only about two thirds their length.

Some cases required the cylinder to be removed and the case pushed out with a wooden dowel.
The looser chamber of the M73 will allow extraction without noticeable increase in effort.

I will not toss out the sticking cases, I will experiment with re-sizing them to see if the cases will eventually work harden again with multiple re-sizing enough to put some spring back into the brass. To allow normall extraction.


I did my annealing in the dark basement the only light came from the propane torch.
Spinning the cases in a socket I could see the case necks turning dull red, then I would dump them into the water bucket.
Some of the cases got too bright and started to spit sparks.  I think the zinc in the alloy was starting to burn.  Those case were quenched so as the sparks flew.  But the damage was done seconds before.

I think as sone as you see the dull red colour appear you've over cooked that case.

Annealing cases is another learn by burn lesson.

The annealing process did do the job intended that is it stopped the fouling blow back.
The cases look like they were fired with smokeless rather than BP.

[Coffinmaker]

I'm personally a dry hole on this one.  Because ... Yes, it is possible to over anneal the cases and they become very soft.  However, I only have a couple of handgun suppository shooters and I don't run annealed cases in them.  I have not personally seen blow-by as a problem of note in handguns.  Blow-by has been obvious as fired cases show spooge and staining but clean up just fine and mostly just fall out of the chambers   

My championing of annealing has been, first and foremost, to stop the Blow-By in rifles with oversized chambers in straight wall cases.  I must admit though, my primary Main Match guns load from the front and don't require Suppositories