35 Whelen

BK · Jul 5, 2012

Heating the case neck up to reduce the work hardening caused by firing and working (sizing) the case necks. Trying to keep them from getting brittle and cracking.

SJB358 · Jul 5, 2012

sask boy":jqio65nm said:
Hi Scott I hope things are still going well?
Could you explain in very simple terms what Annealed is?

Blessings,
Dan

Simple terms, quickly heating and then cooling brass restores the ductility (Mike correct me if that is the wrong word) in the brass. Meaning this, if the brass is shot over and over, the brass will get very hard and not resize back to proper dimensions. This changes the way the neck grips the bullet. It is a simple operation Dan. I really just started doing it and it has really saved me from having to chuck alot of brass in the bin.

Here is a video I made of me doing it.

http://youtu.be/41mMPB3ofrg

sask boy · Jul 5, 2012

Thanks BK, how do you know how much to heat them up

I normally don't use brass more than 3 or 4 times

Blessings,
Dan

SJB358 · Jul 5, 2012

Dan, I am on the 7-9th firing of most of my Whelen cases, and then starting seeing neck splits. I annealed and things are good again. I think if you are resizing correctly and not stretching primer pockets, you can really maximize your use out of a lot of cases. i see no reason to throw out good cases that don't show signs of weakness. Meaning, if they aren't seperating and still look good, I keep them. I think resizing them with a minimum of bump has increased my life. I barely have to trim cases after the first time. I would say I usually get 5-6 firings out of most cases before they are in need of trimming when sized with .002-.004 shoulder bump. Just my findings, but I know for certain it has helped alot.

RiverRider · Jul 5, 2012

Dan, when cases are properly annealed you can extend the life of them. I think the most obvious benefit is that the necks resist cracking through a lot more use. I think an argument for more sonsistent accuracy could be made also.

Here is a link for you. Check it out and it will probably answer the questions you have yet thought to ask:

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html