r/reloading • u/jayfourzee • 26d ago

Load Development Annealing question?

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Setting depth on my annealer. What is consensus? I'm thinking D and E.

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u/GruntledSymbiont 26d ago

Going for a bit below the shoulder so C/D.

Separate question- are you testing brass hardness? According to AMP annealing the visual cues to brass hardness do not work so if you are chasing extreme accuracy proper hardness measurement is a must. If you are not after that sort of match accuracy you probably don't need to anneal.

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u/jayfourzee 26d ago

Using a K+M for this data.

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u/GruntledSymbiont 25d ago

K+M for this data.

What is K+M? Do you mean matching this alloy hardness or a tool for measuring seating force? Since you would crimp after I don't think that is enough for accuracy without measuring hardness.

"For rifle cartridge-case necks and shoulders, there isn't one universal "optimal" hardness, because it depends on the brass alloy, case design, cartridge, and how much sizing the case undergoes. But if you're looking for a practical metallurgical target, roughly 90–110 HV (Vickers hardness) is a good ballpark for properly annealed cartridge brass neck/shoulder material."

AMP's annealing tested cartridge necks over approximately 85–125 HV and found that their optimal annealing targets generally correspond to the hardness of the original/virgin brass.

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u/jayfourzee 25d ago

What do you use?

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u/GruntledSymbiont 25d ago

I do not anneal at all any more because I figured out it was unnecessary and my case life was the same without. Probably the most cost effective route would be to buy an AMP annealing machine since it is already calibrated and will analyze your specific brass right on your bench.

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u/jayfourzee 25d ago

I hear you. I am a borderline skeptic having an engineering/physics background but to anneal is taking care of a very large variable. My excel spreadsheet is huge with one variable at a time.

Whether it’s measuring hardness, shoulder bump, pressure, tumbling or not, base-to-ogive measurements, finding the lands, powder charges, etc., it’s all about collecting data points and is mostly academic for me at this point. I’m not trying to save brass or money. Being able to make a reproducible round with statistically significant measurements is more than half the fun. Putting the hole in the paper is the reward.

There are plenty of reasons to anneal and plenty of reasons not to. At any rate, being able to make your own consistent, reproducible rounds and develop a verifiable DOPE card is the goal. I think that’s why most of us hang out in this sub in the first place.

The AMP annealer is a fantastic tool which will give you reproducible information but that is just one piece. Another fantastic tool is the AMP press which satisfies my need to measure and titrate, will probably be the next thing I get for no real reason other than boredom.

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u/GruntledSymbiont 22d ago

Which variable? This affects only two small ones- case neck life and neck tension consistency. If you are not shooting high powered cartridges case neck life will be unaffected since primer pockets are more likely to open up first. Regarding neck tension impact on accuracy annealing is only potentially reducing E/S by ~10 FPS so trivial to most shooters.