Hi, I've been meaning to ask this for some time now. tangolima's post regarding his short brass life prompted me to make that time to ask now . . .
Do I need to anneal my brass for my AR platform rifle?
Having moved to the free state of Idaho last year, I spent last summer working on loads for my AR (the upper states ".556 NATO - 1:7" - or something to that effect). With lots more work to do once the weather gets warm again.
Vitrually all my brass is "LC" of various vintages - lots of "16," so that's what I've been using. I segregate the vintages to keep track of the load cycles. At any rate, some of my LC-16 has now been loaded and discharged five times (including the original factory loading). I full-length size (SB die) and trim (1.750") every cycle. If it matters, I don't load hot; mild, actually.
So far, I don't see any issues with neck cracks or whatever. Which brings me to my question. At this point, I don't see any reason to anneal. And if memory serves, I don't recall any of my load manuals mentioning annealing. So what gives with annealing? I feel like I'm missing something.
-- Nick.
Do I need to anneal my brass for my AR platform rifle?
Having moved to the free state of Idaho last year, I spent last summer working on loads for my AR (the upper states ".556 NATO - 1:7" - or something to that effect). With lots more work to do once the weather gets warm again.
Vitrually all my brass is "LC" of various vintages - lots of "16," so that's what I've been using. I segregate the vintages to keep track of the load cycles. At any rate, some of my LC-16 has now been loaded and discharged five times (including the original factory loading). I full-length size (SB die) and trim (1.750") every cycle. If it matters, I don't load hot; mild, actually.
So far, I don't see any issues with neck cracks or whatever. Which brings me to my question. At this point, I don't see any reason to anneal. And if memory serves, I don't recall any of my load manuals mentioning annealing. So what gives with annealing? I feel like I'm missing something.
-- Nick.