Annealing..

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  • I am going to start reloading for my 22 TCM 9 and I know that you can form brass from 556 as long as you anneal it before you attempt to form it. I am new to annealing Brass. I've never really felt the need because generally I have so much I don't really need to worried about it. I've been watching videos online and I saw a few where they use a chemical called tempilaq that apparently turns clear when the proper temperature is reached. Is this a necessary step step in the annealing process? I haven't purchased an annealing machine yet..
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    You do NOT want to overheat the brass, so some type of assurance against overheating is required. I used the tempilaq with not good results on a Giraud annealer.

    I NOW use a Annealing Made Perfect machine and its AWESOME. Induction annealer, does one case in about 4 seconds. You can use a test piece of brass for a sacrificial case and it spits out the code specific to that brass. Its the best out there but comes with a high price tag.

    If you just want to anneal 223/556 brass one time and near Frederick...I'll run it through my annealer for you. As long as its not thousands of pieces.
     
    Thanks for the offer. I'm not sure how many I'm going to do. I have a source for the 39 grain bullets since I'm using a Glock and Western powders has a fairly new product on the market called accurate TCM. If I can form my own brass I can reload for about $0.14 a round. That's around half of what commercially-produced ammo costs. I'd like to get an annealing machine anyway since I also form my own 300 Blackout brass.
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    Thanks for the offer. I'm not sure how many I'm going to do. I have a source for the 39 grain bullets since I'm using a Glock and Western powders has a fairly new product on the market called accurate TCM. If I can form my own brass I can reload for about $0.14 a round. That's around half of what commercially-produced ammo costs. I'd like to get an annealing machine anyway since I also form my own 300 Blackout brass.

    Depending how serious you are, take a look at the AMP

    https://www.creedmoorsports.com/pro...MI88nCtr_M5wIVwf_jBx1gGwzcEAQYAiABEgIPmPD_BwE
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Once get the feeling for how tempilaq works you will quickly discover that it melts about the same time that holding the brass by hand becomes uncomfortable to touch. At least for medium size rifle cartridges which are easier to hold.
    I haven’t used it for some time but Brownells used to have it for heat treating/ making springs etc. I used a candle flame at around 750 deg. Which will get you there pretty quickly in a few seconds.
     

    dannyp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 30, 2018
    1,463
    ballistic recreations sells a salt bath kit to use with a lee's lead melting pot . slow but inexpensive .
     

    That still makes it $0.16 per round 4 brass. Now add $0.07 for the bullet and $0.03 for the primer and maybe a couple of pennies for the powder and you're at the same cost as commercial ammo. Because this is a hobby I don't really count my time. I have tens of thousands of 5.56 brass. So subtract $0.16 out of that and the ammunition is almost half the cost. Cost was the major factor for getting into reloading 40 years ago.
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    That still makes it $0.16 per round 4 brass. Now add $0.07 for the bullet and $0.03 for the primer and maybe a couple of pennies for the powder and you're at the same cost as commercial ammo. Because this is a hobby I don't really count my time. I have tens of thousands of 5.56 brass. So subtract $0.16 out of that and the ammunition is almost half the cost. Cost was the major factor for getting into reloading 40 years ago.

    $.16/brass is a one time fee. I'm not familiar with that specific cartridge but I'd imagine you'd get a few reloads on that brass. To make things simple math wise lets assume you get 4 firings from one piece of brass.

    Brass = $.04 (.16 and you get 4 firings)
    Powder = .03 ???
    Primer = $.03
    Bullet = $.07

    Now you have $.17/round.

    Purchasing an annealer at $500ish will take a long time to pay for itself. Yes you can use it on the .300blk but still makes the return on investment hard to swallow.

    If the brass is once fired, does it need to be annealed before sizing down? If you don't anneal, you split the necks easy?
     

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