shibumiseeker
Grandmaster
Countryboy19 and I are conducting a brass life test to gather some data to answer the question: does annealing extend brass life?
This is a question I've wanted the answer to for a long time. There's good reasons to anneal, but I've yet to see hard data on case life. We discussed this in a previous thread:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo.../121787-case_annealing_extend_life_or_no.html
As folks know, I like empirical data rather than wild speculations (even SWAGs), and since my shooting building and range allow me to load, turn around and shoot, and load again, I've conducted a number of these tests over the years and my conclusion is that people often aren't using their brass to the full potential.
So after much discussion, CountryBoy19 and I had decided that at least for our first rounds of testing, we're going to fire to failure 5 pieces of brass with no annealing and neck sizing. Then 5 with annealing every so often to be determined by how long the brass in the first round lasts, with neck sizing only. Then 5 no annealing but with full length resizing, and then 5 rounds with annealing every few cycles to be determined by how long the brass lasts with full length resizing. Where we go after this will be determined by what we find with this initial test.
Some limitations: A sample size of 5 is on the very edge of statistical usefulness. It is enough though to get us a first order approximation. Depending on what we find we may increase the sample size if we feel the need, but we're going to let the study guide where we go.
The gun used: A Remington 700 .308, 20"bbl (I think, CB19, is this correct?)
Dies are Lee .308
Press is Lee Turret
Brass is Remington brass of a similar lot, once fired factory ammo fired from this gun.
Primers are Wolf Large Rifle
Powder is 46.1gr of Varget thrown with a Lee Autodisk Powder measure (as much as .5gr variation is typical)
Bullets are Remington 165gr PSP Core-Lokt
No crimp.
We chronyed an average velocity of 2425fps.
Brass starting length was 1.99" appr. and recommended trim to length is 2.005.
This time we got in 30 cycles before we ran out of time.
We fired 18 cycles before noticing a very small split on a case mouth, about .5mm, so we figured it'd be out of the running soon. Well, it took several more firings before it got a little wider, but it is STILL in the running as it hasn't grown much.
At load 25 two of the pieces of brass were starting to get hard to chamber so we did one full length resizing of the entire lot. Measuring after FL sizing the brass was about 1.995".
All 5 pieces are still in the running. We'll be resuming the test in a couple weeks when more bullets come in and our schedules coincide.
CountryBoy19, anything I left out, or you want to add?
This is a question I've wanted the answer to for a long time. There's good reasons to anneal, but I've yet to see hard data on case life. We discussed this in a previous thread:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo.../121787-case_annealing_extend_life_or_no.html
As folks know, I like empirical data rather than wild speculations (even SWAGs), and since my shooting building and range allow me to load, turn around and shoot, and load again, I've conducted a number of these tests over the years and my conclusion is that people often aren't using their brass to the full potential.
So after much discussion, CountryBoy19 and I had decided that at least for our first rounds of testing, we're going to fire to failure 5 pieces of brass with no annealing and neck sizing. Then 5 with annealing every so often to be determined by how long the brass in the first round lasts, with neck sizing only. Then 5 no annealing but with full length resizing, and then 5 rounds with annealing every few cycles to be determined by how long the brass lasts with full length resizing. Where we go after this will be determined by what we find with this initial test.
Some limitations: A sample size of 5 is on the very edge of statistical usefulness. It is enough though to get us a first order approximation. Depending on what we find we may increase the sample size if we feel the need, but we're going to let the study guide where we go.
The gun used: A Remington 700 .308, 20"bbl (I think, CB19, is this correct?)
Dies are Lee .308
Press is Lee Turret
Brass is Remington brass of a similar lot, once fired factory ammo fired from this gun.
Primers are Wolf Large Rifle
Powder is 46.1gr of Varget thrown with a Lee Autodisk Powder measure (as much as .5gr variation is typical)
Bullets are Remington 165gr PSP Core-Lokt
No crimp.
We chronyed an average velocity of 2425fps.
Brass starting length was 1.99" appr. and recommended trim to length is 2.005.
This time we got in 30 cycles before we ran out of time.
We fired 18 cycles before noticing a very small split on a case mouth, about .5mm, so we figured it'd be out of the running soon. Well, it took several more firings before it got a little wider, but it is STILL in the running as it hasn't grown much.
At load 25 two of the pieces of brass were starting to get hard to chamber so we did one full length resizing of the entire lot. Measuring after FL sizing the brass was about 1.995".
All 5 pieces are still in the running. We'll be resuming the test in a couple weeks when more bullets come in and our schedules coincide.
CountryBoy19, anything I left out, or you want to add?
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