I anneal because I wasn't get much life out of LC .223 cases. The necks would develop cracks within 2-3 resizings. I don't know if the expander ball was too aggressive (Lee dies) that was causing this or some other factor. I find that after annealing, cases feel different when running them through a sizing die. I read that there are some benefits on annealing i.e. tighter groups. I haven't tested that factor.

Do you anneal your rifle brass?  Why? 
I did anneal my 6mmbr brass every 5 to 7 firings. Propane torch and pan of water method. My purpose was to extend the life of my Lapua brass. Annealing reduces the likely hood of split necks and other fatigue related failures. Loose primer pockets would signal end of life of my 6br brass. I always full length resize and when I am trying to produce accurate ammo, I use bushing dies with no expander.
I don't bother annealing 223, 300BLK, 308, 30 carbine or 30-06. Maybe if I was buying Lapua bra$$, I would, but not after every firing.

Do you do the annealing every reload?  Have you noticed a difference in performance?
No, you don't need to anneal after every firing. Annealing can improve your brass resizing consistency. In my case, I was using really good brass with tight chamber and minimum resizing, so I didn't see degradation in the first five firings.

Annealing is one of those things that if you have to do, do it. Otherwise it is either tedious and possibly painful (burnt fingers) or expensive and probably tedious to set up. If your not splitting necks or shooting benchrest, your time and money is better spent on something else. If you really want to see for yourself, get a torch and do it the cheap way.

Thanks for posting that question drck1000 as I also have been wondering about this.. From what I've read (internet so take it for what it's worth), seems like the frequency that people do anneal varies so any information/experiences that could be shared here will be greatly appreciated...

Anneal after every firing
Brass life
Consistency in neck tension and shoulder bump when sizing
Less to no runout after seating ( I don’t know if annealing helps with runout though, it’s around 2 thou to none at all when I check. Though I no check all the time. But then again, I use a chamber die to seat
Lowered es (yea right.. that’s only if I shooting10 rounds of the same reload that counts for me. Not this 5 shot at a time bs.. lol)
And most importantly.. that rainbow color looks cool.. lol

I did anneal my 6mmbr brass every 5 to 7 firings. Propane torch and pan of water method. My purpose was to extend the life of my Lapua brass. Annealing reduces the likely hood of split necks and other fatigue related failures. Loose primer pockets would signal end of life of my 6br brass. I always full length resize and when I am trying to produce accurate ammo, I use bushing dies with no expander.
I don't bother annealing 223, 300BLK, 308, 30 carbine or 30-06. Maybe if I was buying Lapua bra$$, I would, but not after every firing.


No, you don't need to anneal after every firing. Annealing can improve your brass resizing consistency. In my case, I was using really good brass with tight chamber and minimum resizing, so I didn't see degradation in the first five firings.

Annealing is one of those things that if you have to do, do it. Otherwise it is either tedious and possibly painful (burnt fingers) or expensive and probably tedious to set up. If your not splitting necks or shooting benchrest, your time and money is better spent on something else. If you really want to see for yourself, get a torch and do it the cheap way.

Gee, thanks fro the extra "rabbit holes".

    Was interesting to see best moa results were at our best fps, 2500 fps (until he went "over").
Then again he was using 175gr  vs our 168 gr but still noteworthy.

    I only full size .308 brass not fired out of our one particular .308 rifle, after that I neck size only after it's been fired out of that rifle.
I have had one split case in 5 yrs
I don't think I have 5-7 reloads on our brass so I'll save the burnt fingers for now.

Anyone neck turn brass for a factory chamber? Why or why not? Any measurable results?

Also if experience or feedback is specific to bolt guns or semi-autos.

My context is bolt guns, but understand lots of folks also pursuing for semi-autos.

Sorry question was pertaining to bolt guns.

Awesome!  Another perspective.  Thanks! 

Why only Lapua brass for 6 mmbr?  Is that your precision rifle caliber of choice?

I'm just starting my reloading venture.  So I'm not too worried about the uber precision or neck splitting.  I mean I want to have better precision and want brass to last, but first steps first.

Yes, 6mm Benchrest is the cartridge for my benchrest rifle. I used Lapua brass because it's the best but also the most expensive. If you can make it last, it becomes some of the cheapest.
THe rifle is a savage 12 benchrest with a Shilen barrel bedded with devcon. 6mmbr is a great cartridge for absolute accuracy out to 600 yards and there was a website and forum dedicated to 6mmbr. They since changed to https://www.accurateshooter.com/ check it out. You can find the answers you are looking for there, but beware. Benchrest shooters will do things for the tiniest accuracy advantage (real or imagined)

I got a bench rest rifle to experiment with loading to see what i could accomplish, accuracy wise. It was a fun experience. I learned that you got to have a good platform to start with. I learned how to bed a action/barrel. I learned that you have to have a custom hand lapped barrel. The best production barrel can't come close. I learned that consistency is everything. EVERYTHING! I learned that match grade is a word that gets thrown around a lot but doesn't mean anything.