Thread: Annealing after sizing?

When I first loaded 303B with a press, about 15 yrs ago, I was using 1940s or thereabouts CAC Boxer primed brass and 170gn cast GC boolits. I was very new to reloading rifle. I did 10 with no real issues other than noticing how seating the bullets expanded the neck some. Within 2-3 days after loading most of the necks split. So I read up all I could find, American Forums, on splitting brass and discovered such esoteric things as working brass hardens it, aging makes it brittle, and the answer to such problems is annealing. So I gingerly launched into annealing via the handheld gas torch with brass held in drill and slowly spun while counting to 8 method. Done it that way ever since but dropped using a water bath.

Given I had already resized 100 brass, I then annealed them. No doubt very erratic in terms of consistency and not very scientific. But it worked. Yes, much better to anneal before resizing. Which quickly became my practice. But annealing after I had resized in this instance meant no more neck splits. Awesome!