30-30 brass life
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Axxe55
Retiretgtshit stirrer
Some people like to load at maximum powder charges, but IMO that puts a lot of stress on the cases and the gun many times. If I think I should be, or need to load at the upper limits, then it might be time to step up to something larger and more powerful.
My annealing method is very simple. a small propane torch, a cordless drill with a 1/4" socket adapter and a socket that fits the rim diameter of the case. There are lots of videos that show how to anneal cases, or how to make an annealer on YouTube. Watching the brass color when heating is critical though. You don't need to heat them very much at all, and don't want to over-heat them either.
Not too sure on .30-30, but I do have some .308 brass (mainly Winchester and Prvi) that have been reloaded in the "upper teens" with mild cast loads.
For consistency, I anneal every time as part of the brass preparation process and I inspect all brass thoroughly before reloading. It is not a perfect method because I do lose a few pieces from wear and tear from time to time, but it does help with case longevity.
Before tumbling or cleaning the brass, I use a pair of pliers to pick up the brass and run the neck and shoulder just within the blue part of the flame for about 4 seconds total rotating frequently, and that is it. No need to water quench or anything silly, just drop them down and let them air cool as the heat does all the work. Put the cases in the tumbler and prep as normal. If lubed properly you will notice the sizing process is much easier and retention is consistant.
For consistency, I anneal every time as part of the brass preparation process and I inspect all brass thoroughly before reloading. It is not a perfect method because I do lose a few pieces from wear and tear from time to time, but it does help with case longevity.
Before tumbling or cleaning the brass, I use a pair of pliers to pick up the brass and run the neck and shoulder just within the blue part of the flame for about 4 seconds total rotating frequently, and that is it. No need to water quench or anything silly, just drop them down and let them air cool as the heat does all the work. Put the cases in the tumbler and prep as normal. If lubed properly you will notice the sizing process is much easier and retention is consistant.
contender buff
TGT Addict
I make it a habit to anneal every 5th firing you need to be cautious not over anneal because this also can be bad and make brass brittle.if you are doing something that works, stick with it, no need to change now,just saying!
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Case life depends on a couple of factors.
How "loose" the chamber the rounds are being fired in.
If you firearm is new and has a minimal chamber size the brass will be stretched less than in, say, an old rifle with a more worn chamber. Typically something like an old Winchester 1894 will have a sloppy chamber. They were made that way in order to cycle with whatever ammo got stuffed into them. Add in long use over many years and ta-da, a loose wollered out chamber. A more modern rifle such as a Marlin or H&R will have a tighter chamber.
This causes excessive brass stretch thus shortening case life.
Pressure level in the round itself. i.e. hot loads.
30-30 brass is quite thin and is very prone to stretch.
Loading warm to hot will cause excessive case stretch.
Add in a loose chamber and case life will be very short.
Maybe two/three firings and the brass becomes unsafe to use.
Now if you load way down for cast bullet loads case life dramatically increases.
How "loose" the chamber the rounds are being fired in.
If you firearm is new and has a minimal chamber size the brass will be stretched less than in, say, an old rifle with a more worn chamber. Typically something like an old Winchester 1894 will have a sloppy chamber. They were made that way in order to cycle with whatever ammo got stuffed into them. Add in long use over many years and ta-da, a loose wollered out chamber. A more modern rifle such as a Marlin or H&R will have a tighter chamber.
This causes excessive brass stretch thus shortening case life.
Pressure level in the round itself. i.e. hot loads.
30-30 brass is quite thin and is very prone to stretch.
Loading warm to hot will cause excessive case stretch.
Add in a loose chamber and case life will be very short.
Maybe two/three firings and the brass becomes unsafe to use.
Now if you load way down for cast bullet loads case life dramatically increases.
What rifle? What dies? Marlin here, seldom anneal, shoot till I get neck splits and then tos and anneal that batch wirh torch and fingers. Hornady die works for jacketed, Lee without expander for cast. Squishing and expanding the neck is the problem fore a rnd, measure neck OD, subtract bullet OD and add 15 thous. If about same as fired case, ok.
I usually can get 3 loads on brass before annealing. Like others have said there are other factors to consider but on average after the 3rd time through the rifle I will run the cases through the case annealed. I can usually continue this process 3 or 4 cycles unless I load over max load and I have to continually trim length because of the brass flowing up causing the case walls to become to thin.
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If you are using only one rifle, and suspect you might be overworking your brass, you could go with neck sizing only. If you use a Lee collet neck sizer, you really don't work the brass a whole lot.
One of the added benefits, many times, is increased accuracy. One thing to watch for, is if your rifle action is a little "springy", you could slowly increase the distance to the datum line on the shoulder, requiring you to use a full length die to bump it back a little so as not to impede chambering. TC Contenders are like that, just enough flex to sometimes allow a little shoulder movement.
