Product Evaluation: Hornady Annealing System
March 3rd, 2010Until recent times, cartridge neck annealing was a process that shooters either “Swore By” or “Swore At”. For many, annealing enables the hand-loader to revive their brass and keep it as workable as the day they bought it. Some shooters claim 50 or more firings per case with no problems! With the price of brass cartridge cases what they are today, more and more high volume shooters are looking for better mileage from their brass. On the other side of the fence, you have those folks who feel it’s a process that’s too complicated or time consuming for their taste. I guess I have always fallen into the second group, until now….
So, what exactly is case neck annealing? I’m not a scientist, by any mean, so for simplicity sake let’s say it is the process of restoring work hardened brass cases to a softer workable state specifically in the neck area. Annealing cases properly softens the neck, softens a portion of the body just ever so slightly,and makes no change to the case head and lower portion of the case. Annealing is done by quickly heating the neck to 750 to 800 degrees and quickly cooling the case before that heat has a chance to reach the case head which would render that case useless.
Now, we are ready for the meat & potatoes of this article: The Hornady Case Neck Annealing Kit #041220 ($52.95). The kit consists of three case holders, a bottle of Tempilaq heat sensitive paint, and instructions. All we need is a propane torch, a vari-speed drill or electric screwdriver, and a small bucket or coffee can with enough cold water to cover the number of cases you are working with.
I decided to anneal 50 pieces of Nosler Custom .308 cases with four firings on the odometer, and re-anneal after every two firings for the duration of this year’s shooting season. At the end of the year, I will compare with the 50 non-annealed sister cases, it should be interesting. I will keep you all posted on the results!
So…Let’s get started! First, you want to start with clean de-primed cases. Last thing you need is a rogue live primer subjected to the effects of a propane torch. (remember Murphy’s Law). Also, with the primers removed, when the hot annealed brass is dropped into our cold water it will circulate through the flash hole and primer pocket for better cooling. Next, if your cases are dirty, drop them in a tumbler for thirty minutes or polish with Flitz or some sort of brass polish. You want the necks to be nice and shiny, so it is easier to see them change color during annealing. Brush out the inside of the case necks and you are ready to apply the Tempilaq paint. You need to put an 1/8” mark of Tempilaq on the case body ¼” below the shoulder. After marking all cases, set them in a loading block and allow them to dry for 3 to 4 min. Next, pick the correct case holder for your brass and install into your screw driver or variable drill set at 200 rpm. If your work area has a vise, place the torch into and snug it up just enough to keep it from tipping over (again remember Mr. Murphy!). Ok, fire up your torch and adjust to produce a medium length light blue flame. With your water bucket close by, insert a case in to the holder and begin spinning. Center the spinning case neck in the middle of the flame observing the Tempilaq marking and the case neck. In roughly 6 to 8 seconds the paste will change color and the case neck will start to glow a dull maroon color. When you see that maroon color change, quickly tip your drill or screw driver over your container, and drop the annealed case into the water. Load up another case and repeat the process until you have finished all of the cases.

Sinclair Reloading Technician, and author Rod Green Demonstrates the Motions of Annealing with the Hornady Annealing Kit.
One Quick Tip: by dimming or lowering the light in your work area, it will help you to see the maroon color change during heating on the case necks much easier. The whole procedure, start to finish for 50 pieces of brass took fifteen minutes. After cooling you can towel dry and air dry. After the cases are dry you can pop your brass into your tumbler for thirty minutes to remove any heat scale from the annealing.
There you have it… Fifty annealed cartridge cases ready for reloading. Was the task at hand difficult? Not at all. Was it worth while? Yes, I feel it was. The Hornady Case Neck Annealing Kit is an inexpensive way to give new life to some old brass, and I feel the Kit is a lot of bang for the buck. So, if you have some tired brass needing a jump start, I would recommend giving the Hornady Annealing Kit a shot. I will let you know how these 50 cases made it through the season. Be safe and “keep ‘em in the 10 ring” !
Rod Green
Sales Tech, Sinclair International
NRA Life Member
VHA Life Member
NRA Cert. Metallic Cart. Instr.












