SmallCaliberCentral

Hi fella's, I just sat down and tried my hand at annealing some 204 cases for the first time. I think it went pretty well, but was wondering if there is a quick test to tell if the necks are too soft and if it will cause any problems ? I used a 3/8 " deep well socket in a drill to turn them and waited about 7 - 10 seconds on a propane torch or until I saw a blue ring start to form, then droped them into a pan of water. There is a few that may be too soft. It takes some effort with my thumb nail, but I can dent a few of them. I would say maybe 50 out of 300 are this way.

cshooter, I am a long ways from an expert on this but I don't think you have a problem. The only area that being soft is dangerous would be the base. It sounds to me like you did ok. As soon as I see color I drop. Kenny

Thanks Kenny, when I sized the necks, they did get harder where I could'nt dent them anymore. So I guess they re-hardened.

I have cases that flatten on one side just from the pressure of the ejector pushing the case neck against the side of the chamber. You shouldn't have any problem. You do need to try to be consistent with the flame dwell time. I have noticed that my seating pressure varies from case to case if I'm not holding each case in the flame for the same amount of time.