Annealing

[LRRPF52]

I guess it depends on how hot your loadings are. I run right to the max of 8208. I?m blowing primer pockets out way before I get a neck split.

Like LRRPF52, I?ve got brass that you can?t even read the identification marks on. Necks are fine, but I?m losing them due to primer pockets now.

I've never had primer pockets loosen up on me with Lapua or Hornady brass.

Firing Federal brass through the AR15, I've seen loose primer pockets, but even pushing loads I wouldn't in the AR15 through the Howa, those primer pockets stayed tight as long as that brass was kept in the bolt gun. I only loaded 3x on that brass IIRC though, so how long it would keep doing that would have to be covered by someone else.

The older Large Rifle Primer PPU brass (since replaced by their new line of SRP brass) would loosen up after 1 firing of factory ammo through an AR15 much of the time for me, so I never messed with it after that.

I personally have just been loading Lapua and Hornady mostly since 2009.

I have only loaded 8208XBR under 100gr and 107gr for loads I intend to duplicate.

For 120gr and above, I use slower-burning powders that have been extremely forgiving no matter the load, mainly CFE223 and LeveRevolution.

Everything is a trade-off of some kind.

Since I mostly have barrels that will shoot practically any load into tight groups, I can get away with looser SDs and ESs, which have shown up as 8" vertical stringing at 1000yds on steel, and 4" horizontal.

I could switch to a stick powder and tighten the SD significantly, but if it costs me numbers of loads per piece of brass over the long-haul, I then lose out on economy of brass life provided by Lapua especially.

Maybe there is a stick powder that will proved the same burn rate/load density and give me the same forgiving charge weight range as CFE223, but I haven't found it yet.

I'm looking at testing N540 some with the 130gr Nosler RDF through my compound throat chambers to see what it will do.