Eurooptic vortex burris nightforce sale




teslong borescope digital camera barrel monitor


As an Amazon Associate, this site earns a commission from Amazon sales.









February 23rd, 2023

Oven Drying of Wet Brass — How NOT to Over-Cook Your Cases

Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.com
NOTE: If you prefer drying your brass in an oven we recommend a temp setting no higher than 200° F. Better yet, use a dedicated case dryer that cannot possibly over-cook your cases.

Tech Tip by Craig Arnzen of Area419.com
As wet-tumbling brass has become more popular in recent years, guys have tried a LOT of ways to get their brass dry — towels, hair dryers, and even food dehydrators. (See Top Ten Brass Drying Methods). Another common method — albeit with some potential issues — is putting your wet brass in the oven to dry. Provided you monitor TEMP and TIME, this method is fast, effective, and easy (as long don’t use the wife’s favorite cooking pans — that’ll get you in trouble.)

With oven-drying, however, unexpected issues can arise, as illustrated by this worrisome story: “I put my brass in for an hour at 200° F and turned it off. Next thing I know I realize my wife has the oven pre-heating to 350° F. Is my brass ruined?”

Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.comIf you search the AccurateShooter.com Shooters’ Forum, you’ll find at least three threads with stories like that (i.e. higher-than-expected oven temps when drying brass), and answers on both sides of the line. I know this, because it happened to me — I had some 6XC brass drying and the wife pre-heated the oven. Concerned about my cases, I consulted a genuine annealing expert, Andrew Rixon.

Andrew is the Director of Engineering and Manufacturing at Alpha Munitions, makers of premium-grade rifle brass. I had baked a batch of Alpha’s new 6XC brass, which is exceptionally consistent and well-made.

Before Andrew would answer my question though, he gave me a little lesson on what really happens during annealing:

“Annealing is performed by heating the brass to specific temperatures. There are three phases of annealing: recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth. All of which have specific temperatures and or exposure times related to them. It is key for cartridge brass annealing processes to hit the recrystallization phase which allows for strain-free grains to grow. The growth of strain-free grains eliminate dislocations, drastically decreasing hardness and increasing ductility. For recrystallization to occur the material temperature must be within 600-1000 degrees Fahrenheit (F).”

Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.com

He then got into really answering the question, and was (fortunately) definitive in his answer: “If the temps do not exceed 450 degrees F then there is nothing to worry about as it did not exceed the critical temperature for annealing to occur.” Editor: Caution — do NOT assume that the temperature marked on the oven knob is the actual temperature INSIDE the oven, particularly near the back. Some older ovens can be off as much as 75 degrees F. Be conservative!

Well, there you have it. If you’ve baked your brass, you’re probably OK. If you got it hotter than 450° F then there can start to be some changes to the metal.

This TECH TIP brought to you by Area 419
Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.com

Want to learn more about Alpha Munitions? Visit AlphaMunitions.com.

Permalink Reloading, Tech Tip No Comments »
May 20th, 2019

Bargain-Finder 191: AccurateShooter’s Deals of the Week

Accurateshooter Bargain Finder Deals of Week

At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.

1. Weatherby Rifles — Save up to $200

Weatherby Rifle Rebate

Weatherby rifles and attention to detail go hand in hand but it’s always at a cost but that’s about to change. For a limited time you can pick up a Weatherby rifle and save $100 or $200 with factory rebate. It’s as simple as heading to your favorite Weatherby dealer, purchase an approved rifle, complete the Weatherby rebate form and mail it in. With 25 models to choose from there’s no better time to pick one up. Some qualify for $100 rebate; other models have a $200 rebate.

2. EuroOptic — MASSIVE Nightforce Scope Sale, May 23-28

amazon rifle bipod

We’ve seen Nightforce scopes on sale before but never this many for this cheap. Head over to EuroOptic.com and check out what is easily the best Nightforce Optics sale we’ve seen in a long time. You can pick out any of the new NXS scopes for an amazingly low 20% off. Deals like this don’t come often on Nightforce and especially the newest models so if you’re in the market don’t hesitate to jump on this deal. NOTE: The 20% OFF discounted prices will not appear on the website until May 23, 2019!

3. Graf’s — Buy 8-lb keg of select powder, get FREE 1-pounder

hodgdon IMR powder sale

This is one of the best Powder Promos of the year. Right now at Graf & Sons, if you buy an 8-lb keg of select Hodgdon or IMR powders, you get a FREE one-pound or 14-ounce container of the same powder. This deal works with fourteen (14) popular Hodgdon and IMR powders. So if you’re running low and need to stock up on your favorite powders, here’s your chance to cash in on some savings. That free one-pounder can be worth up to $32.00. CLICK HERE for POWDER DEAL.

4. Grizzly Bald Eagle — Great rifle Case and Range Bag Sale

Deals of the week Grizzly rifle case gun bag utility case blowout closeout sale

Grab one of these Bald Eagle rifle cases or range bags at up to 50% off. These are way better than typical too-skinny rifle cases or flimsy fabric bags. The rifle cases have plenty of storage for your match needs and the padding is very good. The box-style range bags have thick closed-cell foam panels in the base, top, and sides. That gives these bags good “wall strength”, so they don’t collapse like typical range bags. These are more like a quality camera-case.

5. Amazon — Portable Tipton Cleaning Cradle, $19.97

Tipton compact vise Amazon deal sale collapsible rifle cradle

Tipton compact vise Amazon deal sale collapsible rifle cradleHere’s a very handy gun cradle that helps you clean and maintain your rifles while at the range. The Compact Range Vise folds and collapses to 11-1/4″, so it is easily transported. Two padded “V” brackets hold the rifle while protecting the finish during cleaning/maintenance operations. Made from solvent-resistant polymer, the Compact Range Vise is durable and should last for years. Note this is not suited for wide-forearm benchrest or F-Open rigs, but for typical hunting and varmint rifles it works well. This is really a great option for travel because it is so light and compact when folded.

Tipton compact vise Amazon deal sale collapsible rifle cradle

6. Amazon — CVLIFE 6-9″ Adjustable Bipod with Adapter, $18.99

amazon rifle bipod

Do you have multiple rifles that are all sharing one bipod and you’re tired of switching it back and forth? Grab a couple of these CVLIFE 6-9″ Tactical Rifle Bipods for the crazy low price of $18.99 and outfit all your rifles properly. At that price you can even give some bipods to your buddies as gifts. Though inexpensive, this CVLIFE bipod has earned a 4.5 Star rating with more than 3,800 buyer reviews.

7. Graf’s — Hornady Ammo with FREE Vest, Targets, Ammo Can

hornady ammo sale

With this promotion, when you buy Hornady ammo from Grafs.com, you get free stuff — lots of free gear. Here’s how it works — first purchase $100 or more of select Hornady tactical ammo. Then when you view your shopping cart you’ll automatically see a FREE Tactical Vest, FREE ammo can, and FREE targets. You even get FREE shipping. This deal applies to 44 varieties of Hornady ammunition.

8. Creedmoor Sports — Barrelcool Mini Brass Drying Tray, $40.95

barrelcool brass dryer

If you wet-tumble or ultrasonically clean your brass you’re always left with wet brass that needs to be dried before you can reload. People use a variety of processes to dry their brass, but most take a lot of time, or use a lot of space. The people over at Barrelcool have come up with a brass dryer that’s compact and effective. This brass drying tray holds 50 pieces of brass and runs off a simple USB plug. It delivers high air flow in a small footprint. With most people struggling for bench space that’s a win-win for most reloaders.

9. Bullet Central — 10% off cleaning supplies and accessories

10% sale cleaning supplies

You can’t shoot without having to clean your guns, and nobody likes paying too much for cleaning supplies. Now you can save on gun cleaning products with the Bullet Central’s Spring Cleaning Sale. Save 10% off all cleaning supplies and accessories. Simply spend $30 or more, enter Code SPRINGCLEAN19 during check-out and you’ll save 10% on all your cleaning supplies.

Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Hot Deals, Optics, Reloading, Tactical No Comments »
June 27th, 2018

Accidental Annealing — Did Your Wife Kill Your Brass?

Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.com
NOTE: If you prefer drying your brass in an oven we recommend a temp setting no higher than 200° F. Better yet, use a dedicated case dryer that cannot possibly over-cook your cases.

Tech Tip by Craig Arnzen of Area419.com
As wet-tumbling brass has become more popular in recent years, guys have tried a LOT of ways to get their brass dry — towels, hair dryers, and even food dehydrators. (See Top Ten Brass Drying Methods). Another common method — albeit with some potential issues — is putting your wet brass in the oven to dry. Provided you monitor TEMP and TIME, this method is fast, effective, and easy (as long don’t use the wife’s favorite cooking pans — that’ll get you in trouble.)

With oven-drying, however, unexpected issues can arise, as illustrated by this worrisome story: “I put my brass in for an hour at 200° F and turned it off. Next thing I know I realize my wife has the oven pre-heating to 350° F. Is my brass ruined?”

Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.comIf you search the AccurateShooter.com Shooters’ Forum, you’ll find at least three threads with stories like that (i.e. higher-than-expected oven temps when drying brass), and answers on both sides of the line. I know this, because it happened to me — I had some 6XC brass drying and the wife pre-heated the oven. Concerned about my cases, I consulted a genuine annealing expert, Andrew Rixon.

Andrew is the Director of Engineering and Manufacturing at Alpha Munitions, makers of premium-grade rifle brass. I had baked a batch of Alpha’s new 6XC brass, which is exceptionally consistent and well-made.

Before Andrew would answer my question though, he gave me a little lesson on what really happens during annealing:

“Annealing is performed by heating the brass to specific temperatures. There are three phases of annealing: recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth. All of which have specific temperatures and or exposure times related to them. It is key for cartridge brass annealing processes to hit the recrystallization phase which allows for strain-free grains to grow. The growth of strain-free grains eliminate dislocations, drastically decreasing hardness and increasing ductility. For recrystallization to occur the material temperature must be within 600-1000 degrees Fahrenheit (F).”

Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.com

He then got into really answering the question, and was (fortunately) definitive in his answer: “If the temps do not exceed 450 degrees F then there is nothing to worry about as it did not exceed the critical temperature for annealing to occur.” Editor: Caution — do NOT assume that the temperature marked on the oven knob is the actual temperature INSIDE the oven, particularly near the back. Some older ovens can be off as much as 75 degrees F. Be conservative!

Well, there you have it. If you’ve baked your brass, you’re probably OK. If you got it hotter than 450° F then there can start to be some changes to the metal, but we will let you learn more about that directly from Andrew, who is working on a lengthy, detailed article on the science of annealing, to be released later this summer.

This TECH TIP brought to you by Area 419
Oven anneal annealing Alpha Munitions Craig Arnzen Area419.com

Want to learn more about Alpha Munitions? Visit AlphaMunitions.com.

Permalink - Articles, Reloading, Tech Tip 3 Comments »