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Old 06-05-2022, 12:37 AM
TinMan TinMan is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2006
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Cartidge Brass cannot be hardened by quenching in water. When I anneal, I just let it air cool. Work hardening brass will make it more brittle, and can result in cracking. Embrittlement in brass can be caused by ammonia compounds, like some polishes. Back in WWI, season cracking in brass was caused by storing ammo in the stables, where it the mules and horses peed on it.

About twn years ago, I have seen new brass cases that were still pretty hard, even after factory annealing. I experienced that in new Winchester brass in 243 Win and 220 Swift. I annealed it myself and it all worked fine. Back then, Winchester had moved their ammunition plant and it must have gotten their process a bit out of spec. For what it is worth, I am a degreed metallurgist.
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