Balistix Pro Annealer (GAS)

Introducing the all new exciting and affordable Balistix Pro Annealer

What is brass case annealing?

The word “anneal” means “soften”. In the context of cartridge reloading, it means a case with a neck that, due to repeated use, has become hard and brittle.  This case will be prone to failure i.e. “neck or shoulder splitting”.  Annealing will make the case neck and shoulder area malleable /soft again.  This will allow for the case to be reloaded a number of additional times and therefore save some money.

Annealing therefore is the heat treatment of the neck and shoulder area of a brass cartridge by heating the brass to a specific temperature at which the molecular structure of the brass will be restored to its design state.

Why Anneal?

Apart from accuracy enhancements one major reason to anneal your brass is to extend its useful life, so you can reload it more times. One of the first signs that it’s time to anneal is splitting at the case mouth, or cracks in the neck or shoulders of your brass. Another thing to look out for is if suddenly it takes more reloading press force to seat the bullet into the case.  Once symptoms like these appear, many shooters think the brass is no longer usable and discard them.  Annealing of case brass will extend the useful life of these cases.

Another reason to anneal brass cases is if you are reforming cases i.e. making “wildcat” cases or “necking up” or “necking down” cases.  This area of the worked brass needs to be annealed so that when it is fireformed, it will seal the chamber and properly form out to the new configuration.

The key to proper annealing is to avoid overheating of the cases. When you use a flame to heat the neck and shoulder, make sure that you do not bring the brass to a glowing red or cherry colour. If the brass reaches a glowing red or cherry colour, you have most likely overheated the case, and it will be unsafe to fire, even if you quickly quench it with water. The over annealed case must be discarded!  Instead invest in a temperature indicator liquid or stick and apply this product as per instructions on the brass case to be annealed, and let a visual colour change of the temperature indicator be the determining factor for the proper annealing temperature.

In closure, brass case annealing will result in softer brass material that will seal better in the chamber during firing.  The brass case necks will not crack or split due to the “work hardening” of the brass material during repeated resizing operations.  Annealing will also promote more accurate ammunition due to consistent neck tension that will normalise the bullet pulling / releasing forces.

Why the Balistix Pro Annealer?

The Balistix Pro Annealer was developed to address a few common issues, concerns and limitations that most reloaders have experienced with other similar products on the market, namely:

1. Made in South Africa.
2. Affordable.
3. No compromise on built quality or appearance.
4. Solid & durable all steel industrial drive mechanism.
5. Ease of use and setup.
6. Very compact – ease of storage.
7. Soft operation – no annoying noise.
8. Convenient case hopper loading.
9. Easy height adjustment to accommodate multiple flame sources with varying heights.
10. Hopper angular adjustment to allow for longer cases not to fall out.
11. Annealer support brass case designs with case diameter up to ~14 mm cartridges (i.e. 308 Win to 375 H&H – typical)
12. Optional spinner wheels for larger diameter cartridges are available separately.
13. Local factory support and spare parts available.
14. Durable wooden storage box that bears the Balistix name with pride.

NOTE:

• The Balistix Pro Annealer comes standard with “spinner wheels” supporting up to ~14mm case diameter brass (these wheels support most standard cases, i.e. 308 Win to 375 H&H – typical)
• A larger and wider top “spinner wheel” for cases up to ~15.5mm diameter can be purchased separately. (this wheel will typically Support the 338 Lapua and Weatherby family of cases)
• A smaller top “spinner wheel” for .223 Rem sized cases is also available separately.