Thread: Load ladder, annealing conundrum

Decided to work up a load ladder for my 7 x 57. Then read about annealing brass, having never bothered prior. Brass been used a few times, so thought that's a plan. So, after u tubing, I used a propane gas torch to heat the neck area as evenly as I could, watched them change colour then dropped into water before they got to hot to hold. My next step was to work up a load ladder using aforesaid annealed brass.

One of the reasons I did so is because my go to load has changed from well under minute of angle to just on minute of angle. Yes I know, plenty good enough, but not what the rifles capable of. Repeated groups.

'course next thing I did was to read some informed comment on annealing on this very forum. Shit, I thought, should have done that in the first place. Especially when a venerable gentleman commented that there's a great deal of nonsense on u tube.

So my conundrum is: do I test my load ladder using my primitively annealed brass hoping that close enough is good enough. Also hoping that variable neck tensions won't affect velocity. Or do I save all components and use brand new brass, recently purchased, especially given component shortage, thereby removing any differential?

I suspect I know the answer but thought I'd ask anyway.

Cheers