ASSRA Forum › General › Gunsmithing Single Shot Rifles › Annealing a die
(Moderator Group: Moderator)
‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 Send TopicPrint
Normal Topic Annealing a die (Read 207 times)
rifleman
Senior Forum Member
****
Offline



Posts: 330
Joined: Aug 4th, 2015
Annealing a die
Oct 21st, 2025 at 10:57am
Print Post  
What temp and time would it take to anneal a modern die so I could machine the inside? 

I have an issue with a rifle and the easiest answer is to take a scrap die and machine it out to a specific diameter so I can squeeze out a slight bulge 1/2 above the rim. Right now a fireformed case will only rechamber in the exact indexed position it was fired. 

Because of bore size, I cant have anywhere near mouth of cartridge touched after firing. Which makes a regular FL die a no go.

So my plan is to anneal a scrap die, bore or ream it to the size I need, so the case passes through until I squeeze the small bulge back round. 

L
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
steel-pounder
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 182
Joined: Mar 26th, 2016
Re: Annealing a die
Reply #1 - Oct 21st, 2025 at 11:03am
Print Post  
1250 for 2 hours will get you as soft as butter on a regular die. but not a carbide die.   

sounds like you have a problem with your chamber though
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
ssdave
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 2000
Location: Eastern Oregon
Joined: Apr 16th, 2004
Re: Annealing a die
Reply #2 - Oct 21st, 2025 at 11:10am
Print Post  
I ream out dies all the time to convert them to another caliber.  No annealing necessary, but I use carbide reamer.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
KFW
Oldtimer
*****
Offline



Posts: 595
Location: Wyoming
Joined: Dec 18th, 2016
Re: Annealing a die
Reply #3 - Oct 21st, 2025 at 12:27pm
Print Post  
I buy orphaned dies at gun shows for my projects. Hang on a wire, heat bright red and let air cool, easy to machine.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
rifleman
Senior Forum Member
****
Offline



Posts: 330
Joined: Aug 4th, 2015
Re: Annealing a die
Reply #4 - Oct 21st, 2025 at 2:08pm
Print Post  
Ok I found an RCBS 44 Mag cutoff die. Its within a just a couple thousandths so I heated it red and its cooling now. After counter boring the top I should be able to polish the bottom ring to where I need. Thanks everyone.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
gnoahhh
Oldtimer
*****
Offline



Posts: 982
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Joined: Mar 31st, 2010
Re: Annealing a die
Reply #5 - Oct 21st, 2025 at 8:00pm
Print Post  
Conversely a piece of 7/8-14 all-thread - bored, reamed, polished will suffice too. No need for fancy hardened dies if squeezing but a handful of brass (or push-through cast bullet sizing either for that matter). One of our comrades here does it with simple aluminum all-thread but I draw the line at that - but he does have a valid point!
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send TopicPrint
‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›
 
  « Board Index ‹ Board Top  

ASSRA Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.6.12!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2025. All Rights Reserved.

Valid RSS Valid XHTML Valid CSS Powered by Perl Source Forge

Page completed in 0.3898 seconds.