Lee Loader

Annealing .
Do you ?
What's in it for you ?
Your means ?

I do and probably go too far .

I shoot several out of print , cult , stupid expensive , hard to get cartridges , and a couple that get way over worked .

6.5 Japanese isn't really expensive and hasn't been hard to find but the example I load for moves the neck nearly .1 each cycle in standard dies . Hard on brass is an under statement .

45 Colts isn't hard to get either but I have some with 40 cycles on it that started smoking cases at 25 . Fixed that .

264 WM ...... In good times correct HS brass is $60/50 . Of course if you have 500 pieces of 1x when the barrel is done you'll have 493 pieces of 5x so there may not be any point other than neck tension consistency . But I only have 150 pieces .

Ultimately I think I get better brass life . Not a big deal if you shoot dime a dozen free pick up cartridges but it can be if cases alone are $2 ea and you can get 10 cycles instead of 3 out of them .

I just use a propane torch spin and count method from 308 length up I stand up the Colts cases in a little more water than covers the rim groove .
I want an annealer but just can't convince me to spend the money .

I do.
I have an Annealeze so far it's done everything I ask.
Bought mostly for case life, particularly the big straight ones but like you said I think, but can't prove it aids in consistent neck tension. The 6.5 Creedmoor get done every firing same with the 6.5/06 and those get it before conversion. In the end it's what makes you comfortable when you squeeze the trigger.

Make smoke,

I do not anneal any of my brass at this time. Way back a couple of years ago when all reloading supplies were cheep and plentiful I stocked up on once fired brass. I have one 10 foot wall in my barn stacked full of boxes of brass of my most used calibers. In all the other calibers that I do shoot, but not in high volume, I have a few hundred for each.
All that said, I have been looking at annealers for the last month, but still don't see the need yet.