I Broke Down And Bought An Annealing Machine

[arrowshooter]

Disclaimer: I also didn't/don't see the see benefits of annealing, but I bought it anyway.

I have been tossing the annealing idea around for a few years now, but could never get past the "do I really need it" question. Well last week I was looking at all of the options for machines again when I came across this model made by Mike's Reloading Bench and I twitched a little (I put a link to his machine below). It has everything I was looking for which is all metal, no changing wheels to change calibers, a hopper and no fancy gauges. The case release flapper was originally operated by apposing magnets, but they took too much abuse from the torch heat and he switched to a cam drive. It is more expensive then the Annealeez, or the small turn table model made by AGS Custom Parts, but the operation and quality are much worth it to me. Also, it showed up today in a very heavy duty box with the machine suspended in poly foam like computers.

My goal with annealing is extending brass life on range fodder like .223, 300 BLK , 6.8 spc. and 30-30, and then experiment with my "rat" loads for the the .223 and .222 just to see what changes if anything. I won't mess with the 30.06 and 8mm since what I have worked up now are in 1x or 2x shot cases and all shoot 1/2"ish groups. With four rifles it took me awhile to get there and I don't want to bubblegum with it LOL. I look forward to the curve.

Mike's Reloading Bench-Home

Does not come with the torch

Read More

 

[Certaindeaf]

Disclaimer: I also didn't/don't see the see benefits of annealing, but I bought it anyway.

I have been tossing the annealing idea around for a few years now, but could never get past the "do I really need it" question. Well last week I was looking at all of the options for machines again when I came across this model made by Mike's Reloading Bench and I twitched a little (I put a link to his machine below). It has everything I was looking for which is all metal, no changing wheels to change calibers, a hopper and no fancy gauges. The case release flapper was originally operated by apposing magnets, but they took too much abuse from the torch heat and he switched to a cam drive. It is more expensive then the Annealeez, or the small turn table model made by AGS Custom Parts, but the operation and quality are much worth it to me. Also, it showed up today in a very heavy duty box with the machine suspended in poly foam like computers.

My goal with annealing is extending brass life on range fodder like .223, 300 BLK , 6.8 spc. and 30-30, and then experiment with my "rat" loads for the the .223 and .222 just to see what changes if anything. I won't mess with the 30.06 and 8mm since what I have worked up now are in 1x or 2x shot cases and all shoot 1/2"ish groups. With four rifles it took me awhile to get there and I don't want to bubblegum with it LOL. I look forward to the curve.

Mike's Reloading Bench-Home

Does not come with the torch
View attachment 1126511

I'd do the 06 and 8mm too. Factory loads are all annealed, no sense letting those get farther and farther away from a known and they ultimately fail/separate because you didn't.

 

[arrowshooter]

I'd do the 06 and 8mm too. Factory loads are all annealed, no sense letting those get farther and farther away from a known and they ultimately fail/separate because you didn't.

I hear ya and I will probably change my tune when the 2x becomes 3x, but I don't shoot them all that often so it will be awhile to get there.

 

[VanceInWA]

Having taken an interest in annealing of late, thought I'd share this list of gas annealing machines I've been compiling in case any NWFA members find it helpful. List price (before shipping/taxes) and web link included. There certainly are a bunch to choose from. No doubt this is not an exhaustive list (for example Balistix Pro, but appears that is a New Zealand exclusive), though hopefully covers most of the main ones available. BTW, that Burstfire one looks pretty interesting since it additionally incorporates case prep atop the unit.

AGS Annealer: $249.99

AGS Brass Annealer - AGS Custom Parts

AGS Custom Parts - AGS Brass Annealer

agscustomparts.com

Anneal Rite: Around $150 (different configurations)

Brass Annealing Machine | Anneal-Rite Brass Annealer | Help

Anneal-Rite brass annealing machine guarantees perfect brass case neck annealing on every case. Email [email protected] Now! We wait.

cartridgeanneal.com

Annealeaz: $275.00

Annealeez – For a Hot Piece of Brass!

annealeez.com

Bench Source: $619.99

New Case Neck Annealing Machine

Burstfire 2 In 1 Annealer and Case Prep Center: $275.00

NEW GEN 2 - Burstfire 2 in 1 Case Annealer & Case Prep Center

***IMPORTANT UPDATES*** As of 05/16/2022, we are SOLD OUT of our GEN 1 machines, as we transitioning our production to GEN 2 Machines! We may have small batches of gen 2 available here and there, but full availability will be early to mid July. GEN 2 Available for Pre-Order NOW. Pre-order...

burstfireguns.com

EP Annealer: $268.00

EP 2.0 BRASS ANNEALER (patent pending) | EP INTEGRATIONS

*(READ ALL NOTES BELOW PRIOR TO PLACING ORDER)* :(patent pending) *$268 SHIPPED FREE LOWER 48 STATES! Now shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, & Canada with rates caluclated at checkout through USPS. Canadian customers are responsible for all import duties above & beyond shipping rates! We usually...

www.epintegrations.com

Giraud Case Annealer: $565.00

Giraud Cartridge Case Annealer

Giraud Cartridge Case Annealer The power to drive the annealer comes from a variable speed DC gear motor controlled by a microprocessor based pulse width modulated motor control unit The annealer is...

www.giraudtool.com

Kase AnnealR: $320.50

Home

Australian Made Rifle case Annealing machine. Automatic design covering cases from 17 Hornet to 50BMG

www.kaseannealr.com.au

MRB Annealer: $449.95

Mikesreloadingbench.com

www.mikesreloadingbench.com

Sage Annealing Machine: $300.00

Sage Annealing Machine

Sassy Brass Annealing System: $495.00

Rifle Case Annealing System | SASSYBrass

Anneal your cases with SASSYBrass, the Rifle Case Annealing System.

www.sassybrass.com

Derraco Ugly Annealer: $300.00

Derraco Engineering, the maker of Ugly annealers – Affordable Inovative products for shooters

Vulcan Annealer: $680.19 (for 308 Winchester and similar)

Vulcan Annealer – Frustration free cartridge case annealing

www.vulcan-annealer.com

 

[Caveman Jim]

I came >>>•<<< this close to ordering one but decided not to. I think I have a buddy that has one who just might trade his services for a couple of fishing trips for his family this summer.

 

[thorborg]

Good for you, Annealing not only extends case life, but ads credibility towards achieving (as close as possible) close clones by helping to achieve consistent neck tension, not to mention assisting in resizing effort..
Have faith though, The benefits even unseen are there, actually seeing, annealing benefits, are figuratively and literally case by case, depending on caliber, powder load, resizing operation how many time you actually reload it amongst others. If just interested in case life, I've had some not needing annealing until the twelfth loading while others three is iffy.. If some calibers aren't shot much, many reloaders may never load them more than three or four times so may never need it depending on why you are doing it.. I don't use one, having much experience with such things albeit I would have considered one were the voluum many times increased as a time saver, but a machine is best for most not experienced and deft in the torch. Not to say most couldn't learn but when frequency of use is low, experience needed come's slowly, usually with much waste. Any time one is fortunate enough to take the human element out of the equations they likely will get a more reliable and consistent product.
One thing though, Like winning the lottery making your own beer, or owning a pickup, you may find more folks wanting to be your friend

 

[osprey]

I have been rocking an Annealeze for awhile now. I am not sure my rifles and abilities can show any accuracy gains but the potential longer case life with the cost and availability of brass these days tipped me over.

 

[DizzyJ]

I realized I needed one when I started working on a 1,000 RD count batch of Lake City 308 brass that had been fired out of a machine gun.

Annealing made a HUGE difference in reduced force needed to size as well as seeing the group size shrink almost in half.

 

[gmerkt]

I've done my own annealing by hand. But I'm not shooting all that much anymore so buying a machine to do it wouldn't pay off for me now. I never bothered with .223, replacing cases was easier and usually cost free.

 

[Mikej]

That video, was mesmerizing!

I've done my own annealing by hand. But I'm not shooting all that much anymore so buying a machine to do it wouldn't pay off for me now. I never bothered with .223, replacing cases was easier and usually cost free.

Would you mind telling me the basics of your process. I don't know if I'd ever use it, but if it were fairly simple to set up I could get to using it on my Garand food possibly..

 

[gmerkt]

Would you mind telling me the basics of your process.

Something like this:

What isn't explained in this vid is the importance of knowing when to remove the flame. The proximity of the flame to the work will become clear once you've done a few, nozzle on your torch, etc. Once the area of annealment starts to turn color, you watch closely and when the color is just below the shoulder, you remove the heat. The color flows from the mouth downward. Some people quench with water, some don't. Once you remove the heat (given that you haven't already overdone it), the base of the cartridge won't be damaged. Residual heat will flow into the base, but not enough to damage it. I've read that the quenching is mainly to reduce the oxidation (color) of annealment, something that I personally like to see on the case. You never allow the brass to get hot enough to glow. In the past, I hand-held the case with a nitrile glove on, rotating without benefit of a drill. Feeling the heat was another way to tell when it was "done." The color from annealment will vary with brand of case. Some color up very faintly, I think it's Federal that colors the lightest in my experience. And therefore bears closer watching while you are annealing.

 

[CLT65]

I've annealed for years too. I tried the drill method but it seemed awkward compared to just doing it by hand. I just set up the torch in low light and slowly turn the neck of the case until it looks right (lots of practice), then drop them quick into water. For cases any larger than .223, they don't get hot enough to burn my fingers. I can do a bucket of 500 in pretty short order. I may not be able to control the temperature as precisely as a professional unit but I think it's close. I have to admit, I'm a little tempted to look closer at the Annealeaz; it looks like a good unit for the money.

The thing that prompted me to start annealing every rifle case I load was when I started wet-tumbling. Maybe a year later I started having a lot of brass neck splits, only in ammo that had been wet tumbled and sat for a while. Multiple calibers and brands of brass. Maybe I was tumbling too long at the start, or using too much Lemishine, I don't know, but I do know that tumbling seemed to be embrittling case necks. So, I made some changes to my tumbling technique, but I also didn't want to go through the process again of pulling down a thousand rounds of .223 ammo because half of them are cracked. I now anneal every bottlenecked case that has been in the wet tumbler, and haven't had a problem since.

 

[Lennie]

Disclaimer: I also didn't/don't see the see benefits of annealing, but I bought it anyway.

I have been tossing the annealing idea around for a few years now, but could never get past the "do I really need it" question. Well last week I was looking at all of the options for machines again when I came across this model made by Mike's Reloading Bench and I twitched a little (I put a link to his machine below). It has everything I was looking for which is all metal, no changing wheels to change calibers, a hopper and no fancy gauges. The case release flapper was originally operated by apposing magnets, but they took too much abuse from the torch heat and he switched to a cam drive. It is more expensive then the Annealeez, or the small turn table model made by AGS Custom Parts, but the operation and quality are much worth it to me. Also, it showed up today in a very heavy duty box with the machine suspended in poly foam like computers.

My goal with annealing is extending brass life on range fodder like .223, 300 BLK , 6.8 spc. and 30-30, and then experiment with my "rat" loads for the the .223 and .222 just to see what changes if anything. I won't mess with the 30.06 and 8mm since what I have worked up now are in 1x or 2x shot cases and all shoot 1/2"ish groups. With four rifles it took me awhile to get there and I don't want to bubblegum with it LOL. I look forward to the curve.

Mike's Reloading Bench-Home

Does not come with the torch
View attachment 1126511

I purchased the same version a couple of years ago. It was money well spent. It has made a difference in group sizes and greatly improved the life of my cases.

I just couldn't justify the price of the AMP machine.

I like the way this annealer auto feeds the cases.

 

[arrowshooter]

I purchased the same version a couple of years ago. It was money well spent. It has made a difference in group sizes and greatly improved the life of my cases.

I just couldn't justify the price of the AMP machine.

I like the way this annealer auto feeds the cases.

Good to know, thanks. Can you tell me what torch you are using? I just did some trial 300blk using the recommended Benz 2317 and had to run the torch wide open to get anything close to a 5 second cook. I could run it cooler but I was pushing 11 seconds and transferring too much heat to the brass.

 

[Lennie]

Good to know, thanks. Can you tell me what torch you are using? I just did some trial 300blk using the recommended Benz 2317 and had to run the torch wide open to get anything close to a 5 second cook. I could run it cooler but I was pushing 11 seconds and transferring too much heat to the brass.

I have my burner connected via LP hose to a five gallon LP tank. You can purchase a burner and adaptors to do this.

Here is a link for a burner head. There are others out there. Using a valve adjustable head, no need of a pressure regulator on the line.

Bernzomatic Adjustable Brass Pencil Flame Torch for Propane Gas Cylinder UL2317 - The Home Depot

Designed for a variety of basic uses. This torch works well for DIY projects including small diameter soldering, as well as thawing frozen locks and pipes. The torch features a 1/2 in. W pencil flame,

www.homedepot.com

 

[Lennie]

Good to know, thanks. Can you tell me what torch you are using? I just did some trial 300blk using the recommended Benz 2317 and had to run the torch wide open to get anything close to a 5 second cook. I could run it cooler but I was pushing 11 seconds and transferring too much heat to the brass.

Are you using Tempilag for adjusting your burn time? It will help with learning how to control your settings. Brownells tends to be the best place to find it. You will need one bottle to control the lower temp and another bottle to avoid getting the brass to hot.

I no longer use Tempilag. I know from annealing experience about where I need to be at. If I have any questions, I have a Milwaukee tool to measure the temperature of the case.

 

[arrowshooter]

That's the one I have too. Does yours get any close to a white cone?

 

[arrowshooter]

Not using Tempilag, just the lights off method watching for color.

 

[Lennie]

That's the one I have too. Does yours get any close to a white cone?

I have not had an issue with getting too close to the white wheel.

 

[Lennie]

Not using Tempilag, just the lights off method watching for color.

Try to use a laser temperature reading tool.

Before my I had my annealer, I used a torch and lights off watching for color. I have felt I did not get the results I wanted using that technique.