I’m asking because I’m on the verge of getting serious about reloading precision .308, and it sounds like I’ll need to anneal my brass.
Realistically, I’m probably looking at doing several hundred (or a couple thousand) pieces of brass per year, because if it’s easy to do, then I’ll also anneal 10mm mag (which likes to split cases), .223, and .30 carbine.
A buddy just got the AMP. I’m 100% dedicated to hand annealing. I’ve not found hand annealing to be lacking enough to spend money on a machine. Hand annealing isn’t totally perfect and exactly consistent, but it’s WAY better than no annealing.
For me, there’s just no room for another machine/device even if given one for free. I’d have to have a dedicated spot for it, and I just don’t.
I’m not anti-machine for the process, but it just wouldn’t be for me.
Since you state the amp is out, my second option would have been the Giraud. My Giraud trimmer is still the one piece of reloading equipment I wouldn’t give up. He makes good stuff and I’m sure you’ll be happy with it.
Annealing by hand works well but when someone offered me an Annie for a sweet price, I jumped on it. I’m pretty sure mine is a v1.5 and the thing I like best is no open flame. It’s also really fast. 308 brass is around 1.8 seconds per case and 223 is around 1.5 each.
Wouldn’t that brass need to fall into a bowl of something to quench it? Even water? I remember watching folks place their brass neck up in water and heat it to the scientific temperature of “that looks about right” and then tip it over in the water to quench it.
Exactly. Getting the brass wet is just another ass ache to deal with because the pockets and interior take forever to dry out. In fact, I took Orkan’s (former member here) advice and use the annealing to dry my brass after SS media tumble.
I set my brass neck up on a rawhide mat to cool. They’re ready to size in about 5-10 minutes.
You are correct. Been a few years since metallurgy class. Quenching steel is part of heat treating and hardening, annealing is tempering it. My disc skipped on that one.
I use both. Wet is a pain, but it works way better for carbon and dirt/mud on/in the cases. But I jump back into walnut for case lube removal. Some guys use wet for both, and don’t have a dry tumbler.
Yeah. I was dry tumbling for an hour after wet just to dry the stuff. Now I go straight to the torch. Then when the necks are not too hot, I tip the brass on the side so the remaining water in the primer pocket airs out.
While I have you guys here… What’s your temperature goal for annealing?
I’ve read on the errornet that ≈700-750°F is ideal, but AMP seems to say here that they’re getting necks to 1,000+°F, at least for a moment. See halfway down this page, or the attached table:
If I’m understanding the process correctly, the danger isn’t overheating the neck as much as making sure that the body and head do NOT get hot (≈450°F) at all:
Yeah, I saw Cortina’s video. I’m unsure, but elsewhere on the errornet people say that if the flame goes orange, then the zinc or tin is cooking out of the brass (and that’s bad).
I guess I’ll get some 750°F Tempilaq and play with that…
