Good information on annealing

I still use the socket and drill, been working for decades for me. Can't see any difference in annealing machine brass and what I do except a huge expense and more to go wrong. If you use the drill and so socket method don't drop them in water that can temper the brass, just drop them on a rag. Remember that companies like Amp are selling and while they do the job the thing might not be necessary. Kinda like drinking water from a golden cup. Annealing brass is like sharpening a knife it is a skill so it may take a little practice.
Happy shooting.

I see pockets giving out before split necks and no drop off of accuracy along the life of the brass so don't really see the purpose in annealing. A quailty sizing die set up properly is needed of course.

I also don't polish my brass either. Maybe I'm just lazy but neither of those steps seemed to give me any benefit other than if I had too much time on my hands, which is rare anyway.

I agree with Arkansasdad, keep it simple at first. I started annealing with a torch, socket and drill. I found it made a measurable difference in the consistency of my shoulder bump and neck tension. I decided that annealing was for me and that I wanted an induction annealer. I didn't want to drop the cash on an Amp so built my own. I would suggest trying the socket and flame method, as it requires very little investment. If you find it improves your loads then you have lots of options to "skin that cat" at many price points. If it isn't for you, then your not out a significant amount.

I will correct one thing. "Quenching" hot brass (dropping in water) has zero affect on it, it doesn't change the grain structure of the brass. I don't quench because I don't want to deal with wet brass, but it definitely will not temper the brass.

The only... only, reason to quench hot annealed brass is to prevent the heat from moving down to the case head via convection, where you dont want to anneal. This is a little subjective on if its needed.
Quenching however, does not affect the anneal it only stops it like an "off switch".

If you load the same case enough without annealing, you will start to lose neck tension - that is a fact.

The flame method it so time consuming I am stunned anyone does it to save money over an AMP. Annealing is a breeze with an AMP. What is your time worth??

I have two reloading rooms, and both have an AMP and an A&D scale (neither is inexpensive). Both have saved me huge amounts of time and headaches.

Has there been anyone on LRH that bought an AMP and regretted it?

LRNut said:

If you load the same case enough without annealing, you will start to lose neck tension - that is a fact.

The flame method it so time consuming I am stunned anyone does it to save money over an AMP. Annealing is a breeze with an AMP. What is your time worth??

I have two reloading rooms, and both have an AMP and an A&D scale (neither is inexpensive). Both have saved me huge amounts of time and headaches.

Has there been anyone on LRH that bought an AMP and regretted it?

Click to expand...

Apparently there has been ...sorry, couldn't resist.

VenatusDominus said:

View attachment 596400
Apparently there has been ...sorry, couldn't resist.

Click to expand...

Im going to guess the story behind that was an expensive lesson in group size reduction...

LRNut said:

Has there been anyone on LRH that bought an AMP and regretted it?

Click to expand...

Not me, but I doubt I would have regretted a Benchsource either. There are cost effective and high quality options available for multiple methods.

Arkansasdad said:

I still use the socket and drill, been working for decades for me. Can't see any difference in annealing machine brass and what I do except a huge expense and more to go wrong. If you use the drill and so socket method don't drop them in water that can temper the brass, just drop them on a rag. Remember that companies like Amp are selling and while they do the job the thing might not be necessary. Kinda like drinking water from a golden cup. Annealing brass is like sharpening a knife it is a skill so it may take a little practice.
Happy shooting.

Click to expand...

Completely untrue, brass cannot be tempered by cooling, either in water, air or any other substance. Tempering, or hardening in brass can ONLY occur by working the brass.
My brass falls into a stainless bowl, nothing else is required.

Cheers.

LRNut said:

If you load the same case enough without annealing, you will start to lose neck tension - that is a fact.

The flame method it so time consuming I am stunned anyone does it to save money over an AMP. Annealing is a breeze with an AMP. What is your time worth??

I have two reloading rooms, and both have an AMP and an A&D scale (neither is inexpensive). Both have saved me huge amounts of time and headaches.

Has there been anyone on LRH that bought an AMP and regretted it?

Click to expand...

My time starts with pushing the buttons for the timers and igniting both flames….Still have to load brass though, but I don't have to stand there putting each piece into the machine, it does so itself.
Can't say that for an AMP…

Cheers.

MagnumManiac said:

VenatusDominus said:

View attachment 596400
Apparently there has been ...sorry, couldn't resist.

Click to expand...

My time starts with pushing the buttons for the timers and igniting both flames….Still have to load brass though, but I don't have to stand there putting each piece into the machine, it does so itself.
Can't say that for an AMP…

Cheers.

Click to expand...

VenatusDominus said:

View attachment 596400
Apparently there has been ...sorry, couldn't resist.

Click to expand...

He sold it because he didn't use it - I am talking about someone who bought one and regretted it because of performance issues. But even if he wished he hadn't bought it, I sure don't see many complaints other than price.

LRNut said:

He sold it because he didn't use it - I am talking about someone who bought one and regretted it because of performance issues. But even if he wished he hadn't bought it, I sure don't see many complaints other than price.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that post was with tongue-in-cheek. AMP machines are awesome and yes the biggest complaint I have heard is cost. Some users also complain about having to manually insert and remove each case instead of being able to load a batch of brass and walk away from it. Yes, I know they make the AMP Mate for batch processing but I don't know anyone that has one.

Not everyone can afford or justify the cost of an AMP machine. Fortunately there are many options at many price points to get the same results. Eric Cortina flame annealed, with consistent results, for a long time before switching to an AMP machine. I can easily afford one, I just don't shoot enough to justify the expense, and quite frankly, would rather spend money on other things, especially since I was able to build one that I feel works better than an AMP for $300. I realize not everyone has skills to build their own. Isn't it great to have options.

LRNut said:

He sold it because he didn't use it - I am talking about someone who bought one and regretted it because of performance issues. But even if he wished he hadn't bought it, I sure don't see many complaints other than price.

Click to expand...

The AMP is awesome. It is easy to use and extremely quick. As other posters have mentioned, one can crank out 100 pieces of brass and less than 20 minutes.

I would gladly let any friend come to my house and use my machine for their brass. It may be a little like a boat. You don't need to own one, just have a friend who owns one.
T

topcat265 said:

The AMP is awesome. It is easy to use and extremely quick. As other posters have mentioned, one can crank out 100 pieces of brass and less than 20 minutes.

I would gladly let any friend come to my house and use my machine for their brass. It may be a little like a boat. You don't need to own one, just have a friend who owns one.
T

Click to expand...

I'm sure the AMP machine is a very nice machine and produces excellent results. For the price, it better.