Annealing Made Perfect Induction Annealing Machine

[bruce moulds]

a few notes on the original post.
neck sizing only will not increase case life as far as split necks are concerned.
it will help to minimize case head seperations.
the same applies to partial neck sizing.
partial full length sizing will not help with split necks any more than neck sizing.
partial full length sizing will slightly reduce the odds of a case separation, or at least cause it to happen a few shots later.
partial full length sizing bottleneck cases WILL push the shoulder forward, causing tight headspace and difficulty closing the bolt
a no no for any hunting rifle.
annealing necks properly will all but eliminate split necks, but will not help in any way with case separations when correctly full length sizing, where part of the aim is to set the shoulder back to where headspace is zero to a 1 or 2 thou gap.
the best way to deal with separations is a min fls die made for your chamber by such as whiddens.
this will work brass to an absolute minimum while still giving good fit and mechanical reliability.
another help sizing necks is to only size them enough to give correct tension with a bushing.
also when you use an expander, if they are sized the necessary amount only, they will not be stretched any more than necessary.
custom chambers using a saami min spec reamer will not allow cases to expand any more than necessary, reducing brass movement in stretching.
put all this into a package with a good method of annealing and you will get the most case life possible.
for dangerous game, use new brass.
some skilled people can polish factory dies to correct dimension of both body and neck.
bruce.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

a few notes on the original post.
neck sizing only will not increase case life as far as split necks are concerned.
it will help to minimize case head seperations.
the same applies to partial neck sizing.
partial full length sizing will not help with split necks any more than neck sizing.
partial full length sizing will slightly reduce the odds of a case separation, or at least cause it to happen a few shots later.
partial full length sizing bottleneck cases WILL push the shoulder forward, causing tight headspace and difficulty closing the bolt
a no no for any hunting rifle.
annealing necks properly will all but eliminate split necks, but will not help in any way with case separations when correctly full length sizing, where part of the aim is to set the shoulder back to where headspace is zero to a 1 or 2 thou gap.
the best way to deal with separations is a min fls die made for your chamber by such as whiddens.
this will work brass to an absolute minimum while still giving good fit and mechanical reliability.
another help sizing necks is to only size them enough to give correct tension with a bushing.
also when you use an expander, if they are sized the necessary amount only, they will not be stretched any more than necessary.
custom chambers using a saami min spec reamer will not allow cases to expand any more than necessary, reducing brass movement in stretching.
put all this into a package with a good method of annealing and you will get the most case life possible.
for dangerous game, use new brass.
some skilled people can polish factory dies to correct dimension of both body and neck.
bruce.

@bruce moulds
I just looked at the price of one of those fancy machines for sale in Australia.
Sit down, get a strong drink and prepare $2,075 Australian.
Well beyond this black ducks budget.
Bob

 

[Inline6]

it's all in what you want and looking for. For what I do it is worth the price of admission. I like shooting long range and this unit gives me confidence my ammo is made to the best of my ability. Now is it required to shoot little groups up close or out far? No, many have done it with nothing done at all. It's a confidence thing for me and I have the groups and the SDs to back it up. My powder scale is also part of my process. It really depends on your end goals.

I'm methodical in my reloading, maybe obsessive is a better word.

 

[gbflyer]

I have been a socket in a cordless drill with propane torch in a dimly lit room annealer. Serves me well. I’d like an annealing gadget though. Cost and availability of good brass makes it a much more palatable discussion today.

 

[JimP]

There are all kinds of them out there if you want to put down some cash. But if you are a DIY'er like I am there are also some that don't cost much more than your time and a few bucks.

Here is one that I have been pondering on making:

And here is another one that is a little bit evolved but still simple:

Here are some instructions to one similar to the second video.

DIY CASE ANNEALER

docs.google.com

 

[bruce moulds]

if you are looking for the ultimate in accuracy, some way of being absolutely consistent is necessary, and this is where the machines are useful, both flame and induction.
if you just want to extend case life, the socket in the drill is adequate.
however you do it, make sure you understand both what is right and what is wrong.
bruce.

 

[fourfive8]

I mostly do it to extend case life. I know an extremely meticulous competition shooter who invested in one of the high end annealing machines several years ago hoping to gain that tiny, ever elusive itty bitty edge. Nope, zip, zero, nada difference in his scores.

I just use one of two primitive methods. Either turn in drill with hole saw of proper length for cartridge with teeth removed or whittled bamboo skewer stuck in primer flash hole and turned by hand. Long time ago learned to do it in a darkened shop over a small torch flame with can of water quench. All depends on color and dwell time in heat. It works for intended propose and has caused no problems.

 

[Inline6]

I mostly do it to extend case life. I know an extremely meticulous competition shooter who invested in one of the high end annealing machines several years ago hoping to gain that tiny, ever elusive itty bitty edge. Nope, zip, zero, nada difference in his scores.

I just use one of two primitive methods. Either turn in drill with hole saw of proper length for cartridge with teeth removed or whittled bamboo skewer stuck in primer flash hole and turned by hand. Long time ago learned to do it in a darkened shop over a small torch flame with can of water quench. All depends on color and dwell time in heat. It works for intended propose and has caused no problems.

It will not shrink your groups, it is about consistency in your ammo. Lower SD/ES, neck tension is more important than powder charge. Yet I still know every round I make is .02 grs from one another.

Shooting is a funny sport, some people can really shoot and some people think they can really shoot. I fall into the somedays I can really shoot and somedays I'm off. I can generally tell when I'm off.

 

[Hunter4752001]

During last year's lockdown I built my own DIY case annealing machine. Surprisingly it works quite well. Design credit goes to "Skip" and numerous other builders who have added their own variations over the years. Thank you to them.

I put together some construction notes for those who are interested in building their own machine. See attached. The machines are easily built and don't require elaborate fabrication skills. Most parts can be sourced from whatever you have hanging around together with some basic hardware and a few bits off the internet. Nothing expensive.

 

[bruce moulds]

lower s.d./e.s, reduces vertical at longer ranges.
bruce.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Our lab has a little electric muffle, I am thinking of dialing up the temp, putting a number of cases in there, soak and quench. Please can someone tell me what is the correct temp and soak time?

 

[bruce moulds]

kevin,
not sure what you mean by soak.
the necks need to come up to 700 to 750 degrees f.
the bases must bot get above 400 degrees f, or they will get too soft.
quenching is irrelavent to this process.
it is that simple.
bruce.

 

[Inline6]

lower s.d./e.s, reduces vertical at longer ranges.
bruce.

In that regard 100%, he did not state what discipline he friend shot. If it is 100 yard-300 bench rest match I don't expect to see a difference in score especially if he is at the top of his game meaning he can shoot to the equipment's ability.

This is definitely not a piece of gear that will make you go from 1/2 moa to 1/4 moa. Like you have touched on this is mainly to get the most out of your brass. It will also give you the confidence in knowing the annealing is done as perfect as possible.

 

[Hunter4752001]

Our lab has a little electric muffle, I am thinking of dialing up the temp, putting a number of cases in there, soak and quench. Please can someone tell me what is the correct temp and soak time?

DO NOT PUT THE CASES INTO A MUFFLE.

The case head and body must not be heated. Changing the hardness and brass grain structure in the case head can result in catastrophic failure. Only the neck and shoulder should be annealed.

 

[Hunter4752001]

I thought I should add, Bruce is quite correct when he said 700 to 760 degrees F. However this is applied for short duration only. Brass will anneal at lower temperatures if allowed to soak. Most cartridge case annealing methods will have a system for controlling how long the case neck is heated (normal a few seconds only). Otherwise the heat will travel down the body of the case and soften things you don't want softened.

 

[bruce moulds]

if people only take notice of 1 post in this thread, make it this one.
safety is the first concern with both ammunition and firearms.
bruce.

DO NOT PUT THE CASES INTO A MUFFLE.

The case head and body must not be heated. Changing the hardness and brass grain structure in the case head can result in catastrophic failure. Only the neck and shoulder should be annealed.

 

[krish]

Glad I found this thread. I just ordered the Amp annealing machine. Learnt a lot from the posts.
I will update when I get the machine. Primarily I am getting it for 550gibbs, 500 jeffery. 416 and 450 rigby and weatherby cartriges.
Krish

 

[Tanks]

Really happy with mine.

 

[ChrisG]

This is a ZVS Flyback resonant circuit. It, a 1000W Dc power supply and a timer with relay will do the same job. drop in a case, whack the button on the preset timer, when the timer ends, relay opens, circuit shuts off, next case... Man, I should have invented that thing and made $1,000 on each one.

 

[Tanks]

One thing AMP unit does is to analyze a sample brass case and then anneal according to the metallurgic structure of that particular case. Does that matter? I don't know.