My new AMP Annealer

[escopeta]

Have thought about the induction process and the commercially available units look very good. In the electronics industry I have used induction heating systems, so am familiar with them. For my humble needs of annealing 6 Dasher brass on occasion I had used the old method of torch and tray of water. Not very repeatable or scientific. Could not really justify the expense of the good torch systems out there or induction for my limited use.
I did build a direct conduction system using a 150 watt industrial soldering iron and controller, along with a fine wire thermocouple and Fluke DMM. I took a piece of 5/8" copper and my Dasher chamber reamer to make a case holder that was in close proximity to the neck, shoulder area and about 1/8" beyond. The thermocouple is embedded in the holder at the neck/shoulder junction. The holder is placed in the soldering iron and temperature brought up to 800F. I determined that 10sec was sufficient to accomplish the desired results for me, then pull and dump in distilled water.
I already had all of the elements laying around so no real cash outlay. Also had the lathe and chamber reamer, so only a little time involved. To buy all that I had, you would be better served to buy a commercial unit. Just using what I had collected over a long time.

 

[Nude nut]

I just ordered the AMP the wife asked why you already have an annealer I replied with well im having a midlife crisis an thought it would be cheaper than a harley.

Cheers Trev.

 

[sparky123321]

I got the Harley and a small fishing boat instead for my midlife crisis. Tried the fast cars and fast women when I was a little younger, but they were too much trouble for me.

 

[Nude nut]

I got the Harley and a small fishing boat instead for my midlife crisis. Tried the fast cars and fast women when I was a little younger, but they were too much trouble for me.

I have all the toys bud the crisis thing was all I could come up with at short notice beats sitting there with a dumb look on my face it worked but she did reply with do men have two midlife crisises and I answered I thought you knew that.
Cheers Trev.

 

[Webster]

My new AMP (Annealing Made Prefect) annealer arrived yesterday. I was impressed with it before I opened the box. The packaging was first rate. Solid and strong. The unit comes with 3 pilots of your choice depending on the cases you are going to anneal. You can order extra ones for more cases if required.

The setup and use was easy. Just follow the instruction carefully. http://www.ampannealing.com/

Choose the correct pilot to screw in the machine, put your corresponding shell holder in the brass case grip. Place a case in the shell holder and slip it in the screwed in pilot. Look your case up in the “Settings” chart being careful to note the brass brand and the neck thickness you are using. Using the + & _ buttons, set the required. Once you double check your settings you are ready to go.


Just press the start button. In about 4 seconds for my 7/270 WSM the Red light turned off and I pulled out my newly annealed case. In 9 minutes and 15 seconds I had finished 50 cases (about 11 seconds per case). As I get used to the routine I expect this time to go down.


Now the amazing thing about this is did this in my office/loading room in my house. No gas bottle, no flames, no long setup of the gas nozzles to get them just right. In my case I had to move one of my vehicles out of the garage and set up a table and re-rig the gas annealer. Not any more, just turn it on and anneal 50 or so cases when I get tired of weighing powder charges! I love it!View attachment 983756 View attachment 983758

I dont think I would put an expensive cale next to an induction annealer???

 

[normmatzen]

DMORAN hit the nail on the head!

I have been harping for some time about not heeding anecdotal evidence when you make any decision on what to buy or what load shoots better!

The AMP is the closest product for annealing we have seen that bases its operation and its marketing on lab testing with relevant tests.

My Annie, which I can afford, doesn't come close to the clinical testing I like, but it operates similar to the AMP but without power control. I can base my settings on information I have gotten from AMP and AMP users so I am happy. I can control the power to a point by changing work coils or core gap.

 

[Coolhand]

I got the Harley and a small fishing boat instead for my midlife crisis. Tried the fast cars and fast women when I was a little younger, but they were too much trouble for me.

I don't gamble, rarely drink, enjoy a fine Cuban cigar occasionally, nor do I frequent sporting gals. So for my second MLC, I got an AMP & a mint pre 64 in .300 H&H.

Mike.

 

[bobcat93]

I was one of the guys making foolish comments about ..who would spend 1000$ on a case annealer...like most of us men I have this internal mechanism that allows me to open my mouth before my brain can say ..your making a fool of your self ..again..lol
Well after reading all the posts and watching the amp video I'm sold.
1000$ isn't that much for a tool like the amp..hell it's less expensive then another rifle scope..
It's about the same as buying 12 boxes of the average Lapua brass..and if you can remove another variable in the accuracy game it's worth it..
I guess it's a trade off..how many hrs do you need to work in order to earn 1000$. , How many hrs do you have in neck turning, case prep, reloading. How much does your brass cost.
In a world where time is money , I think it's easy to see the return in your investment in a year or two.

What I haven't learned yet is how many times can a rifle case be shot, reloaded, annealed before it is junk..will a case neck that is precisely annealed out last a case body?.
Can some one answer that.

 

[bobcat93]

I don't gamble, rarely drink, enjoy a fine Cuban cigar occasionally, nor do I frequent sporting gals. So for my second MLC, I got an AMP & a mint pre 64 in .300 H&H.

Mike.

Think of the money you saved in therapy bills..lol

 

[Nude nut]

Well amp turned up today and I dont care about scientific testing or can ya prove it its a doddle to use and my 11yr old has claimed he is annealling all cases from now on after he did his 223 brass.
He read the instructions set it up with me overseeing and of he went doing 200 cases gota love that.

Cheers Trev.

 

[JoeZA]

A question for the experienced match shooters: Annealing 70/30 copper or alternatively known as C26000 doesn't seem to be sensitive or show high strength variability, once the annealed condition beyond 550 deg C has been reached. Why would one then want to buy a highly sensitive accurate instrument like the AMP for an insensitive process?

Do you see the difference on the target?

 

[Coolhand]

AMP annealer too slow , perhaps, but one must learn to put ones priorities is order. Cases , a bottle of Glenlivet , a fine cuban stogie , put the Duke on the blue ray thingy ( Red River is my Fave ) and anneal your backside off !
Just did 140 .220 Swift AI cases , and the Duke was just getting warmed up, oh and don't drop fresh out of the AMP cases onto acrylic carpet neither !! The smell will out last religion.

regards
Mike

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

Only thing that bummed me out about AMP is the lack of programs for 300wm. I have to send off my Bertram and my Nosler brass for testing to create programs. Shocked that a standard cartridge like 300wm didn't have LOTS of programs available. Sux that I'm going to need to send 6 pieces of brass of each type all the way to New Zealand for testing. I wonder how long it'll take to get there and for me to get the program numbers back. Only consolation is...I'm going to get to send some .260 and 6.5cm Lapua brass along with it, to verify that my annealer is actually annealing my brass perfectly.

I recently sold my AMP because it made absolutely no difference on target, ESS and SDs.

It is nice to be able to sit at a table without a torch and anneal brass. The downside is that handling one piece at the time took 8X longer. IMO the AMP is great for low volume bench rest shooters, but for high volume F-Class shooters it is too slow.

I have switched to an MRB annealer and all is well now.

Kindest regards,


Joe

Ouch. I feel ya but next month they're releasing an auto feeder for the AMP. I can't wait. Load her up and let her rip. There's some video of the prototype on their Facebook page - it's been up since December or Jan. I'm hoping to see my SDs and ESs shrink some but I'm not sure I will; most of mine are pretty low already. I'm using mostly Lapua brass and I think it's the lower quality brass that sees the most benefit in that regard. But the additional brass life is a BIG deal to me. Of course, I'm probably a 'lower volume reloader' like you said. Lol

 

[rardoin]

I wonder how long it'll take to get there and for me to get the program numbers back.

IIRC When I sent some off it took about a week for the brass to reach NZ and maybe a week (or slightly more) to get a report. BTW...your brass will not be returned under normal circumstances. I suppose you could pay shipping and get it back but would likely exceed cost of brass.

 

[normmatzen]

With regard to the question about how to hold the brass for an ANNIE.
I do have an ANNIE and am VERY pleased with it. When I use the original coil the case neck is up and you hold the case by the base and anneal for 2-3 seconds and drop it into a box or pan. Case doesn't get hot fast enough to cause discomfort.
Then, I started using a water cooled coil. Way better! I als made a 1/2" plastic base to set the Annie on with index holes for the feet then drilled a 0.2" hole dead center under the coil, which is vertical on the water cooled one. I got some 0.2" glass rod and made a rod for each case I anneal so when dropping the case up-side down on the rod, the neck shoulder junction is right in the middle of the coil.
Drop case on. push start button. lift case with fingers and drop in box. You don't want to dilly dally as it will heat the base to the discomfort point. Done quickly, I think the annealing speed is not more than 5-7 seconds total per case makes the thru-put very quick.

 

[LawshrinkMD]

I annealed my first batch of PPU 07 5.56 brass. I weighed 100 pieces of brass, and I analyzed the lightest, heaviest, and two that were the mean weight. I was able to enter the data into Excel and display the data as a normal curve. My codes were 132, 135, and 138. I then annealed 100 cases on the 135 setting, which was the result I obtained using the mean case weight of 99.3 gr (with primers still intact). I noticed that one of the necks was split afterward, which I did not notice prior to annealing it. These were all twice fired brass from my rifle.

Any thoughts on my results so far? Also, I used my Redding instant indicator, and noticed that my sizing die was bumping the shoulder about 0.005 to 0.006" This is for ammo meant to be shot in an AR. I need to double check against non annealed brass, I think I had it set for 0.004 or 0.005" previously, so I will likely adjust that as well. I then tumbled the annealed cass in corncob for a few hours to remove the sizing lube.