Setup and first use of my Annealing Made Perfect brass annealing machine

In this video I go over the reasons why I bought this machine and anneal some of the first brass.
I start the demo at 9:24
Picture of the annealed brass at 18:24
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[@turda4u]

One more thing and probably the most important. I had a couple questions today (Friday 3 March 17) about the unit. I called the US distributor they said they would give my number to Alex in New Zealand who was better to answer my particular question. I got a call within three hours from Alex who answered every concern I had about the unit and the cost I was investing. I am SOLD. Ordered everything including 8 pilots from Graf. Oh BTW it's Saturday there and he was going into the office to work through brass that was sent in. Long distance return call from New Zealand and faster then most any other company I've dealt with. Excellent Customer Service!

[@BoltActionReloading]

+turda4u there response and work ethic is second to none I have seen. They do a good job and it is a great product. If they could get the price a little lower no one would buy anything else. Not saying it isn't worth it, but too many times we are penny wise and pound foolish, and pick a cheaper solution that doesn't work out our is so frustrating we don't even use it. I use it every time now and am satisfied with my purchase.

[@alinselea6334]

Thank you for posting this video. I have purchased the AMP a couple of hours before seeing your video. Now I 'm convinced that I made the right choice. I also paid $100 more for the AMP than you did :).

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Alin Selea glad you like the video. It really is a great machine. For a mix of calibers processed in small batches I do not think there is a equal to it at the moment. Plus they are a great company to work with!

[@chrismartinez8393]

neck turning your brass will help making thing more consistent. I have the AMP and love it.

[@tangobravozulu9483]

Thats awesome, really going to have to look into this machine. Thanks for the info!

[@shotover7719]

Well Ive annealed 400+ 300blk cases that were converted from 5.56 and about 500 Lapua 308 cases so far with my AMP machine. The machine is pretty amazing and quicker that I thought it would be. I havent got to load/shoot any of my newly annealed cases yet but that will be coming up soon. so far I am 100% satisfied. I think they should add a resetable case counter on the screen. I think that would be handy. I think your video would be a good idea as there isnt much out there about it.

[@MrMickjbriggs]

Thanks for taking the time to make the video, good review.

[@BoltActionReloading]

Thanks, Always appreciate the comments.

[@shotover7719]

Mine just showed up at the house today, cant wait to try it out! Thanks for the video!

[@BoltActionReloading]

+ShotOver great to hear. I love it. I am still testing it out and will probably do another video eventually. Watch your die settings the first time you response after using it. You know it's working since the die settings are so significantly different annealed vs not annealed. The first couple I did I set the shoulders back way too far. My fault though, I was warned and forgot about it.

[@shotover7719]

moparmadman copy that, I was planning on readjusting my shell holder back to factory new Lapua brass setting and check it.

[@BoltActionReloading]

So since you have had it a couple days I am just guessing you annealed everything in sight by now. Let me know what you think when you have a chance to try it out. I am planning on doing a video someday over viewing my entire process and plan on showing a annealed vs unannealed performance over my chronograph.

[@shotover7719]

moparmadman Ha, I wish! I just have it set up in the place I wanted on my bench. I work 12s so I haven't had time until this afternoon. I'll do my modified 5.56 to 300blk brass first. it loads hard during bullet seating which tells me the brass is hard. then I'll do my 308 Lapua brass that is 6x fired.

[@mikeames7780]

Agree on the comment of uneven heat with the flame units. Try as I may, the cases always came out with only a portion of it done and I messed with it until blue in the face. Alex is finishing the stand-alone unit for the 50 cal and it should be available for release soon. Last conversation centered around getting is passed for electrical radiation/emissions or something like that. Excellent video and I feel the same way on a lot of your points and I too, have watched too many You Tube videos on how to get the correct anneal.

[@chrisvalentine3017]

Yes Mike, you are quite right but the machine case is metal and will shield you from radiation/emissions. You would be best to ground the case of course. But the guys who made the machine would have thought of this already.

[@chrisvalentine3017]

Hi, this unit is right on the money. The biggest problem with annealing is overheating the brass i.e. burning it. This can be seen as dark spots or lines on the grain boundaries. You will need a least x200 magnification and polish part of the case. When this happens the only recourse is to ditch the brass and sell it for scrap. Hardness testing is the quickest way and will give you a very good indication of what your results are. The use of induction heating really is the only way to go. I worked on the design of an induction heating unit to anneal 20mm cannon brass for the Indian Government back in the late 1970’s. The old idea of standing the cases in water and heating the top red hot is the best and quickest way to destroy the case. Oh yes, I guess that the quickest way would be just to dump the cases in the trash can and save yourself the fag of destroying it!

[@beekeeper8474]

Last on my list of things to buy but like watching it in action

[@BoltActionReloading]

Its a very cool tool, but its expensive.

[@keithross4511]

Very, very informative! I’m planning to get an AMP machine. Do you know if they’d make dies for .22-6mm Ackley. I’m sure they must as I think of it since I use 6mm Remington brass. Thank you for sharing your information.

[@chris3383]

If you have new brass would you fire form then anneal? ...then how often after that ? I'm new to reloading for rifle precision .

[@miguelcontreras9349]

Hello I was wondering After using your annealer would you recommend the amp machine? Also did you notice a improvement in your sd and es after using the AMP? I'm interested in purchasing but I'm afraid that I may not see an improvement besides brass reload life. Thanks for the video's

[@BoltActionReloading]

+miguel contreras I do like it. I am trying to refine my reloading process as a whole and I do think that this is a important part. Doing only this step and not refining the rest of my process isn't going to show definite improvement. I will eventually do another video but at this point I want to do it justice. Basically I use it I'm all my reloads at this point. There are significant differences in die settings when resizing annealed vs not annealed brass.

[@bennybruin7725]

great video, what kind of warranty does this come with

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Benny Bruin 1 year, but I really don't plan I needing it. There is a us based service center.

[@bobwilson4723]

Have you done a video on the difference in group size and ES of annealed vs non annealed brass?

[@BoltActionReloading]

I am planning on covering it but I have a different plan. Unfortunately currently inability to travel has delayed it. It is certainly in the list of videos to make. The amp guys do have some video on this, but, I am guessing that some 3rd party testing would be well received.

[@shoeboxSD]

Have you compared the AMP to Giraud with Fluxeon Induction Heater? Wondering what your opinion is since I am still deciding. It looks like they're about to the same price but Giraud will auto feed. Giraud/Fluxeon would take some trial & error, but a one time thing. I do like the AMP because settings are programmed per caliber. I am think feeding the AMP with brass one by one may get old after a while. Thanks.

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Shue Boks I did see the Giraurd when inwss deciding. You just need to think about support. Amp will test your brass and tell you exactly the setting yoh should use. I process lots far smaller than 300 so I can't even go as fast as the amp can. The amp takes all of the guess work out and for me has worked flawlessly. I have been thinking about a follow up video to compare results with and without but have had a lot of "other" things to do. I usually anneal after every firing cause it is so little effort comparatively. I know amp is working on a autofeeder option, it could even be out, but I really don't have a use for it.

[@shoeboxSD]

Thanks for your time.

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Shue Boks no problem. Feel free to comment and come back any time.

[@shoeboxSD]

You got me thinking just now. I've been accumulating so much brass that requires annealing later. That's why I dreaded the idea of feeding brass manually one by one. If I had this machine earlier, I wouldn't have had to accumulate so much brass. Thanks again & great video.

[@MrRace91]

5:11 ... I knew time traveling will be possible soon :-P

[@mikeames7780]

I caught that also!

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Mike Ames I was trying to figure out how to add a note to the video without taking it down but I haven't figured that out yet.

[@mikeames7780]

Not a problem, you do better than me as I do not know how to post on YT.

[@turda4u]

Great Video, we led the same life researching annealer's. The best advice you had and I have found true is that no data is available to confirm your brass is properly annealed with a flame unit. You could be making it worse. This unit has the best data available to feel safe that your annealing correctly.

[@BoltActionReloading]

turda4u I appreciate the comment. After I have been using it a while I will say that it has made me concentrate more on my sizing process. I thought about making another video after using it a while but these just don't get many views.

[@everythingphil9376]

I can imagine using this for my match 308 loads, but for the hundreds and hundreds of my M193 spec handloads, I'd prefer something like the Annealeeze.

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Villamor78 it really is pretty quick, but it depends on the quality vs quanity I am sure. I process units on quanties of 50 and 100. I can get through 100 in 15-20 minutes.

[@eddie1v]

What ultrasonic cleaner do you use for your brass?

[@BoltActionReloading]

Hi Eddie. I have been using a Hornady lock n load sonic cleaner, however I have also recently invested in a wet tumbler that I will probably talk about sometime in the future on the channel.

[@uncleben4536]

Do you anneal before sizing brass or after?

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Uncle Ben I have been annealing before. That is what the manufacturer recommended. I am open to any thoughts you have on this

[@tonynagy2042]

Good Vid for sure. I still do not understand the full concept of annealing brass, and why is it, or if it is important to get better accuracy out of reloading? I only load for 223Rem - 6.5x55, and now 6.5Creedmoor. Cheers :)

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Tony Nagy most can agree that it at a minimum extends bread life. I have hopes that it will improve the consistency of the neck tension and that will translate into smaller groups and lower SD and ES numbers.

[@tonynagy2042]

I'm gonna think about this annealing machine. I only load for 223Rem - 6.5x55 - and 6.5Creedmoor, so would be great that it comes with 3 bushing choices.

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Tony Nagy I don't think it comes with 3 bushings anymore.

[@jrgrey2000]

Tony Nagy ..i started reloading about 6 months ago and in the 3rd or 4 time around with the same brass..i started noticing the neck resizing wasn't holding its size...the neck would allow the bullet to be removed by hand so the neck tension wasn't there .. the "work hardening " causes the brass to not hold the resize..all from resizing brass..also extends the life of the brass..work hardening happens when you resize the neck and you find yourself tossing brass in the trash . Well I did.. annealing keeps the brass soft and aids in cosentricity..i may have missed you whole question but there you have it.. I use the Annealeez.. works just fine..i couldn't see spending over 1000.00 for the AMP..albet a very nice machine.. just couldn't see it..good luck!

[@davidandre886]

Four years later, would you still recommend it?

[@BoltActionReloading]

I still have it and it's going strong. It depends where you are in the process and what you are trying to do. I don't know if there is anything better out there, but if you were starting from scratch I wouldn't buy this first, unless you dont have a budget restriction. Would I buy it again, yes. Hopefully that makes sense.

[@davidandre886]

I already have a nice setup pretty much across the board. I am mostly interested in it for improving spread for ELR applications, and then possibly consistency for PRS loads from batch to batch. My loads are already good, but I don’t anneal at all, and am curious how helpful this would be for those applications. The primary goal though is for ELR.

[@Hvybarrel7]

The current cost of this machine is nearly $1700 dollars as of April 2024. Do you think the benefit of annealing your brass is worth the cost?

[@vodekz1534]

is it still working well after 4 years of use?

[@BoltActionReloading]

Yes! Thousands of cycles and still going strong.

[@vodekz1534]

@@BoltActionReloading Thank you

[@BoltActionReloading]

No problem!

[@baboonbuttz]

it's slick. fast. but the price. I'm not that dedicated. good vid though.

[@jefffigol2570]

how much is the machine w/shipping

[@BoltActionReloading]

Check from brownells if you can find a coupon code. They have a discount and free shipping a lot. Starting price is about 1100

[@mortenbreiland3984]

I would have really loved to own one of these, but they are really overpriced. What makes this machine unique is that they have managed to keep the annealing temperature a secret. If we had known the temperature they use we could have achieved the same with a gas flame for a few dollars. As far as I can understand they have figured out what temperature is needed to soften the brass to the correct hardness, then they have come up with a mathematical formula that will calculate this temperature based on when the brass melts. This calculated temperature is probably much higher than 750° F which will only effect a stress relief, and only affect longer brass life.

[@l800x8]

The flame annealers, with hoppers, have an advantage when doing larger quantities. I can't see doing larger quantities with this Annealing Made Perfect machine. It would take forever. Say you do one case every 18 seconds, then 2000 cases would be 36,000 seconds which is ten hours. You can do the same quantity with a flame annealer in three hours and twenty minutes. Additionally, one only has to move one's arm circa 600 times, loading three cases at a time, as opposed to 4,000 times with the Made Perfect, loading each case and unloading it. Just pointing that out, not advocating for one system or another. I guess the conclusion I came to was that an electric annealer was appropriate for precision shooters as they anneal the same brass to the same softness repeatably, whereas flame annealers are dandy for getting large batches of brass to the same standard.

[@BoltActionReloading]

+hooter tooter it really only takes 7-8 sec per piece but I would again never run 2000 pcs in a day for my reloading needs. I process usually in lots of 50 but never more than 100. It never takes longer than a minute for me to be annealing and it makes quick work. They are supposedly working on a feeder for it, but I don't need it. Thanks for the comment, and hope you are enjoying the channel.

[@My_You_Tube]

I have AMP. It takes me 14-15 min for 100 cases and I'm not rushing it. Why on earth would you wait to have 2,000 cases and then anneal? Are you retired ? Do you really have that much time on your hand ? Whole idea is that this AMP product is for precision shooting mostly (for now) . Idea generally in precision shooting world is to have perhaps 200-400 quality cartridge cases and you rotate them and when you have to do prep it takes shorter amount of time and more precise tasks can/do require time but ultimately it does not take too much time. Most of us have jobs, families and daily BS that we have to deal with . But when it comes to my match ammo prep I take my time over few days so I'm not rushed the day before of the match. But I will have everything ready to go days before the match generally. Have used other Annealers and moparmadman is right there is no comparison .AMP is the way to go. Also if you go on their AMP youtube channel you will see that they are developing and will be out shortly with their auto-feed system . Yes moarmadman you are doing a great job keep at it mate. And Alex from AMP is a truly a good bloke .Thank you .

[@BoltActionReloading]

+My You...Tube thanks for the comment. I really liked this machine and I know I can process my brass in less time than I would spend setting up a flame based system. Everybody has their own preferences, but so far this is mine.

[@alpha6five528]

So I am having an issue with seating bullets . Problem is : when I'm seating bullets ( Hornady Match Grade Dies , 6.5 creedmoor) , my OGIVE measuerment is different. It's not consistent. My groups are good a 100yrds but would annealing be the problem? Going on 3rd and 4th reload. Hornady brass and 140gr ELD match bullet . Thanks

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Alpha6five my first question is how well the bullet fits your seating stem. I have a video on this if you don't understand. It depends on the bullet you are using.

[@alpha6five528]

moparmadman I use a match grade seating stem and a non match grade stem . ( the two stems that come with the dies ) . I use the eld match bullett

[@BoltActionReloading]

+Alpha6five you need to use the appropriate stem for the projectile. The 140 eld will bottom out in one of those stems and would be smashing the tip. Again if you check out the seating stem video it might help you know what you should be looking for. I would also check your rounds for a concentricty issue if that doesn't help.

[@johnx9318]

Annealing with hot air. :)

[@BoltActionReloading]

Induction

[@johnx9318]

@@BoltActionReloading Thanks for the reply, but this was was an - hopefully - amusing rebuke for your verbosity.

[@mr.horseshoe2301]

$1600 now. Ouch. Probably not worth it for me.

[@bigeclipse718]

Those pieces are looking a bit over annealed in my opinion. I'd get their new Aztec software if I were you.

[@BoltActionReloading]

This video is from well before aztec was available. I have the new software.

[@daveh9907]

Geez, Get On With It Already