Advice Requested ... AMP arrives tomorrow !!!

rustyinbend

GySgt USMC 1976-1992
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Dec 9, 2018
    3,382
    3,795
    Bend, Oregon
    My backordered Annealing Made Perfect machine and pilots arrive tomorrow after a long time backordered. I'm looking for anyone that has used one of these gadgets, and can say: "I wish I'd known ________ when I first got this". Please tell me what "________" is ... so that I can avoid early mistakes. Any advice is appreciated.
     
    Not a lot to learn. Test case, get code, anneal cases. Its really that simple.

    - Have a notebook for your codes
    -Dont forget to change pilots when you change caliber
    - Test to see if you need to do anything different for your necks WRT avg vel and SD. Some need to tumble a bit or graphite the necks—high quick temp can make the necks grabby. FWIW, I anneal, size, then tumble for two hours. Single digit SDs.

    ZY
     
    Not a lot to learn. Test case, get code, anneal cases. Its really that simple.

    - Have a notebook for your codes
    -Dont forget to change pilots when you change caliber
    - Test to see if you need to do anything different for your necks WRT avg vel and SD. Some need to tumble a bit or graphite the necks—high quick temp can make the necks grabby. FWIW, I anneal, size, then tumble for two hours. Single digit SDs.

    ZY
    Are you saying you anneal while the brass is still dirty? Before any cleaning?
     
    Ordered mine direct and got it in about a week. Had it now maybe 2 or 3 months. I tumble my brass first, anneal, lube and size. Then run them in a Dillon vibratory cleaner before loading. I've done a few hundred 338 Lapua, 308 and 6.5 Creedmoor so far. No issues, really easy to setup and run.
     
    Ordered mine direct and got it in about a week. Had it now maybe 2 or 3 months. I tumble my brass first, anneal, lube and size. Then run them in a Dillon vibratory cleaner before loading. I've done a few hundred 338 Lapua, 308 and 6.5 Creedmoor so far. No issues, really easy to setup and run.
    Clean - Anneal - Lube - Size - Trim - Clean - Seat ... got it ... that's probably how I'd go as well. Thanks!
     
    • Like
    Reactions: E-Tool
    Clean - Anneal - Lube - Size - Trim - Clean - Seat .....

    This is what I do as well....just didn't detail my whole process. Just highlighting some steps after annealing. And to be even more specific, I usually dont trim, but do a very light inside chamfer.

    ZY
     
    • Like
    Reactions: E-Tool
    If you decide to clean before you anneal, and use corncob or walnut media, make sure all cases are free of ALL media. I had a case with a couple pieces of corncob still in the case when I annealed. It really stinks...

    My brass never hits the ground, so I anneal before I clean (usually)...
     
    Dry your cases good. Water/deterent will remain after a wet tumble. I use metal bread pans and a heat gun to gently dry them. You can also put them in a dehydrator.
     
    Last edited:
    Make sure you Aztec Fired cases, not sized ones. Also, Aztec five cases or so to obtain an average code. The codes for a lot of brass, the majority can vary 3-4 increments with some being out further than that. Additionally, if you have the ability, get your code and go test it to compare against your existing load. My 7-08 and 308 codes have been alright as Aztec suggested, but my Lake City 5.56 needed to come down two increments to match. Using the Aztec’d code, the majority of the cases crossed over the line and were over-annealed. This resulted in a 30-40fps loss. I ran a test and found that by dropping back two increments, the load was still stable and matched the existing load as desired. Again, this is just what I’ve found on 5.56 Lake City so far. Other calibers have been alright as read by Aztec.
     
    No need to clean first if you don’t want.

    Unless brass was in mud or some bad sand, I don’t clean at all. You only need brass clean enough not to damage chamber and/or dies. After that it’s just superficial.

    You would benefit from running a nylon brush through necks after annealing thoigh.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: supercorndogs