Do you love your annealing machine? Why or why not.

[Doyputasos]

Getting ready to dive into annealing. My buddy and I are going halfers. We like the "full auto" of the Giraud, but I have heard good reviews of the benchsource from a guy who oughta know. Some other models seem to boast the thick aluminum plate as a heatsink but I'm not sure if this is really necessary. Looking forward to hearing what anyone is willing to share.

 

[ZiaHunter]

I use a Bench Source and very happy with it. Easy to set up for different calibers. My batches never usually exceed 200 cases at a time so hand feeding the individual cases is not and issue. I have heard good things about the Girard and is self feeding so it lends itself to large batches. You can't go wrong with either machine.

 

[Doyputasos]

I have already been thinking about making a drop tube (like on the Dillon case feed) to let the annealer go auto for 20-50 or so cases. I couldn't find any comparison articles or posts on the different machines.

 

[Doyputasos]

Anyone else?<style id="_clearly_component__css" type="text/css">#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } </style>

 

[BLDTYLRY]

Wife just ordered a Balistic Edge 400 for my Birthday. Can't wait; tired of using the hand drill method.

 

[rodnocker1`]

Doy,
I would also love to hear the opinions of people that have/use annealers rather than from the people trying to sell them.

I don't have an annealer but definitely need to get one. Right now, I have 10,000 pcs of 1x prepped .223/5.56 that could probably use annealing, along with 6,000 pcs of LC/FC 5.56 that I converted to 300 BLK and several 1,000 pcs of other rifle brass. So the drill/propane torch method is pretty much out of the question. I've been considering just going ahead and getting one of the Giraud's (I have 2 of Doug's trimmers) but the wait time right now is 12 weeks.

I had also thought about offering to swap someone one of my trimmers for a Giraud annealer but I "figured" most people wouldn't have 2 annealers (of course, I've had people tell me the same thing about having 2 of the trimmers LOL!).

 

[RottenII]

I've got the Benchsource and have been very pleased with it. Very easy to setup and use. I automatically anneal all my brass now.

 

[Doyputasos]

Would anyone mind sharing why they went with the machine they did?

 

[chariotdriver]

Went with Giraud because a good chunk of my other tools come from him. Went to work on a pile of 338lm brass about 45 minutes after it was delivered. He isn't super fast (6 week wait, believe he is a one man shop); products are the best I've used. Ended up buying all the tooling so it does everything from 50bmg to 300blackout.

 

[milo 2.0]

Would anyone mind sharing why they went with the machine they did?

I went with the Giraud, just because of the you tube video, looked slicker than snot. I have had my issues, maybe some caused by myself, by regulating it for a 5lb tank and to better control the flame. A recent thread here someone mentioned a double burner setup for it, and I'm really thinking about getting the parts from Doug to do this, it could only help in my opinion. My operation is slow, and maybe a Benchsource would have suited me better because I sit and babysit the thing anyway.

The last time I fired it up, had things set up nice, things clicked right along and I was more than happy with it. I do have the stuff to do .223. but given my inventory and hopefully the market will get better, I can't see myself wasting the time to anneal it.
Anyway I think any unit you choose to buy will make you happy. But of all the pics posted on this site of annealed brass, the best looking stuff was done by guys using a hand held torch, drill and socket. So unless you have a ton of brass to do, and really want to spend money??
If I had to do it over again, I wish I would have messed with the hand held method first. I do have a substantial amount of brass, but don't anneal every firing, and I seem to have enough time on my hands.

 

[Rhino79]

I've looked at both, and the conclusion I come to is...do I want to sit there and hand feed the cases or do I want to load it up and do other things in the meantime. For me, it's a no brainer - Giraud.

 

[338RUM runner]

I went with the Bench Source cuz it will do all of the cases that I use from 223 to 50 bmg. Easy to setup and fun to watch. I didn't like the idea of having a hopper full of cases and just let it run but that's just me. If you need to stop for a few min( Drink of water or cell call ). just don't feed the machine. Sounds like you are wanting the full auto. Both are good, you need to get what feels right for you. Bench Source was what I needed and would do it all over again. Did I say fun to watch!!

 

[Doyputasos]

Milo, thanks for the reply. I am splitting it with a friend so it's like a 50% off sale

We shoot about 100 rds a month in our bolt guns but I want my Lapua to last!

It's interesting that you have seen better results from guys chucking each piece since consistency and accuracy are supposed to be the selling points of the machines.

 

[Doyputasos]

I've looked at both, and the conclusion I come to is...do I want to sit there and hand feed the cases or do I want to load it up and do other things in the meantime. For me, it's a no brainer - Giraud.

I really get the draw of the hopper. But at the same time I don't feel comfortable leaving a torch burning if I'm not right there. I have been working through some ideas for a drop tube or even a wood tray with a cell phone vibrator.

 

[milo 2.0]

Doy,
Sometimes I think of mine as more of a conversation piece than anything. I seated some bullets last week in freshly annealed brass and it felt like cutting warm butter. I honestly don't know if it's done anything for me or not. I will shoot a long range group every outing with my long range guns, and things seem to be ok, but I seem to loose more to primer pockets than anything else.

 

[Doyputasos]

Hmm. Too hot? I thought it was weird that Hornady sells an annealing kit with 450•F tempilaq but most recommend 7-800•F on what I've read.

 

[milo 2.0]

Hmm. Too hot? I thought it was weird that Hornady sells an annealing kit with 450•F tempilaq but most recommend 7-800•F on what I've read.

That 450 is for your casehead, do not exceed it, I repeat, do not exceed it. 750 is for the neck.

 

[One-Eyed Jack]

Doesn't Ken Light make his case annealer anymore? The concept is like the Benchsource, but the rotating wheel is larger with more case positions and it's a thick piece of aluminum to protect the case heads. The center of the wheel has a moat for adding water to keep the wheel cool and prevent warping. Works very well and, like others, I prefer to watch what's going on with lit propane torches in my shop. Does the Giraud turn off the torches when the case reservoir empties?

Do I love it? I love my wife and kids, but an annealing machine is in a different category. It does the job.

Is the thick aluminum plate necessary? I don't know. We know that it's intended to keep the temperature of the case head low to prevent it from being annealed and softened. If no one using the other designs is having unusual problems with case head ruptures, then I would conclude those machines aren't annealing both the necks (good) and heads (bad).

 

[Doyputasos]

Thanks Jack. I have seen Ken Lights' machine. I guess my real problem here is that, while I think I know the pros and cons of most of the different features, I don't really know what "weight" to give the features. For example, is it more important to have a case that spins while its in the flame? or to have a heat sink to protect the heads? (I know that case head heating is the supreme concern as far as safety goes. But will it even be an issue that justifies the thick aluminum? Will the case getting fully spun make a better anneal job?) what's probably happening is that I am splitting hairs here and any machine will do it fine, but I want to make sure when dropping some coin like you have to on these.

 

[One-Eyed Jack]

The Light machine both protects the case heads and spins the cases. Yes, I think you're splitting hairs a bit. Your questions should be : Does it anneal cases properly; is it safe to use; is it reliable and consistent; how much does it cost?

The only problem I have with my Light machine is getting the flames adjusted correctly, which has to be done everytime I use it. I keep a batch of unuseable cases on hand to make the adjustment.