Given the volume of rifle cartridge reloading that I do every year, I thought it was time to start annealing in order to better preserve my brass and hopefully net more consistent results in accuracy. No way did I want to explore any one by one drill type set ups, but no way was I going to spend $1K or more on an automated system. There are now a few torch based machines of varying capabilities in the ~$300 dollar range. Of all those I found and researched, the one that appealed to me the most was the Ugly Annealer made by Derraco Engineering of Australia. They contract the manufacturing of the units in China but seem to keep a close watch on QC and based on feedback are quick to rectify any issues.
It's not particularly ugly, though all the metal has been left in its bare finish. Seems to be all bare aluminum or stainless and soundly constructed. Via different inserts and two different drive wheels it will accommodate up to 50 bmg cases. I used the smaller width drive wheel and 7.62x39 size insert to run my 6mm ARC cases. The speed setting that works for me is 35V, which can be seen on the digital readout. You want the case necks to have a very faint red glow before discharging them and loading the next cartridge. The drive wheel is plated with diamond abrasive that grips and rolls the cases yet is completely heat resistant. In the video the camera makes the necks look much more red than they appear to the naked eye.
I'm overall very pleased with the unit. It was easy to set up and it appears to be providing completely uniform annealing from case to case. Load the hopper, position and adjust the torch, hit go button, then resume shitposting on NES. Based on my results thus far, I highly recommend it. Best price I found at the time was $280 plus free shipping on Amazon Prime.
It's not particularly ugly, though all the metal has been left in its bare finish. Seems to be all bare aluminum or stainless and soundly constructed. Via different inserts and two different drive wheels it will accommodate up to 50 bmg cases. I used the smaller width drive wheel and 7.62x39 size insert to run my 6mm ARC cases. The speed setting that works for me is 35V, which can be seen on the digital readout. You want the case necks to have a very faint red glow before discharging them and loading the next cartridge. The drive wheel is plated with diamond abrasive that grips and rolls the cases yet is completely heat resistant. In the video the camera makes the necks look much more red than they appear to the naked eye.
I'm overall very pleased with the unit. It was easy to set up and it appears to be providing completely uniform annealing from case to case. Load the hopper, position and adjust the torch, hit go button, then resume shitposting on NES. Based on my results thus far, I highly recommend it. Best price I found at the time was $280 plus free shipping on Amazon Prime.