Swaging

[benewton]

Having looked at the subject for more years than I care to count, or relate, I'm considering setting up for swaging my own slugs...

I'm not sure that it makes sense for lead pistol bullets, but I surely love gas operated rifles, and jacketed bullets are required there... This would be, essentially, a self sufficiency thing: I like to have as much as I can under my own control, since I then know who to blame when things go wrong.

Murphy, of course!

In any case, I'd be interested in the comments of users of the technology, since hard money seems to be on the point of flowing out the door.

 

[swager]

As you can tell by the handle, I swage. I use corbin equipment with the big hydraulic dies. I don't know how far you want to get into it, so you might not need the big presses or dies. I started out 4 or 5 years ago making the empty .22 case,.224 jacketed bullets. Then I went to benchrest two stage jackets. I also make .452's, lead, and jacketed. I also bond bullets too. I like to be able to change weights, bullet styles and use the base guards to clean the barrels of my .45's. I like the base guards, they keep my subgun clean, so I can shoot cheap cast and not have to brush, ever. They will clean a lead fouled barrel with one shot. I use powdered tungsten to hybrid bullets also. You can see some of my results at www.thor-bullets.com. I am having web difficulties, so only one page of the site is currently up. I also have a core maker, so I can cast my own lead wire and use it if I want to. The wire has always been available over the years from corbin, but I want to be able to make my own if needed. I edited to add a page that I can see, but isn't coming up at the site.http://thor-bullets.com/products.htm

 

[benewton]

First, some info: the www.thor-bullets.com site has been hacked.

Thanks for the info: in particular, the base guard data. While I'd thought that I'd update to swaged "hard" lead, the idea of then grooving, lubing, and then reswaging the result didn't seem reasonable, given that I've done my own cast slugs for years. I'll need to think on the concept a bit longer, but, as I remember, you can fabricate your own base guards, so that appears to be the way to go for lead bullets.

I'll go with the core caster too, since, as a caster and back yard shooter, I've got lots of old lead around and, in any case, don't wish to be dependent on external sources for easily located resources.

Corbin is the only tool source I'm considering at this time, but I'm thinking on the CPSII against the CPS1 press, while considering the cost of the dies in the equation. Were I fabricating lead slugs, I'd be swaging the hardest lead the press/dies could handle, and that'd make the II press the way to go. Given base guards, wheel weights, or softer, should work, and the I, and S dies get the nod. More thought time required, but thinking's fun, not to mention cheap.

The key to this project is jacket fabrication. I'm really unimpressed with the cost of the non corbin copper tubing die set, but unwilling to commit to buying high cost copper tube from a sole source. Long term, simply buying the jackets formed is also unacceptable, since cost is always an issue. Since you're doing weights greater than 55 gr in the .223, how did you solve this problem?

 

[swager]

It seems the jackets support around 62.5 in .22 cases. .22 shorts are good 45s. .22 mags make + 1oo, but weak wall support, no bonding and a lot of throw aways.

 

[swager]

I use corbin jackets and then run them through a jacket maker. If you use base guards, soft lead is the way to go. There won't be anything in the barrel after the base guard goes through. Thanks for the heads up on the site. It was fine before. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. .....I just looked and I'm back up. It's not perfect, but the main page is restored now.

 

[benewton]

Sorry to be late, swager, but work and upcoming interviews intruded...

I'm thinking that the base guards are the way to go, as far as lead pistol bullets are concerned. Still, I shoot hex rifled pistols, the .40 USP being my favorite carry, and I wonder how well they work under that condition.

Too, while I want to phase out the casting effort, I can at least make handgun bullets.

So, what I'll probably do is set up for .308 rebated boat tail rifle rounds, and proceed from there. Corbin should really give the press away: they'd make a mint on the dies!

Isn't it nice to know that you, personally, are so important that some scum in Arabia has targeted you to be hacked?

 

[swager]

I had the language translated and somewhat traced. They are kurds from Turkish areas. Rebated is the way to go. Only $500 add on for my set. Maybe I should come out with a jihad bullet, kissed by a pig! That ought to rile them up. Hope we keep them out. Lotsa password changes being made, I'll tell you that. Hopefully they'll be doing this for a while anyway.:banghead:

 

[benewton]

Had a brother and his kid over there, which isn't exactly normal for a 50ish type.

Normally, I'm happy leaving everybody alone, given that they do the same to me.

In this case, though, I'm thinking kill them all and let whatever God there might be sort them out.

'course, I don't control policy, or issue orders, so nobody cares what I think, which is probably just as well.