Good day all,
I am interested to know if any of you are swaging your own bullets. If so, what type of press do you use? What has your experience been with consistence? Have you used copper as a replacement for lead?
I am just looking to tap into others experience to see if this is something I should be getting into instead of casting.
Thank you,
I've played with this a little bit, made some 357 magnum bullets from lead cores. I use an RCBS Rock Chucker press and it easily handles the required pressure. I have not tried copper cores.
i know a fellow who does .224 and .308. Send me a PM to remind me and I will contact him on Monday to get name of device he uses. I do know that it was pricey and he had to wait for it. It uses 22lr cases as jackets to create FMJ rounds.
Don't know if you've checked these guys out.
Some info here-
http://www.corbins.com/
Hope this helps.
Steve out.
I have been gearing up to swage bullets.
I purchased some things from an estate, most of it worthless to me except two corbin series II presses.
I have recived and have been useing tools from RECCO, a one man shop owned by Richard Corbin, Dave Corbin's (Corbins Inc) brother and former partner.
These tools are for making 6mm bullets, and making jackets with .22 mag brass. Weighing 108 grains with 8s nose profile and flat base. Bullets made from 22 mag brass have been preforming very poorly for me in 1-8 twist barrel. At 25 yards 2 of 10 might strike the paper when fireing at the squares. The few that do hit paper punch oblong jagged edge holes.
But capable of 2 1/2 minutes @ 100 yards in 1-10 twist barrel. 22 mag for jackets have several problems that can be worked out.
thin material, non uniform thickness, and the fireing pin strike leaves a nick in the rear edege of the bullet.
J4 jackets purchased at a price higher than A-Max bullets have fired sub MOA groups for me. So do A-Max's.
Eagerly awating 30 cal dies from BTSniper, plus reducing dies that in 4 steps make 30 cal jackets from 9mm brass.
I swage some of my own. Currently set up to do .224, .264, .308, .355, .357 & .452 bullets. 243 dies are on their way, sometime.
I use a Corbin press and Corbin dies. Usually prefer J4 jackets for accuracy work in the rifle calibers.
I never tried copper cores, because lead works so well. And, my goal is to make good enough bullets for bench rest competition.
Whats the approximate start up cost? I understand, in some cases, you can use a Rockchucker or other heave duty single stage press for this, but I would want a real swaging press.
I looked into this a while back and it seemed like Corbin's stuff was backordered for years.
Is this really practical? What is the experience of the AS community?
I love the idea. I first read about it some 20 years ago, but have never gotten into it because of the complexity and the cost.
I reload and cast my own pistol bullets. There are definite advantages to this -- it substantially reduces the cost of shooting, and gives you the ability to ride out panic-induced fluctuations in the availability of ammo.
But does swaging save money? Would you be better of simply keeping 5,000 of your favorite bullets on hand?
We have the only certified 600-yard range in Florida, so there is an active local community of mid- and long-range shooters.
Lots of them reload. A bunch of them reshape the meplat on their bullets. But I don't know any that make their own swaged bullets.
I think some of our Schutzen guys cast their own lead bullets, but that's a different story.
Thoughts? What does it really cost to do this and what are the advantages?
tk
If you time is worth much bullet swaging is hard to justify.
For the ultimate in repeatability what could be better than every bullet you fire being swaged in the same die?
Why waste time working up a load for bullets that may become unavalible?
These questions are off base for anyone who is satisified with for minutes.
It is possible to take fired 9mm cases to make 30 cal projectiles, also very labor intensive.
Much easyer is taking fired .22 brass and making .224 diameter bullets (that is the right size for .223 reminton/5.56nato)
If you want to get involved, waiting two years to order will just add two years to the day your tools arrive.
Belive me, I know.
Mark,
I've heard about using .22 cases to make jackets for .223 bullets, but have also heard that it does not generate match-grade bullets -- is that not true?
tk
Fired 22 shells mostly lack the uniforimty to make match grade bullets, some swagers are getting close to 1 minute groups by sorting for same head stamp, useing high grade emptys, and weighing each case/jacket.
2 minute bullets are not out of reach with fired .22 shells.
Top grade target bullets are made useing preimum jackets.
The cost of J4 jackets is pretty close to the cost of finished Hornady Amax bullets.
I'm going to provide some proof on the accuracy of bullets swaged from 22 LR brass.
As good as "match" bullets? Define match bullets. Sounds dumb, but here's the deal. My definition and your definition of "match" may be quite different. To me, "match" in the case of 224 bullets means hand made from J4 jackets. Euber, Ballistic Idiot, etc. Even ones I make.
Now, how do bullets from 22LR compare against "machine made" bullets (Sierra, Speer, Hornady, Remington, Winchester)?
Well, some folks that swage say they work as good or better than machine made bullets.
We'll see a good comparison. Hand made (bought), hand made (from J4) (mine), machine made, several makers and hand made from 22LR. All compared in 1/4 MOA rifles. Got the equipment, got the bullets/material, got the dies, even got the 222LR brass. Don't have the weather right now though.
By the way, Mark and I "know" each other on at least one other forum. He knows what he's talking about folks. Listen to him.
THANKS! Look forward to reading more about this.
tk
I am looking forward to your results, Nickle.
Might have been Fred who said, "don't let perfection get in the way of good enough"
Well, Fred does say something like that. I say "perfection is the enemy of close enough". Others that have been here say the same thing. Especially Son of Martha.
Results will be posted here, or over on the swaging portion of the Cast Boolits forum.
Looks like I'm going to enter the postal match just put up.