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ernierod
06-24-2007, 08:18 AM
Can turrent presses,such as the Redding T7,be used for light duty lead swaging such as 200gr .45 ACP bullets?? Tnx Erod

Swagerman
06-24-2007, 11:28 AM
Don't know about turret presses being used as swaging presses. But have turned the Lee Classic single stage press into a very nice swaging machine.

It can form a bullet cone to a semi-wadcutter shape.

This Lee press has a removable shellholder that is threaded to screw on or off the ram.

A swaging press requires a certain top-out sequence in its upward stroke travel, this is very important to the swaging operation being doable. What it does is serve as an easy breaking point in the rams upward travel stroke.

For me to gain the magic top-out sequence height I had to chop about 3/8 to a half inch off the top of the shellholder and reattach the shellholder to cap base. (see pictures)

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/PC050006cropped650X.jpg

This press shows a picture of my own invention called an automatic bullet ejector apparatus, don't laugh...it works beautifully. Otherwise, you'll be banging the ejector stem on your swaging die with a mallet, and that gets old pretty fast.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/PB250001LeeClassiccropped.jpg

I'm presently having my Lee Classic shellholder bored out to take a different shellholder whcih is the Herter's type which is centered for better concintricity, pictures to come later on that one...but here is the type of shellholder I'm speaking of...

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/P2280024punchescropped.jpg



So, if you want to swage bullets I'd opt for a single stage press like the Lee Classic, they are sturdy presses and will serve you well.



I also use some older Herter's presses that are built like Abrams tanks.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/PB090012.jpg

Good luck in your swaging search, but I doubt you'll have much luck in the turret mode. Its the top out ram sequence that is the problem child.

Jim

Bent Ramrod
06-24-2007, 09:48 PM
Ernierod,

You really ought to ask Redding for a definitive opinion, but I would say a turret is not for bullet swaging, and I'd use something else even for heavy duty case forming.

The turret has to have a certain amount of looseness in it in order to index by hand. Even with a bolster in the back of the turret, heavy pressure from swaging will push the turret up and back at an angle, out of line from the ram, wearing the bearing surfaces out of line. The next swaging pressure will push it even more out of line, and the next, even more. Eventually, your punches will score the sides of the swaging dies as the turret flexes away from the pressure. Also, the shells you resize will tend to rock the loosened turret out of line as they are pushed into the dies. They will come out sized with the bases at an angle to the inside of the necks.

Even the early C-presses would flex too much for bullet swaging. The Pacific Super had buttresses around the sides of the "C" but that was only good enough for small bullets, like .22 size. Some of them had a strap to put in the priming slot to minimize this flex. Eventually everyone got around to the idea that only an "O"-press holds the die in line with the ram under the pressure.

Using the lighter reloading presses as makeshifts for bullet swaging is kind of like using a drill press as a milling machine. A good one will work, sort of, for a while, but after a certain amount of this use it won't even be useful as a drill press any more.

Swagerman, that's an interesting modification you made to that Lee press. Is it to get the punch at its max height in the die just as the compound lever goes over-center? What I did for my RCBS Rockchucker was to make an insert for the top which was taller than the standard one. This sets the dies up higher, accomplishing the same thing (I think). This was especially needed in ironing the heads off .22 shells for jackets.

I'm afraid some guys have anticipated you in your auto-eject invention. Bahler, Ted Smith and Jim Harvey, among others all offered that ram-mounted ejector arrangement. Still, it's a very worthy effort on your part if you thought it up on your own. Just means you can't get a patent on it:) .

Swagerman
06-25-2007, 12:13 AM
Yes, that is the reason for shortning the ram stroke, so it has full up stroke to swage the bullet and has a braking point to release pressure.

I would not go down the patent road again, did once, spent a bucket of money on an semi-auto pistol .44 A.P.C. (auto pistol cartridge) for nothing...to risky, and too many thiefs out there to rob you...and one did and another tried. That was nearly 20 years ago.

I guess I've had this automatic swaging ejection gizzmo a few years now, and when I first shown it here on this forum I offered anyone as a private party who cared to make one has my blessing...no charge.

By the way, the Lee Classic press as a swaging machine is effortless in its operation, no strain or pressure problems.

Jim

ernierod
11-26-2007, 10:37 PM
You guys were correct-turret press wouldn't have worked out.Wound up with a Redding Big boss and a Walnut Hill. Using C-H dies and R. Corbin dies.Thanks for help.Erod