Some confusion on getting started with swaging .224" on a budget
If I wanted to get into swaging my own .224" projectiles using spent .22LR for jackets, what equipment would I need to buy to do so on the smallest possible budget?
I have a lot more time than money at this phase in my life, so please make recommendations based on that assumption.
As near as my research has been able to gather, I need:
1. Some way to anneal the casings after I clean them (toaster oven doesn't get me to 800 degrees F)
2. A die to remove the rim from the 22LR case
3. A die to swage the lead core to the correct shape
4. A die to insert the lead core into the jacket
5. A die to form the point in the jacket and finish the bullet
I already have a reloading press (Lee Challenger single stage), and there seems to be no consensus on whether this press will work or not.
Am I missing anything? Is there any way to obtain these dies short of spending several hundred bucks for Corbin or Blackmon ones?
One other question--
There is a lot of disagreement on whether .22LR cases are made of brass or copper (sure look like brass to me...), and whether jackets made from brass will degrade barrel life faster than those made from copper. If anyone can chime in with a definitive answer here that would be great.