Custom BTSniper 40 cal one step dies

[harley45]

Can the dies be adjusted to make a 200 grain bullet?

[BT Sniper]

YEP!

200 is easy. Here is some basic math for you. The typical 9mm case weight is around 60 grains. Any of the .355 and .358 cast boolit molds will work for the lead core. So imagine a .358 148 or 158 grain core and you got yourself a great 205ish and 220ish grain 40 cal bullet. I got some here some where that where close to 300 I made just for fun. I need to post some pics. Think I sized down a 40 S&W case for the jacket. I have made them from 100 or so grains on up.

BT

[PatMarlin]

Anybody have a drop in 40sw barrel for my .357 SIG? I'm gonna have to get one now.

[BT Sniper]

Should be an easy swap. I considered going the other way. I can't say enough as to just how easy it is to make these great 10mm/40 cal bullets from 9mm brass.

Good shooting

BT

[DukeInFlorida]

Pat,
I have both barrels for my Sig P229, and wouldn't part with either of them.

While my 357 Sig barrel is my current carry rig, I still shoot tons of the .40 S&W swaged rounds.

Anybody have a drop in 40sw barrel for my .357 SIG? I'm gonna have to get one now.

[harley45]

Does the brass still need to be annealed?

[DukeInFlorida]

I don't anneal any of mine.

[mold maker]

Can any of the owners of the first ten dies write a review?
I am a complete newbie on swaging and like the idea of a one step die, however $225 is a lot for a tool that I have no experience with.

No offense to BT Sniper, but as he is both the manufacturer and seller the words sofar are biased. I repeat that I do not doubt BT Sniper, but would like words from users of the tools who might not be as adept and experienced in swaging.

Don't sweat the price. It easily beats both the price and quality of the competition. I have and use three sets of BTs swage dies and am totall happy with both the investment, and the quality bullets they produce.
I don't remember if mine were of the first 10, but very early in his sales.
I'm swaging .41, .44, and .45 calibers with BTs dies and you couldn't beg, borrow, or steel, them from me.
If you want to shoot JHP, and do it at cast prices, while having a ball, don't put off
getting your name on his list.
You will not be disappointed.

[harley45]

I PMD BT to get a set for my 10mm but until I hear back from him can someone answer this: If I make a 180 gr hollow point can I then make a 200gr flatnose with just a change of the point forming tip?

[ReloaderFred]

The weight of the finished bullet is determined by the combined weights of the core and jacket. You can make a 200 gr. bullet by adding more weight to the core. The flat nose punch would enable you to make it shorter than a hollowpoint punch.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[BT Sniper]

Sorry I'm behind on PMs I'll get to them ALL very soon.

Yes you can make any weight bullet you want. I just so happened to find all my samples I made with these dies and took some pics. Made them from 110-315 grains. Obviously some of these might be outside the weight range of the standard 40 or 10mm but it shows the range of possibilties of these dies.

Here is the samples I made with the weights posted in frount of the bullet. The light weight ones I made from cut off brass cartridge cases. The 160-255 grain bullets where made from a 9mm case for a jacket. The 255 and heavier is all flat points. The two heavy ones are made from a sized down 40 S&W case for a jacket.





BT

[BT Sniper]

Does the brass still need to be annealed?

Annealed brass will make a shorter bullet. For the 180-190 grain bullet shorter length is desired. Annealing brass is easy. Not saying it won't work for those that don't anneal but in my opinion it may make for a better bullet.

BT

[BT Sniper]

I PMD BT to get a set for my 10mm but until I hear back from him can someone answer this: If I make a 180 gr hollow point can I then make a 200gr flatnose with just a change of the point forming tip?

A 60 grain 9mm jacket and a 145 grain .358 cast boolit core will get you around 205-210 grains. The 9mm with a 125 grain core cast from pure lead will get you around 193 grains.

I would imagine any of these bullets made from 9mm in the 180-200 grain range would perform awesome in the 10mm.

BT

[harley45]

I just ordered the lee 125 grain mold. I have a ton of pure lead and want to pour cores while its fairly cold here in Indiana. I figure this will give me a 193 grain bullet which is close enough. I'll start weighing the brass now to! I have one last question though, how does annealing make for a shorter bullet?

[Boolseye]

Nicely done, BT.

[BT Sniper]

Annealing the brass makes it softer, obvioulsy, that allows us to compress brass a bit. Here is a good pic to show the difference. It is a bit exagerated in this pic since it is a 40S&W brass case used for a 44 cal bullet that went threw the core seat process but you can see how the extraction grove got compressed making the case and resulting bullet shorter.




Annelaed brass will allow the base of the bullet to expand to final diameter. Without annealing the brass the base of the bullet will require excessive force to expand to final diameter if at all. With the base of the bullet at final diameter we will get a better seal of bullet to barrelwith potential better accuracy.

The primary concern in the 40S&W (don't think it applies to the 10MM) is seating the bullet to deep that the base of the bullet is forced into the tappered wall of the case causing a buldge in teh exterier of the case. Now if the base of the bullet was not full diameter but more of a boat tail well then it doesn't make contact with this tappered case wall till much latter. At this point you are just taking up a bit more of the powder space with the longer bullet. there seems to be a big scare in compressed loads in the 40S&W. I don't believe it is the compressed load that causes any problems. What I have noticed in the 40S&W that is a concern is the buldge in the side of a loaded case from seating a bullet to deep or using to long of a bullet. The only concern I would have with potential compressed load is bullet backing out of case after you load it. Making a loaded bullet that is to long. Now in a 10mm with more case capacity I don't think any of this applies as far as the bullet makign contact with the tappered case wall and obviously if you can load your 40S&W longer then standard.

Here is a pic of a 40 cal bullet that I made that resulted in to long of a bullet and made contact with the taper in the case wall. The bullet was .740 in length because of the extra large experimental HP I made for it. Even with the limited powder space I still had no problem launching them at great speeds with a dense ball type powder but the bullet was just a bit long. I now addvise we keep the 40 S&W bullets under .700 in length. This is no problem with either 125 or 120 grain cores and my custom hollow point punches I have designed to take this into account. I make sure all the ddies in 40 cal that go out my door make bullets shorter then this length.

Notice the loaded round didn't buldge the case. I do use a Lee factory crimp die and recamend it's use for other 40 shooters. This ensures the loaded round will chamber properly. Rest assured I have taken precautions to ensure you all will get great bullets from these dies that will give you best results possible from making a bullet our of a scrap piece of brass.

[BT Sniper]

I just ordered the lee 125 grain mold. I have a ton of pure lead and want to pour cores while its fairly cold here in Indiana. I figure this will give me a 193 grain bullet which is close enough. I'll start weighing the brass now to! I have one last question though, how does annealing make for a shorter bullet?

YEP! 125 grain cores cast with pure lead will get you 193 grains +or - a couple grains. It will make an exelent bullet for the 10MM and I have shot severial this heavy from my 40 too with no problems.

I'll get you a repply to your PMs soon. Here is what I recamend to anyone interested in a 40 cal die. Start casting some .356 120 grain cores (125 for 10mm if you like), then anneal a bunch of brass. Now if you really want to make some great bullets my multi caliber universal notch die with teh expanding mandrel will make your swage experience even better and teh bullets you will be able to make are flat out awesome. If you had teh notch die a head of time while you wait for me to assemble the 40 cal swage dies then you could have everythign ready for when the swae die arrives.

I have plenty of the notch dies and expanding mandrels avialble and the swage dies will be ready soon.

BT

[harley45]

I'd like to order the notching die then per my PM, when you get time. I'm thinking after reading the above I may not try and anneal at first for my 10mm as a boattail HP may fly just a bit better, any thoughts?

[BT Sniper]

In short. Annealing makes the process easier in my opinion. Annealing allows the base to expand to full diameter, that has got to be better for accuracy. Annealing make the brass softer making it easier on all your expensive components (press, table, dies, etc.). Annealing the brass will alow the use of the expanding mandrel I offer to go MUCH faster and smoother. I would have to look but it maybe possible that when making the bullet from unanneaaled 9mm brass that the .388 base diameter may not line up perfectly centered in reulsting formed bullet making it out of ballence?

Do check out the annealing sticky thread. There is ways to make annealing easy and fast. As for me...well, I will always addvise one should anneal their jackets. The benifits far out weight the little effort required.

Sure I'll get you set up with a notch die ASAP and the 40 cal swage die just as soon as I have them ready. I'll send you a PM

BT

[harley45]

OK I'll anneal them I promise! I'm also planning on bonding them so the cases are goanna get hot at least twice!