Some confusion on getting started with swaging .224" on a budget

[Willbird]

Bought a Dillon 650 before Sandy Hook and had not taken out of box when panic hit and suddenly Dillon had a two month wait list. Sold it for $200 more than paid to someone who had never reloaded. My guess is he either still has boxed, has tried using to point of frustration or sold and took his loss. Know good tools hold their value and if buy a good swaging press and dies worst case is get most of my investment back in a decade or so.

Learning that rimfire jacketed projectiles have a speed limit and 60 grain max weight is concerning but not a deal breaker. Have the jacket swaging die and plenty of jackets swaged. Two core molds so think all I need is a final bullet swaging die to try and chuck it in my heaviest single stage press. Is this correct? A 60 grain bullet would meet a lot of needs for 5.56 plinking. I enjoy casting and handloads almost as much as shooting. Bet I will enjoy swaging if back and neck don't complain. Have no issues running 5.56 and 7.62×51 through a Dillon machine. Don't know how much increased leverage is involved with good swaging rig.

In Industry we focus on repetitive motion stress. I cast 10,000 nine mm bullets for a friend using a 4 cavity cast iron saeco mold....pretty sure it messed up my physical structure doing so. But if you are casting cores there is no reason you cannot do like I do and cast some cores, then go over and do some swage work, then go back to cores, rotate around. that is what we do at work, job rotation every 2 hours within an area, seems to help a lot. When casting bullets I will often cast some, size some, go back and cast more...not even 2 hours at each task, maybe more like 30 minutes.

[BT Sniper]

Someone mentioned speed limit or weight limits when it comes to making 22 cal bullets from 22lr brass.... I can tell you there are no limits only better accuracy at certain fps for given weapon. There are countless variables but I have always found accuracy under 1/2 moa from bullets made from 22lr brass in my weapons.

BT

[Hueyville]

My wife has to take ergonomics training yearly. I have been in physical therapy since a MVA in 2007 and most important warnings I get are to keep doing my P.T., stretch daily and do not do any repetitive task more than 20 minutes without taking a break or moving to a different job. Can remember a job my dad had where had to screw in 15,000 15 watt yellow incandescent yellow light bulbs. I was in first grade and he necked me out of school on a Tuesday and if not for church Wednesday night and Sunday would have gone a week straight twisting in those bulbs.

When casting I have at least one bullet sizer preheated and swap between three jobs trying to not cast more than half hour straight. Another thing I do is keep a four or two cavity mold on the preheat tray and after the big six cavity molds start getting on me will sit them on the preheat tray and cast a few rifle bullets from a lighter easier to use mold. Tried aluminum molds and NOE are o.k., Lee are fine if replace the factory cast sprue cutter cam with a machined steel cam from the guy in Canada as breaking a sprue cam sucks even though Lee replaces free, till get the replacement your mold is down. Now I have extra steel cams and if buy a Lee six cavity for some reason then can swap cam before I break it.

Also some may say have ruined my six cavity Lyman blocks but most have machined 3/8" off the bottom for rear 3/4 of block. Leave front alone as guide to ride proper height and level on mould support/guide on lead pot. Also while have them on the mill take a 5/8" or 3/4" end mill and drill a row of 3/8" divots down each side and on bottom so has roughly 30% more surface area to cool faster and it's almost a pound lighter if not a full pound. Learned that from an old machinist who opened a custom casting company for some retirement income. When he retired from boolit casting I bought a lot of his handheld molds and lead pots. Couldn't justify his casting machine.

Why I am looking for a real heavy duty swaging press. If going to swage more will need it, even my big press wears on me when ironing out rimfire cases from 22 magnum cases even though anneal them first. Also figure it will make sizing 338 Lapua, 350 Rem Mag, 7mm Practical and Cheytac cases much easier. Ran 5,000 45 acp only slowing down to pour more primers and cases in the machine or grab another box of boolits recemtly. Next day back was aching. Most of my benches are tall and can sit on stool or work standing. When younger liked to stand more than sit while loading. Now have a lower set of benches and a very expensive, highly ergonomic office chair use when prepping cases and sizing bullets. Loading and casting is still mix of stools and standing so in a long session in reloading room will spend time stamding, sitting on stools and the new chair. Even got a new work bench for building 10/22 station that fits the nice office chair as can spend a long time tweaking just the fire control system.