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Thread: Hello - new member here, intro plus swaging questions with Hollywood press and dies

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Southeast USA
    Posts
    3

    Hello - new member here, intro plus swaging questions with Hollywood press and dies

    Hello all,
    I have been reading this forum for awhile as a visitor and finally had the time to take a deeper dive into swaging bullets.
    I have been using my Hollywood Junior press for some time to do the bulk of my 45 ACP, 308 WIN, 300 AAC and 223 REM reloading. I recently acquired a Forster Coax which has taken over all the reloading duties and has freed up my Junior. The Hollywood Junior is my first single stage press that I received from my father along with several dies to include the 30 cal swaging dies and top hats. Additionally, I have received several swaged 30 cal bullets (170-180gr) that I plan to test fire down the road. My dad's memory isn't what it use to be and he has no memory of how the swaging dies work and doesn't even remember making the bullets that he gave me. So long story short, I have been trying to figure out how these various dies, top hats, punches, etc are supposed to work. Did I mention there was no instruction sheets either.
    Thank-you for all the posting on these dies and how to make bullets using these dies. I have figured out the general use of these items because of many of you! I think now I just need to jump in try my hand at it!
    Now for the big question, I have been looking on several websites about acquiring the copper cups and lead cores. I want to try my luck with these dies without having to spend a fortune in copper cups and lead cores. Does anyone know where I can obtain a small number (100 of each) of theses in 30 cal so I can try it?
    Thank-you all for your attention and expertise!
    Best regards,
    Steve

  2. #2
    Banned
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    2,725
    I just got done looking at some of the pictures on these posts...Wish I had looked before starting. They are a great help.
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...aging-articles

  3. #3
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Southeast USA
    Posts
    3
    Thanks Traffer! I'll take a look see.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

    rancher1913's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    plains of colorado
    Posts
    3,640
    if you only need a handfull of something try asking in the helping hands section, there are lots of members that help and share small amounts of items to get somebody going.
    if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead

  5. #5
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Posts
    15
    Quote Originally Posted by Stevenlgts View Post
    Hello all,
    I have been reading this forum for awhile as a visitor and finally had the time to take a deeper dive into swaging bullets.
    I have been using my Hollywood Junior press for some time to do the bulk of my 45 ACP, 308 WIN, 300 AAC and 223 REM reloading. I recently acquired a Forster Coax which has taken over all the reloading duties and has freed up my Junior. The Hollywood Junior is my first single stage press that I received from my father along with several dies to include the 30 cal swaging dies and top hats. Additionally, I have received several swaged 30 cal bullets (170-180gr) that I plan to test fire down the road. My dad's memory isn't what it use to be and he has no memory of how the swaging dies work and doesn't even remember making the bullets that he gave me. So long story short, I have been trying to figure out how these various dies, top hats, punches, etc are supposed to work. Did I mention there was no instruction sheets either.
    Thank-you for all the posting on these dies and how to make bullets using these dies. I have figured out the general use of these items because of many of you! I think now I just need to jump in try my hand at it!
    Now for the big question, I have been looking on several websites about acquiring the copper cups and lead cores. I want to try my luck with these dies without having to spend a fortune in copper cups and lead cores. Does anyone know where I can obtain a small number (100 of each) of theses in 30 cal so I can try it?
    Thank-you all for your attention and expertise!
    Best regards,
    Steve
    Do you know the jacket length you need?

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy MightyThor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Great Falls, Montana
    Posts
    325
    Long time since I was on the forum, but I still tinker. If you have the two piece Hollywood dies, I can probably walk you through the process. The first step is to set up the base die so that you can seat the cores in your jackets. The base die is the one where the one that threads into your ram. Thread the seating punch into the head where the reloading die usually goes. seat the core firmly but no need to reef on things. You will quickly get a feel for the process. drop the ram and the seated jacket is ejected. repeat till you are out of materials. Then replace the seating punch with the point die. now comes the fun part, you want to make sure that your die is set so it fits flush together at the end of the stroke. You may have to experiment to get the setting right so you don't get a line on the bullet. There is a relief hole in the end of the die so you can get a little squeeze out, but you don't want to use this as a way to set bullet weight. These dies can be split if too much pressure is applied.
    "let's go. He ain't hittin' nothin'.".... "You IDIOT, he's hit everything he's aimed at!"

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check