Swagging die

[abunaitoo]

Has anyone made a swagging die out of a full length die????
I have a box of orphaned dies.
I was thinking I could cut them down to the taper needed, and use a press to force the shell through.
Want to do 30.06 in to 6.5 Carcano.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello abunaitoo,

Keep in mind that they are probably hardened.

AntiqueSledMan.

[abunaitoo]

I was going to anneal them first, check for size, then harden again.
Use mostly Lee dies, but don't know what's in the box.
Could also try using 7/8 x 14 threaded rod.
Just wondering if anyone has tried it before.

[15meter]

My suspicion is most dies are case hardened only, cut through the couple thousand's case hardening and they would cut pretty easy.

If you anneal to cut through the case hardening you ruin the case hardening on the interior of the die.

Angle grinder with an abrasive cut-off wheel (slowly to keep the heat down!) and score the circumference of the die where you want to cut, I would suspect it would cut through and through with a hacksaw, again to keep the temp down.

Not sure if re-hardening a case hardened tool that was annealed is possible.

Just a WAG, never having done it.

[wilecoyote]

...been there, etc._ I cut Hornady, RCBS and Lee dies. marked the cutting point with grinding wheel, or better a Dremel g.w., it is possible to saw them by hand and also finish them on the lathe.
no annealing needed before or after, here. only going slow.

[samari46]

Have made a couple shorty neck sizer dies from 7/8x14 screw stock. Never hardened them as brass is pretty soft compared to the threaded rod. Frank

[abunaitoo]

Been looking for some 7/8x14 threaded rod, but everything is hard to find here.

[SOFMatchstaff]

I've used the grade eight rod from McMaster-Carr #3313N615 12" length $33 plus shipping.
Or the medium #98957A410 for $13 +shipping

both have uses and polish up well.

[Sasquatch-1]

Been looking for some 7/8x14 threaded rod, but everything is hard to find here.

Several options available from Amazon, some with free shipping.

[405grain]

If you have access to a metal lathe, instead of using threaded rod I would say that it's better to thread, bore and ream a piece of bar stock to make a die because the concentricity would be much better. Most people don't have machine tools handy, so making what you need with what's available never ceases to amaze with ingenuity.

[15meter]

Been looking for some 7/8x14 threaded rod, but everything is hard to find here.

May try just 7/8-14 bolts. Larger hardware stores with industrial customers will probably have them on the shelf.

[Scrounge]

If you live in a city with a Grainger's, as I do here in OKC, you can get 60Kpsi steel 7/8-14 threaded rod for about $20/2' bar. They have cheaper and more expensive options, as well. Three 1-foot sections of of Grade 8 threaded rod is about $109, IIRC. https://www.grainger.com/search/fast...searchBar=true

Bill

[abunaitoo]

We have a grangers, but it a lame duck here.

[rockrat]

Farm and Ranch stores might carry bolts like you want

[Jedman]

I have modified many standard dies to do other sizing needs either by shortening or anealing first then boring or reaming the neck portion . Sizing dies are hard all the way through so even with carbide tooling you can’t generally cut or ream them without some annealing.
The one thing I noticed about what you intend to do is that the 6.5 Carcano has a much smaller head diameter than the 30-06 and it would not be easy to do with a die.

Jedman

[Geezer in NH]

RCBS sells a set but wow lists over $500,00. Can't blame you for trying to make a set.

[577450]

I opened up a rcbsS 7mm mag sizing die with a carbide boring bar
And don't remember it as being particularly difficult.