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Thread: swaging lead bullets 45 cal

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master

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    swaging lead bullets 45 cal

    I'm thinking about making a set of swaging dies to make a 443 dia PP bullet from cast cores. A money type nose cup base around 500-550 grains in weight. Cores would be cast from 20-1 lead tin alloy. My Questions are.
    1) will this vent to maintain a consistent weight or will I need to rely on the core moulds weight ?
    2) Will a rock chucker or Lyman crusher be enough press for this ?
    3) How consistent do you think weight and size will be ?
    Right now Im planning on 4140 pre hard for body pusher and nose stem. My presses are older and don't have the bushing for die.

    These will be bore riding bullets for BPCR rounds.

    What I have planned is a shell holder type pusher with a bar out each side. This will mount the ejector actuator. I'm thinking venting thru in center of cup base thru primer slot into primer catcher on the press.
    2 rods to a bar across above die to eject bullets on down stroke of press.
    The nose punch will have the nose form in it

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    midnight's Avatar
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    I think 20-1 is a bit too hard to squirt out a bleed hole. I tried swaging 20-1 cores with my walnut hill and I won't try it again. I have a die to squirt wire using the Rockchucker and a 300gr soft lead bullet. It could only be done by screwing the die down a little bit at a time so I used only the tail end of the press stroke and that was extruding 0.250 wire. It would be exponentially harder to sqeeze that lead through a bleed hole.

    Bob
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    Antimony in the lead is better than tin for swaging purposes. It increases hardness without greatly increasing plasticity. If you need to swage a harder alloy than pure lead (to prevent nose slump?), try getting there with antimony, your arm and and your press (and dies) will be happier.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy Huvius's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by country gent View Post
    I'm thinking about making a set of swaging dies to make a 443 dia PP bullet from cast cores. A money type nose cup base around 500-550 grains in weight.

    Cores would be cast from 20-1 lead tin alloy.
    I agree that 20-1 will be too hard for making cores with a bleeding die. I cracked my 45cal core die with 40-1 with minimal bleed so am pretty much a pure lead guy now. That said, your final forming die would probably be OK with that alloy

    My Questions are.
    1) will this vent to maintain a consistent weight or will I need to rely on the core moulds weight ?
    As above, your swaged core weight will dictate this as your final form die is adjusted to the exact volume of your swaged cores. I often wondered how to design final form dies with bleed holes to make the boolit in one procedure. The difficulty lies in the fact that you have to have a hole in the nose for the ejector pin and the lead will bleed in there just as it does out of the side vents.
    2) Will a rock chucker or Lyman crusher be enough press for this ?
    Maybe. You can get a solid ram for Rockchucker presses made specifically for swaging. I've been pretty impressed using a Rockchucker with a standard ram in swaging boolits from spent pistol brass.
    3) How consistent do you think weight and size will be ?
    They should be very consistent. If everything is done right with the right materials then a +/_ 2gr should be possible in a 500gr boolit.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master Randy C's Avatar
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    I have always heard 20 to 1 is too hard BT sniper would know send him a PM or ask him on the form that he’s active on. I have a Richard Corbin press he said it’s only rated for pure lead, I believe Dave Corbins press and dies will do it, with the proper equipment the nose should form just fine

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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