Where can I buy swage dies in Australia

[morton45]

Firstly I'd like to say thanks for such a great forum with oodles of information available.

my first question is where can I buy a swaging die or dies in Australia if at all?

Or can I buy one from the USA & have it posted over to me here in Oz.

I have a surplus RCBS rockchucker & would love to begin this wonderful art of making my own projectiles for my .222Rem, with a view to moving up to .308Win, .300Win Mag etc etc.

I already get a great satisfaction out of shooting game with reloads that I sat down and reloaded myself.

So, I guess the next step is to roll my own projectiles adding to the satisfaction of reloading & hunting even more.

I would like to use .22rf empty brass as the jackets.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Kind regards
Peter

[shaggist]

Another voice from Down Under is heard and welcomed aboard.

As to the Wonderful World of Swaging, there are 3 main sources for swaging dies-Corbin Engineering, CH4D, and our own BTSsniper. Corbin has a wider variety of dies and equipment and the prices are higher. CH4D has primarily pistol caliber dies and some equipment and the prices are better. BTSniper has new items virtually everyday, and his prices are the best. Wait time for the 1st 2 can be long, depending on whether they have what you want in stock or if it has to be made in the next production run. PM or email BTSsniper and he may have what you want ready to go, and, if not, he may be able to get to it quickly.

The best way to get what you want is to advertise in the Want To Buy section here, check with BTSniper by PM, or to go to the websites for the 2 companies above and order what you want. A message to them, asking if what you want is in stock before you order, will save a little heart ache in the long run, as wait times can run up to a year or more, depending on what you order. Also, watch Ebay, as swaging stuff comes up there all the time.

Read through all the back threads and posts and you'll get a much better idea of what's involved in swaging and whether you want to really get immersed in 'mushing metal'.

[sav300]

Hey Pet,welcome to the insanity !
Lionel,(sav300)

[jgt]

The best way to get swaging dies in your country is to find a shooter who is a machinest and have him build a set of dies. If you are going to buy a set in America and have them shipped to you, you will need someone who builds the type dies you are wanting. The twenty-two centerfire caliber dies that use twenty-two rimfire cases as jackets would be an extra cost because in essence you are talking about two complete die sets. One for making the jacket and one set to make the bullet. If I were going to go down that path I would do two things. FIRST: I would begin with the largest caliber you intend to make.This is because the larger bullets are easier to make in the beginning. SECOND : I would contact Larry Blackmon, 303 McMillion Road, West Monroe, LA. His phone number is (318) 387-7257. His fax number is (318)325-7034. Ask for one of his cataloges. He is a nice guy and very helpfull. His dies have to be lubed but are as inexpensive as any you will buy in the states. His swaging press is also worth the money. Next I would recommend the CH swaging press and dies but only for pistol calibers. BT sniper on our board make one-step dies for some calibers that use cartridge cases as jackets but I have to experiment with the set I have before I can recommend them as I have not set up my new shop yet so have yet to unpack my gear. BT Sniper is super good to work with and his customer service is impeckable. Others on our board have used these and posted on the board so you can read their posts. I will post when I have used these dies but so far haven't done so. There are other swaging die makers that make carbide dies for bench rest shooters but their dies run into the thousands of dollars per set and are way too expensive for the average hobbiest. I wish you good luck in you quest.

[HATCH]

If BT sniper makes it, I would buy them from him.
If He doesn't ship international then contact me.
I got no issues shipping to you there.

[BT Sniper]

Welcome to the sight. I do get a few PMs from many of you in Oz.


I would love to broaden my range of customers. I know little about international shipping regs though. Sure the USPS flat rate boxes are easy, I just need to know what hoops we would need to jump threw to avoid risk of fines or possible import export laws.

Once we get that figured out I would be happy to offer custom dies to anyone anywhere. If some one here is fimilar with such laws or rules a bit of insight would be appreciated.

Good shooting

BT

[Bollocks]

Hi BT,

I do not know all details about US export regulations but I've ordered and recieved swaging dies from Dave Corbin and CH4D without any paperwork needed over the last year. I'm in the Netherlands.

When you have a definitive answer (and there is a green light,) than I'd like to place a few orders too!

Chrs,
BolloX

[peterthevet]

BTsniper....I get lots of reloading dies and a few molds from the USA with no problems whatsoever (apart from one slow ariving parcel....but it eventually turned up)....they usually come via USPS flat rate box. My understanding is reloading equipment is OK but gun parts, ammunition and ammo components require a permit. Send them as reloading dies and you will be fine.

[MIBULLETS]

Welcome Peter!

I agree with jgt. Try sending an email to Larry Blackmon, he sells his own press but he also can turn a Rock Chucker into a real swaging press or send you the tools and a new ram to do it yourself. He does make the dies to turn 22 rimfire cases into 22 bullets as well. He is located in the U.S. but may send to your part of the world too.

leblackmon@colla.com
He does not have a real website either but this site is his http://bulletswagingsupply.com/index.html
His phone number is there also. Not sure which number it is but he is a Dentist I believe and doesn't mind people calling his office.

[BLASTER62]

Peter: Have you ever purchased bullets or brass from the US & had them shipped to you?

[morton45]

Thanks to all who've replied.

BT Sniper, I would like to buy the dies I need for the .22 rf jacketed slugs. Can you tell me how much they will cost me please?

Shaggist, It seems BT sniper intercepted me first, Thanks for the lead though.

Blaster62, A few years back I imported 100 x .444 Marlin brass from USA. What a lesson that was. I swore then to never do anything like it again. Customs wrote me a letter which left me in no doubt that I was in fact a criminal.
So, here I am doing it all over again.

Hopefully Peterthevet is correct about the rules etc regarding importing dies to Australia.

Maybe if they were just labelled as swaging dies without mentioning reloading or firearms they would be allowed through.

I will wait to hear from BT Sniper & we'll go from there.

Regards
peter

[peterthevet]

Morton.....reloading equipment is fine to bring into the country (ie dies,shellholders,scales,molds etc)....for ammunition components (in my state of Victoria) the permit is easily obtained from Vic police ,however organising the other end (USA) is the problem (need USA permit for gun parts,complete firerams, brass and projectiles)....I know a few people who have friends in the states mail brass and projectiles to them with the Australian permit in the box and it comes through no problems. Aussie customs got upset becuase you did not do the paperwork before the brass arrived. Dies are no problem either end. By the way welcome to a great site!!!!! Cheers Peter

[morton45]

Hatch, I forgot to thank you for your offer to post to me here in Australia if BT Sniper is unable to.

It seems it will all be OK though as Australian customs allows the importation of reloading tools but not reloading components unless a permit is arranged prior.

This shouldn't be a problem for me to chase up & I just hope I can afford the cost of the die set now after all this.

I'm not sure what I'm up for here pricewise, so can someone give me a ball park price for a set of .224 dies to swage .22rf shells as jackets & then swage a finished projectile for use in my .222 Rem ?

Regards Peter

[alfloyd]

I have bought the 22 cal Point Form and Lead Tip dies, for the RCBS Rockchucker press, from Larry Blackmon.
I also bought the Rockchucker press conversion kit.
The rest of the dies I made myself.
I have attached a copy of the latest price list ( price list only, not the entire catalog ) I have for his dies.
Hope this helps.
Lafaun

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=29577&stc=1&d=1298042064

If you canot see the picture, I have put it in my photo section.

[shooterg]

I bought, use, and highly recommend the Blackmon dies for making .223 jacketed bullets. He's a good guy with a great product at waaaay less than Corbin.

[NoZombies]

Here's the Rub:

BT sniper hasn't officially started selling his dies other than the pistol dies. He will no doubt be selling them sometime soon, but he hasn't yet.

Corbin dies ship quickly *If he has them in stock.* That can be said of either brother. If they aren't in stock Dave ships orders more quickly, but costs more, Richard costs less, but takes longer to ship (sometimes years.)

I have never bought Dies from Dr. Blackmon, but everyone says the dies are excellent. Some people complain about the time it takes him to ship the dies. He does the die making as a side business, not his main faire. I believe everything on the above linked price list was for "M Type" dies, in which case, you'd either need to buy a new press, or have one you already own converted.

The quandary is that there are several options, but they all involve some compromise; You can wait for BT Sniper to start selling the dies, and be one of the early adopters, you can pay Dave Corbin's prices for the shortest "order time" of the established die makers, You can hope that Richard has the dies in stock, or you can hope that Dr. Blackmon has them in stock, and buy his press or press conversion.

And THEN you have to deal with getting them shipped Down Under.

There's a reason that BT Sniper's products have become popular, they present good value, and fairly short lead times. I look forward to seeing what comes of his most recent endeavor into rifle type dies myself.

[BT Sniper]

No zombies hit it right. I am in the process of tooling up to offer a lot of new caliber dies. Bullets and dies is now my full time job as well as stay home dad to my twin 4 year old girls.

I have found that I can produce a quality die for nearly any caliber bullet. I have had great success at offering the improved CH dies and I'm now taking the necessary steps to expand into riffle caliber dies. I make it a point to ensure my customers are going to be completely satisfied with my products or I do everything I can to make it right. I need to test and prove some of these newly designed dies and bullets before I can offer them for sale. This will take me a little while and may include some testing by fellow members and shooters here.

Once I have proven the capibilities of these new caliber bullets and dies I will be able to offer them for sale.

It is my goal to be able to supply quality dies with as short of lead time as possible. At the pressent time I am still gathering the neccesary tools and jumping threw all the hoops to legitimize my new business venture. In the mean time I will continue to post info on my current progress and new dies and bullets. At this time I do not have a 22 cal set ready but things are happening fast for me since I have all my free time to devote to this business now.

Thanks to all of you for your support and positive remarks. I will certainly do my best at offering a quality set of dies at an affordable price.

Thanks

BT

[Daywalker]

+1 for Blackmon dies. I don't think you will find any better quality out there without having to go broke and wait for lord knows how long. Very find gentalman to deal with. He is proven beyond a doubt on how great a quality he produces..

CH4D dies are good for what you pay. 129.00 for a 2 die set is great for entry level. The dies are made of soft metal, cuts like butter and are carbo nitrated to RC of 60. But in time, they will wear and then you will have to spend more money to replace them. By the time you spend the money on one set of CH4D dies and then replace them, you could have a very good set of Blackmon dies and save some money on the backside... Now it might be a while before the CH4D dies needs to be replaced, if you look far down the road, is that something you are willing to do and willing to spend the money twice, or spend it once and not have to worry about it?

Just my 2 cents...

[BLASTER62]

No zombies hit it right. I am in the process of tooling up to offer a lot of new caliber dies. Bullets and dies is now my full time job as well as stay home dad to my twin 4 year old girls.

I have found that I can produce a quality die for nearly any caliber bullet. I have had great success at offering the improved CH dies and I'm now taking the necessary steps to expand into riffle caliber dies. I make it a point to ensure my customers are going to be completely satisfied with my products or I do everything I can to make it right. I need to test and prove some of these newly designed dies and bullets before I can offer them for sale. This will take me a little while and may include some testing by fellow members and shooters here.

Once I have proven the capibilities of these new caliber bullets and dies I will be able to offer them for sale.

It is my goal to be able to supply quality dies with as short of lead time as possible. At the pressent time I am still gathering the neccesary tools and jumping threw all the hoops to legitimize my new business venture. In the mean time I will continue to post info on my current progress and new dies and bullets. At this time I do not have a 22 cal set ready but things are happening fast for me since I have all my free time to devote to this business now.

Thanks to all of you for your support and positive remarks. I will certainly do my best at offering a quality set of dies at an affordable price.

Thanks

BT

BT: Why dot you set your die's up for commercial jackets, and save on heat treating brass? Sniper

[BT Sniper]

Yes good idea.

In fact every die I know of can use anything for a jacket, yes? Only determining factor is length and diameter of jacket/brass as well as wall thinkness and weight/size of core correct? I might not quite understand your reference to commercial jackets. I suppose you would mean a core seat die that is just slightly larger in diameter then avialble commercial jackets with a punch that fits just perfectly inside the jacket to seat the core without the lead bleeding out? Yes that can be done! I do have a few 308 jackets I can play with that where given to me. Never looked much into commercial jackets, suppose I will I guess.

I'm up for sugestions and ideas.

Thanks

BT

[BwBrown]

Yes good idea.

In fact every die I know of can use anything for a jacket, yes? Only determining factor is length and diameter of jacket/brass as well as wall thinkness and weight/size of core correct? I might not quite understand your reference to commercial jackets. I suppose you would mean a core seat die that is just slightly larger in diameter then avialble commercial jackets with a punch that fits just perfectly inside the jacket to seat the core without the lead bleeding out? Yes that can be done! I do have a few 308 jackets I can play with that where given to me. Never looked much into commercial jackets, suppose I will I guess.

I'm up for sugestions and ideas.

Thanks

BT

Problem I've experienced is that magic combination of ready availability and cost of commercial jackets. Corbin price list shows jakets not available... others similar.

Reused brass is all but free - you pick'em up, or pay someone who picked them up for you. Annealing is made to sound like rocket science it really isn't.

[BT Sniper]

I can see the need for good jackets and dies if you are shooting for score/comp and doing a lot of it. For plinking, cheap brass cases is sure nice and yes annealing can be very easy. Do be sure and check out the great annealing sticky at top of forum.

BT

[BLASTER62]

BT: How do you get your core weight with your brass case's? core swage die. I take it most of your die's are one step. Blaster

[zuke]

total bullet weight - fired brass weight = lead weight.
Find a 6 cavity bullet mold that cast close to your needed weight and dia. and your a happy camper.

[a.squibload]

While you're waiting for a point die, check this out:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=89177&highlight=drill+bushing

I searched for "drill bushing", thought I had read about de-rimming on the cheap.

[7of7]

I contacted Dave Corbin to see if he had a point forming die in stock... his reply,
"Right now I'm sold out of everything. But we are working on 6-S, ULD, and 1-E ogive dies and should have some before much longer. Demand has been impossible to satisfy, and inventory is just a memory."

That was at the beginning of February..