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0verkill
12-31-2011, 06:05 AM
I have looked all over this site and the net but cannot find anyone who has actually swaged .251 bullets from shotgun primers. I know not many people load for the 25 ACP and even fewer cast for it, so it seems there would be fewer still that actually swage bullets for it.

My big question is, does anybody do it? Even know anyone who has swaged 25 ACP's from spent shotgun primers? Anybody else besides me even interested in doing so?

shotman
12-31-2011, 09:12 AM
NO
but if you want to cast for it Ranch Dog has the mold

elk hunter
12-31-2011, 11:27 AM
Corbin used to make dies to make 25 acp bullets from primers. You might look through some of their books to see if they explain how it was done. As I recall the 25 acp takes a .250 diameter bullet.

Reload3006
12-31-2011, 11:35 AM
I think Corbin MFG still lists the set. I dont know that I would go that route as most 209s are no longer copper the last thousand I bought were aluminum. that may still be ok for your purposes but they arent copper either.

Hamish
12-31-2011, 12:22 PM
http://www.bulletswage.com/used.htm

Scroll down about a quarter of the page, 25 acp set for sale.

Ervin
12-31-2011, 12:28 PM
I did that about 30 years ago when you could still get copper primers. Know that some are aluminum and some are magnetic now. Haven't seen a copper primer in awhile. It is a simple process and I would look through some of Corbins books.
Ervin

blltsmth
12-31-2011, 12:50 PM
I have the corbin set as well as a .25 auto pistol I bought for $35 at a local gun show. I also bought a 1000 once fired brass from back east somewhere. Setting up for and making these small pills is a real PIA! By the time you accumulate the primers, hammer out the anvil,push them through the draw die and then through the die sets to make the bullets,you can just as easily be spending the time making something you actually want to shoot. I loaded about 2 boxes of shells with said bullets and they shot wonderful out of the little pistol. Have since moved on to making bigger and better things. The draw die does come in useful for drawing down other cases though.

0verkill
01-02-2012, 05:32 PM
Hey guys, thanks for all the replies. I already load and cast for the 25 ACP, I was lucky I started doing so before I heard how hard it was. I think the 25 ACP was the third set of pistol dies I bought, so I kinda got broke in the hard way I guess.
I knew that Corbin made dies for it at least at one time, thanks for the link so I know they still make them, and have a used set for sale. They're expensive considering how little I would use them, but I'm tempted by the fact they have a custom Keith SWC nose punch with them.
I was really wanting to hear experiences with making them this way but didn't really expect to get a reply. I know the 25 ACP isn't very popular with reloaders or casters and I presumed swagers as well. Since the 25 ACP and 25 NAA are the only cartridges that take .251" bullets.
I really like the idea of taking what most people call junk and making something out of it. That's why I got into reloading, taking brass that most people leave laying and turning it into something useful. I bought a set of .357 and .430 swage dies a while back to turn 32 ACP and 30 Carbine brass into 38 bullets and 40 S&W brass into 44 bullets for the same reason. I can also use my wrinkled reject bullets as cores, one more case of turning junk into something useful.
I've been finding a lot of Remington hulls that still has copper colored primers in them, whether they're from an old stash or new I don't know.. Ervin, if you're still wanting to swage for the 25 it may pay to look into those. I may have to look at them more closely myself, they may be copper washed steel or aluminum.

fecmech
01-02-2012, 06:46 PM
They are all magnetic now,at least the shell of the primer is. I believe the actual primer cup struck by the pin is still brass.

0verkill
01-03-2012, 11:15 AM
Yep, the batch I had I knocked a few primers out and then knocked the anvil and actual primer out of the cup (used a 25 ACP shellholder and a universal decap die, worked real well). I guess I'll have to throw away all the Remington hulls I'd been saving just for the primers. It's good to know that the 25 shellholder works so good with 209 primers if you wanted to reprime them with pistol primers I guess.
I'm still looking for a set of 25 ACP swage dies, I sent blltsmth a PM about his. I think I had some hulls that the cup looked brass. I'll have to try to dig them out and see if they're brass or just plated too.