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View Full Version : Grocery list for swaging. Please Help



xman777
11-14-2013, 05:27 PM
Hello all, just a rundown of my future swaging plans: Please tell me if I am missing anything based on my caliber want list.
.308 Hoping for boat tail Have dies Corbin with Rebated Boattail and Tip Die
223 Have dies already Corbin with Tip Die
.300 Blackout
9mm On Order Don't know what mold to use as a core.
45ACP On Order
XTP Got it

Magma Master Caster casting 358 boolits for 45acp On the bench
Second mold for Master caster casting .185 cores at 45gr On the bench
Third mold for Master Caster casting .250 cores at 120gr I talked for hours with magma trying to get them to make adjustable molds because i am not set on my sizes. Let me know what you think? ON Order
RCII Press On the bench
BT Sniper tricked out RCII parts On Order
Corbin SP1 press working the 223 dies currently On the bench
CH4D Dies for 45 cal, which will later be used for pure lead 45 LC for my neighbor. Not sure what mold ill need to cast those puppies though. These i am running on the RCII currently to practice swaging bigger boolits. On the bench
My plans are to not have to touch much lead, I will probably buy ingots and smelt right in the master caster like i've been doing all along. I initially thought about a lead squirting press, but realized its a hell of a lot cheaper to semiautomatically cast cores at about 1000/hr. Does this make sense, or is there a cheaper way to get into lead squirting, because I really hate cooking the stuff.
I also like the concept of being able to swage from all types of available content, IE brass, copper tube, or even ready made jackets. I know that means more money, but eventually I think thats where I am going. My goal is to be able to make ammo from almost anything heavy.

This is all stuff that I personally shoot and/or someone I am in direct contact shoots a lot of, so material costs are somewhat absorbed with others funding.

Let me know your thoughts and if you think I missed anything here or if I'd be better off going in a different direction.
Your help is appreciated.

Cane_man
11-14-2013, 06:14 PM
just a few things come to mind:

micrometer, lanolin for lube, tumbler and media (ceramic works well) to clean cases/cores/bullets, lemishine/dawn etc., denatured alcohol or mineral spirits to clean cases, may have to trim cases depending upon what you are swaging, how are you annealing with lead pot or flame?, electronic scale to weigh cases and bullets... there is more i am missing probably but this comes to mind first

xman777
11-14-2013, 06:36 PM
Should have mentioned that I have all the reloading supplies already. To include SS tumblers and the whole nine. Plenty of Mics and scales and trimmers lying around. I've been handloading for a number of years now, so that stuff is around.
Annealing! Thats what I have forgotten.
Tips on BULK runs for annealing?

BT Sniper
11-14-2013, 07:44 PM
For the 9mm cores, When I make .358s from trimmed and sized 9mm brass I use the 92 grain 32 cal lee core mold. Makes for awesome 145 grain .357 mag bullets.

Your XTP, Universal and autoeject went out in today's mail.

BT

xman777
11-15-2013, 04:19 AM
Does your 9mm die make 9mm bullets or am I missing something? I was hoping for a 115 grain ish xtp clone for 9mm from 380 brass? Can I also make the 357? I mean, I know 9mm is 355 so we are in the ballpark here.

BT Sniper
11-15-2013, 12:12 PM
Yes the 9mm dies make .355 bullets of any weight you wish.

The CH .358 dies I have I use to make the 145 grain bullet I spoke of.

Two different calibers, two different die sets.


BT

xman777
11-15-2013, 12:46 PM
What is the preferred cast metals ratio for swaging? I just bought 130 lbs of range scrap, should I be cutting this with anything? I was looking into buying some pure lead ingots and some linotype. Some schooling here would be appreciated, I definitely do not want to break any of these dies because my lead was too hard. Remember I am casting on a machine if that makes any difference.

Reload3006
11-15-2013, 12:49 PM
What is the preferred cast metals ratio for swaging? I just bought 130 lbs of range scrap, should I be cutting this with anything? I was looking into buying some pure lead ingots and some linotype. Some schooling here would be appreciated, I definitely do not want to break any of these dies because my lead was too hard. Remember I am casting on a machine if that makes any difference.
the purer your lead the better. Keep your Lino type for cast boolits. Hard alloys will kill your arm and equipment.

BT Sniper
11-15-2013, 02:46 PM
What 30-06 said! Keep your lead cores as soft as possible, especially for bigger bullets. The bigger the bullet the more pressure needed to form it, the same is true for the lead cores with the harder they are.

Range scrap can be pretty hard if they are shooting commercial cast booits.

I advise all my customers to keep cores 10BNH or softer.

BT

xman777
11-15-2013, 02:56 PM
Good info. It looks like closer to pure lead is about twice the expense.

Whats a good source for this 10 or softer stuff?

xman777
11-27-2013, 09:15 AM
Bringing this back up. Just acquired a 6 die set of Corbins 308 dies with boattail and tip die for $500 Feel like I scored! Maybe, maybe not....

BLASTER62
11-27-2013, 02:17 PM
YA Think! Retail is around $1200.00

xman777
11-27-2013, 05:31 PM
Thought so...
I'm getting real lucky these days!