Shot my first Swagged bullets today!

[Gunnut 45/454]

New to the game - have the Corbins 22LR conversion set to make .224 bullets. I finally jumped on the bandwagon cause I see the writting on the wall as far as legistlation coming down the pipe(EPA). And refuse to be priced out of shooting. As long time caster I understand the need to have a stable quantity of good bullets for reloading and for shooting/hunting. Now I have the capability to produce quality bullets to feed my AR's.
at pennies per hundred. Been thinking on this since the last shortage/scare when buying .224 bullets was dam near impossible and still is at a decent price. The price for the set up was prohibative but I finally bit the bullet an bought the Corbin setup. I'm glad I did! After some learning, going through a few test runs I made up some decent bullets getting them with in my goal of .1 gr of 55gr -not really hard just takes a little more time. Loaded up 8 rounds to do a test through my 1:9" 16" DPMS at 100 yards for function/accuracy at that distance. Sorry no pic of target but for the first go around I am more then pleased- besides 3 flyers (I think caused by slightly to small diameter bullets- I know how to get the right size now) I had a nice 5 shot group of 2.337" ! About right on par with standard 5.56mm 55 gr XM193 loads.

Load was: LC brass , CCI SR primers, 25 gr Benchmark COAL 1.185"

Didn't chrony the loads as it was only 11 degrees here today. But figure they were around 3000 fps!

Now the fun begins going to make up some 60 grs as that seems to be a decent weight that both of my AR's love the other is a 1:7" PSA 16 ". Should make a heck of a Yote load.:smile:

[Reload3006]

congrats you will now be an incurable addict like the rest of us LOL

[ricklaut]

Nice! I'm just a few days behind you...

[nhrifle]

I'll be sending a few downrange soon as well!

[Gunnut 45/454]

nhrifle
So how did that mold work out? The Bater. I'm still shooting my cast rounds just wanted to exspand my horrizon's in the AR.

[nhrifle]

I've had some luck with that in my Encore but the AR isn't taking a love to it. Has to be something I am doing so I am not giving up and warmer weather in a few months will allow more time for load development.

[Smokin7mm]

Just watch your velocities if you are shooting a faster twist barrel. I tried some of my bullet that I did up at 60 & 70gr. I don't know the exact velocity as I did not have my chronograph with me but as I worked up through the loads it was obvious when the bullets started coming apart as they would not make it to the target. Mine is a 1-8" twist.

Bret

[Gunnut 45/454]

Yea Corbin suggests keeping them down below 3100 fps. I know my load of 25gr of Benchmark in the 16" will be very close or just under 3000 fps. If I go an shoot these in my Savage I'm probably going to have to down load it some to keep them under 3000 fps.

[supe47]

RPMs are the bullet killers. I've taken my 55 grainers over 280,000 rpm but bullet survival was at about 80%. 3500 fps in a 1-9" twist is about max for my Savage. Had the 22-250 with a 1-12" almost to 4000 fps (3950 fps) but that's only 237,000 rpms. 100% survival. The 60's I made with an exposed lead tip preferred the 250k range. They seemed a bit more fragile.

[BT Sniper]

I've had some luck with that in my Encore but the AR isn't taking a love to it. Has to be something I am doing so I am not giving up and warmer weather in a few months will allow more time for load development.

I think he is referring to cast lead bullets out of his AR. The "bater" as mentioned in post #5 is a 22 cal cast boolit mold.

Good advise on the 22lr jacketed bullets though. My FPS data matches Supe's out of our same Savage 223rem.

BT

[supe47]

Sorry. Just read up on the "bator". I can't imagine putting gas checks on a 22 cal., 7mm's are bad enough. My hat's off to ya.

[nhrifle]

Yup that's a mould and those are teeny little things to put gas checks on. Probably won't be doing much .223 casting now that I'm setup for swaging tho.

[MOcaster]

Yup that's a mould and those are teeny little things to put gas checks on. Probably won't be doing much .223 casting now that I'm setup for swaging tho.

You're right on the money there! It is so much easier to swage 22s that cast them one at a time. Then there is a 50% cull rate with a single cavity mold, then you have to size them, then you have to load then down. I love swaging just for not having to do that.

[BT Sniper]

You're right on the money there! It is so much easier to swage 22s that cast them one at a time. Then there is a 50% cull rate with a single cavity mold, then you have to size them, then you have to load then down. I love swaging just for not having to do that.

Probably one of the first comments I have seen in favor of swaging vs. casting. I certainly do not wish to feed any grudge match between cast vs. swage but it is certainly nice to hear there is a time, or caliber, when swaging is mentioned in favor of casting. :)

I say good shooting and cast and/or swage on! Anything to allow ourselves to shoot more homemade bullets!

BT

[ricklaut]

I got to shoot my first swaged rounds today... I'm happy. It certainly wasn't an extensive test session, and I think my chronograph was lying to me (...based also on results I was seeing from some 30-06 rounds I put across it). My initial goals were achieved... at a minimum, I have safe, reliably functioning plinking rounds (...but am confident they're much more than that. More testing required).

* They didn't fly apart (tested @ 50, then 100 yards).
* Accuracy was on-par with what I see with Hornady 55 GR FMJBTs out of the same AR (16", 1:9 with just an EoTech red dot on it).
* They also functioned fine w/ similar accuracy from my buddy's AR.
* We tried some through his bolt gun too, but had a couple of fliers (3 within a dime and 2 an inch out; one high & one low). It's an untested system as far as accuracy goes (remounted / untested scope & action).

Since these are some of the very first swaged rounds I made, I can't complain at all!

Oh, and I've never cast .224 boolits, but I can't imagine doing so! Put me down for another vote in favor of swaging if it matters :).

[BT Sniper]

Good shooting Rick! Pretty cool shooting your own jacketed bullets isn't it!

BT

[ricklaut]

Good shooting Rick! Pretty cool shooting your own jacketed bullets isn't it!

BT

Indeed... it is. Quite liberating, frankly :).

[supe47]

Considering the cost of a gas check, lube and tin for the lead, I can swage 22s for a little less than cast. Agreed, the cost of dies are more than a mold, luber/sizer and pot but I see the tools I use as an investment and do not factor in that cost. I get my cases and pure lead free so for me swaging IS cheaper. Also, my Mil brass was free so primer-$.027+ powder $.06= 9 cents a shot.......not bad. Tula toss away is 35 cents with no case to reload. Just have to keep reminding myself that this is a labor of love.

[Dave18]

I remember back when I fought with drawing rims and casting cores the first time then the sticking a bullet in the die, (all in the first week)and then shooting 53g rfj, out of a(now ) old colt A1 20in and getting in under 2in groups at 100yds with non trimmed jackets,, non swaged cores, just poured, and mixed brass cases,
still wonder to this day how I got groups that good back then, since refining my processes,

[Prospector Howard]

Yep. What I've said all along. And I don't mind feeding the grudge match a little. There's no comparison between a cast .223 boolit and swaged jacketed .223. Try shooting a cast .223 anywhere near the speed of jacketed and you'd be lucky to get a group the size of a barn door. The main problem for people tho is getting the swaging dies for a reasonable price and not having to wait forever to get them. Once your there tho, there's no going back.
Considering the cost of a gas check, lube and tin for the lead, I can swage 22s for a little less than cast. Agreed, the cost of dies are more than a mold, luber/sizer and pot but I see the tools I use as an investment and do not factor in that cost. I get my cases and pure lead free so for me swaging IS cheaper. Also, my Mil brass was free so primer-$.027+ powder $.06= 9 cents a shot.......not bad. Tula toss away is 35 cents with no case to reload. Just have to keep reminding myself that this is a labor of love.

[ricklaut]

...The main problem for people tho is getting the swaging dies for a reasonable price and not having to wait forever to get them. Once your there tho, there's no going back.

Describes me exactly. I was looking into swaging in 2009 (hadn't yet found this site), and both the price & turnaround kept me out of it. That is until I saw the writing on the wall with the component shortage. I giggle a little now :).

The only bullets I need to buy now are for my .30 cal stuff. Swaging that is next - just can't afford to jump in yet.

[supe47]

For me the deciding factor for buying my dies was bullet accessibility. Hang the price. Shortly after I saw the effect the election of Obama had I made my order. Darn glad I did. I want what I want, when I want it. Sounds like an addiction, doesn't it?

[Gunnut 45/454]

90617Gentlemen
My post on the Bater was to NHrifle as I had sold him my Bator mold cause it wasn't working for me. I do cast bullets for my AR's/Savage bolt gun. Using the Lyman mold now which gives me a nice 62gr GC bullet. Works real good in my AR with 18.7 gr of IMR4895.

Now I'm swaggin bullets as well . Got out today and shot my Swagged 60gr load at 100 yards- it was cold 28! With a nice breeze in my face. So don't get on me about the group size!! :) Very pleased considering ,not the tightest group but no flyers! So I think I got the technic down to keep bullet diameter consistant. I think I'll give these a go in my Savage next!

Now I make mine alittle differently them you all- I don't segragate brass by maker nor weight core /cases seperately. I trim the core close to case length then wt both at the same time an then file the core to get the correct wt. My bullets are within +.1 of a grain of 60gr or right on. Yes there is some deviation between cases as far as length but not enough to worry about for my purposes. Now when I start shooting the Postal matches I might care but not right now.

[fredj338]

I am getting sub 1.5moa form my 22lr/swaged bullets, about as good as the bulk FMJ, so I am happy. I run them from 2800-3100fps in a 16" 1-7 & a 20" 1-8. I've mad right at 1000, feel good about the process & time involved. Thanks again BT, glad I made the jump.

[Gunnut 45/454]

Fred
Yep thats my goal for the AR's cheap plinkin and varmit bullets. I can get nice sub MOA groups with my Savage and FMJ's (AE 55gr) so I expect nice tight groups with these swags in it. Then it's on to wacking a yote or two with them. I think the 60gr will be used in the AR with 1:9" I'm hoping the 63 gr will shoot very well in the Savage as it really likes SEI 63gr SP's.