Saw what someone with skill on a lathe did....

[Harry O]

Picked up a 7/8" x 14 bolt the other day at a gunshow. A great big chunk of metal. It has a hole through the center of it. It was supposed to be a sizing die for the 9.5x57 Mannlicher-Schoenauer cartridge. Since I have one that caliber and since it was not very expensive, I bought it

I have tried it alongside of my RCBS dies. The job it does on fired cases is indistinguishable from the expensive dies. Someone did a good job.

[Swagerman]

I have recently had made a swageing die body made from such a bolt as you describe.

It works very good, except its too big on the entry hole which is .437 diameter, requested it be made in .433.

Jim

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/P3060002boltturnedintodie518X.jpg

[Harry O]

The one I have looks very much like the middle bolt in your picture. A little bit shorter, but just like it.

[Swagerman]

I should have explained, the top swaging die is what the middle bolt looked like after being cut and the top drilled and threaded to take the little fat bottom bolt with a hole drilled through it for the ejector stem. That little bolt was also turned to lessen the thick head...not needed.

Jim

[Morgan Astorbilt]

These 7/8-14 bolts are also great for turning a neck expander plug on the end. Being fast and easy, I use them all the time for this, when making obsolete brass out of available brass, such as 10.4x47R out of .348Win., or just some .38-55's out of .30-30. I usually turn them with two or three steps. Don't even have to set up my tool post grinder, just polish them with some wet or dry.
Never used them to produce the fine work that fellow did, I've always used tool steel, O-1 or D-2, so I could harden and grind them to specs.
Morgan