questions on my new swag o matic

[rmatchell]

I just picked up a swag o matic in S&S and im looking for all the information I can find.

I plan on reforming my cast more than anything but I would still like to know what the limits are with these presses. I am also on the hunt for more top punches, dies and parts.

[MOcaster]

Castpics.com has the manual. Here is the link. http://www.castpics.net/subsite/Manuals/Swage-O-Matic.pdf

[rmatchell]

Thanks for the link. I have found a few references to a few people testing the limits of the press but I havent found an actual thread yet.

[DukeInFlorida]

It's an aluminum framed press. It was designed for using relatively soft lead, and using it with a copper "half jacket", and forming either round nose, or SWC style bullets.
You are NOT going to be able to do any of the 9mm case > .40 caliber bullet swaging with it. Or, any of the other metal jacket donor case type swaging.

All I ever use mine for is reforming cast lead bullets into other shapes.

For example, I have a mold that casts 147 grain flat nose 9mm bullets. I run those, after casting, sizing, and lubing, into a 38 caliber die set on the Swage-O-Matic, and it bumps the 9mm bullets (.355) out to .358, and reforms the nose into SWC shape.

If you can find some half jackets, you MIGHT get some use of it that way. Hope you didn't spend much on it.

[rmatchell]

Thanks duke. I plan on on doing the same purpose for the most part.

If i can find the dimensions on the half jackets i might be able to make some, but thats just another project

[DukeInFlorida]

I see listings for half jackets here and on gunbroker all the time.
Cheaper to buy some than try to make them.

The reloading hobby STARTED in the 50's and 60's with lead bullets formed in half jackets. Those predate the commercial availability of bullets. That is to say, the ONLY way to get bullets early on was to make them, typically using the press that you have. When commercial manufacturers of bullets started to thrive, the companies making presses like yours went out of that business.

There were early stories of half jacket bullets leaving jackets in the barrel. I've never been able to figure out how that would be possible. Needless to say, half jacket bullets aren't as well made as jacketed bullets, but they served their purpose for decades.

Here is a picture of a half jacket 9mm bullet:
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/8444/img0803kn.jpg

Another picture of half jacket bullets, with the various nose styles:
http://www.bulletswage.com/images/swc7-sm.jpg

[rmatchell]

Great pictures duke.

The main reason I wanted this press is that the dies look simple enough for me to make. Im still learning how to use my lathe.