swaging 40 s&w cases?

[rockrat]

Picked up a fired 40 s&w at the range. Got out the calipers and noticed it was .432" in diameter. Could you make bullets out of these, for the 44 rifles. :idea:
Mainly thinking of trying it out in a NEF with an oversizer bore, that has been rechambered to 445sm. Thanks

[joejr]

40s&w in 44mag

[DLCTEX]

Is that lead shot swaged into the .40 case? Dale

[Old Ironsights]

Boy, wouldn't THAT mess with the CSI types...

"His body was riddled with cartridge cases..."

"Don't you mean bullets?"

"No, he actually had a half dozen cartridge cases buried in his chest.... " :twisted:

I wonder what would work in a .45-70?....

[runfiverun]

especially when all the cases were coded differently

[bobk]

.35 Remington should do for .45-70, or fired .303 Brit or .30-40. 5.56 for .375. I think I would form the case, dribble shot into it, and hit it with a propane torch. Melt and maybe bond the core, while annealing the brass. You could make a neat bullet for the .338s by using .32 auto brass, melt the shot, and seat a real soft .32 bullet for the nose. Now for the truly weird, I could maybe run a .375 expander into a 9 X 23 case, to make bullets for my .405. Mash a soft LEE .379(?) 250 into the case for the soft nose. Or use a 5.56 with the rim turned off, and the primer pocket drilled out, shortened to appropriate length, seated upside down into the expanded 9 X 23. Dribble shot into the primer pocket, and do the propane torch thing, adding shot until it fills up. Make a cheap solid. I may try this last one.
Bob K

[EMC45]

Joejr,
How do they work? What is the final gr. weight of the "bullet"?

[wonderwolf]

.432"??????

Book says .424" what head stamp are these? I'll mic some when I get home. This thought crossed my mind not long ago but I'm already working on the 45acp project and hopeing to work on .22lr before summer time :Fire:

[jhrosier]

.432"??????....

Fired in a Glock, probably.

Jack

[rockrat]

jhrosier is correct!! Federal's American Eagle line.

Found some 9mm mag cases at a store and almost bought them for bullets for my 375 h&h. Wonder if I could make some point forming dies for the 40 s&w cases? Put the case in the shellholder and go for it.

Have a die that does this to mag rifle cases to use in the "big" 50!

[joejr]

i start them into a lee 357 sizing die to roll the mouth of the case in , i then lube with case lube and run them through a lee 429 sizing die,fill with shotand seal with clear silicone caulking. they end up weighing around 180 grains +or- 2 grains.i load with 11.2 grains of unique and cci 300 lpp,col1.645" they shoot great in my 629&vaquero,they penetrate 6"or7"in cedar chopping block. i use a heavy roll crimp to keep them from mooving under recoil
joejr

[Old Ironsights]

Have you tried filling them with the precious silver stream, or are you doing strictly "shot filled" cases??

[joejr]

old ironsights_ i havn't tried that yet i'd have to file off the exess i guess. i was playing around with this cause i ran out of ww and had a lot of 40 brass. i have 125 lbs all smelted and ready to go now
joejr

[kawalekm]

I'm gearing up to try this too. I'm attempting two approaches, using a 175 grain .400 TC as a core, and also by filling the case to the brim with hot lead. the .400 core plus the case makes about a 240 grain bullet, the lead filled case should make a 275 grain bullet. I'll be swaging with CH101HP dies in my RockChucker. I've annealed the cases first on the kitchen stove, and they mic out at about .425" to .426". They're quite soft, so I'm expecting them to bump up to .429". I'm trying to get around to it!
Michael

[Old Ironsights]

old ironsights_ i havn't tried that yet i'd have to file off the exess i guess. i was playing around with this cause i ran out of ww and had a lot of 40 brass. i have 125 lbs all smelted and ready to go now
joejr

See, I see this as a potentially really amazingly good way to use a batch of bad alloy.

Who cares if you got zinc in it and get bad fill out? pour it into brass sases and swage them into condoms! Waste not, want not! :mrgreen:

[bobk]

The question I have is, wouldn't it be easier to swage the case empty, and then melt the lead into it. If using shot, it would be easy to arrive at a repeatable weight with a scale. Or am I full of condensed apple pie?

Bob K

[joejr]

i tried filling 40s&w with ww and grinding off the lead flush with case mouth, then i pushed them through a lee .429 sizing die. they ended up weighing around 285 to 290 grains. 20 grains of imr 4227,cci 300 lpp,col 1.740". they shoot good in my 629 classic,good penetration
joejr

[joejr]

photo,cheap jacketed bullets

[Southern Son]

Joejr,
excuse me if you have already stated this, I am a bit slow, but you don't use any swaging press or dies, just the lee .357 sizing die followed by a .44 magnum sizing die? If so, that is brilliant, to have made something like that with a Walnut Hill and some expensive dies is one thing, but to mash them out with standard dies is a true feat of genius.


Ron.

[Molly]

Yeah, using cases to form bullets as you guys are describing is a good trick, but an old one. It was somewhat popular during WWII, when just about all ammo produced commercially went straight to the military. I've posted a few combinations and notes here and / or the CBA forum, if anyone wants to dig them out.

Molly

[Old Ironsights]

Hmmm... I wonder what cases would work in a .45-70 or .357...

[joejr]

30 carbine would work in 357 but you would have to cut them off. 357 sig would work in 44mag,with no need to roll the top in. the only thing i notice with brass jackets,is a gold colored bore
joejr

[georgeld]

Try some bullet lube in the groove., or maybe alox them all over.

A good pointer die wouldn't be hard to make. Take a piece of all thread center drill into it. That would give a point and taper, depending on how hard you shove it in.

Use a round end mill to cut the hole on the other end of this "die" and you'd have two shapes real easy. See how slick things come along once you present the idea??

Somewhere on one of the long threads of Thors, I posted the whole list of case dia's. About ten of them. Too many to go back to measure them all again. am not sure where I put that list in one of the books, or notebooks.

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

Could the 40 S&W be swaged to produce a 45 acp jacket or is that to much to stretch the brass? I thought is might be a good way to get rid of all the mistakes that I pick up at the range.

Regards,
Everett

[Hackleback]

What do you think about just shooting them empty as a plinker. Maybe put a couple gr of quick (Bullseye or Unique) powder below????

[DLCTEX]

I think it would be easier to swage the 45 case down to 452 than to bump up a 40 case .020.
Chuck a Lee case trimmer cutter in a drill press and clamp the lock stud in a vice to trim the case shorter, or insert a wooden dowell and use a tubing cutter. Just thinking. DALE

[Molly]

What do you think about just shooting them empty as a plinker. Maybe put a couple gr of quick (Bullseye or Unique) powder below????

Actually, this can work out surprisingly well. Years ago, it used to be fairly popular to shoot bullet jackets (no lead) the same way. (Closed end forward was most popular.) Makes for good shooting, not only indoors, but for small game and garden pests too, with very low sectional density and short danger zones. Great way to put jackets that don't come up to your swaging standards to good use.

Molly

[Johnch]

What do you think about just shooting them empty as a plinker. Maybe put a couple gr of quick (Bullseye or Unique) powder below????

LOL I shoot 40 S&W cases that have been loaded to many times or are starting to split ( I load in lot's )


I push them thru a .430 dia Lee sizer die after spraying on some case sizing lube
To make sure they are round

I load them base up as a lite weight hollow base wad cutter
I ever so gently crimp them in the extractor grove

I load 3 gr of Bulleye for about 800 FPS , maybe faster as I have never checked them

Almost no recoil and accurate enough at 50'
But at 50 yds they have lost it almost all their velosity and don't group worth a hoot ( 2-3' patterens )

Oh BTW they shoot about 1' low at 50' out of my Redhawlk when sighted in for 250 gr target loads , so I put a aiming dot above my target

John

[georgeld]

Dale:
I cut a 4" pc of 3/4" sq tube, drilled a hole and tack welded a stud in place.
Makes a fine handle for trimming cases with the pin/cutter chucked in the drill press.
Was free, just used a piece from the scrap box. Ten minute job. I've written Lee
about offering a handle similar. Not gonna do it John wrote back. Oh well, lost sales
for Lee don't bother me any.