Herters 45acp lead swage die

[n.h.schmidt]

I have some questions about using this die. The big one for me is what kind of lube will work with smooth sided soft lead slugs? Will I get leading at normal 45acp speeds? I will have to cast something to use as cores. I'm no stranger to casting boolits for many calibers and have molds for 45acp. I don't get leading with my 45 cast boolits with one or more grooves. I don't know what to expect with a smooth sided boolit. I do have plain base 45 gas checks I could size on the boolits if that would help.
Any advice would help with this.
Thanks
n.h.schmidt

[Pipefitter]

If you are going to use dead soft lead the gas checks will help, or even the half jackets if you can find them (I have a partial box (950+) if you are interested). Lee liquid alox or Dave Corbin's dip lube works for the smooth sided slugs. You may want to try knurling the slugs before lubing, this can be done with a knurling tool from Dave Corbin, or by laying a bullet on a hard flat surface and rolling it with a coarse file.

[n.h.schmidt]

Soft lead is likely the only way I can do it. The press is not liking the strain .I wonder if warming the the slugs before swageing would reduce the effort. I do have the Lee liquid alox on hand. I will give them a try first smooth sided.
Thanks for the reply
n.h.schmidt

[Sasquatch-1]

Just a hint. Try casting a slug similar to the final shape of your swaging die. Lube the slug then swage it. I do this all the time using range scrap lead that test out to about 14 -15 bhn. Enough lube stays on the bullet to be effective. I am using a Hawks Precision bullets swage die.

[Pipefitter]

If you have a 44 mold close to the weight you are looking for cast some in pure lead and try using that for your core.
As for warming the cores first you would probably have to get them too hot to handle before you would notice any difference.

[n.h.schmidt]

Good advice from you guys. I'm going to look at a 44 mold to make cores from. Rolling the cores in lube could work. I will give that a try too.
n.h.schmidt

[reed1911]

Using pure or nearly so lead is fine so long as you keep the velocity down. I use it in my .38 SP, .44 SP, and 45 acp and colt all the time. Swaged pure lead, tumbled in alox, velocities below 800FPS and shoot all day. Good inexpensive practice and the destruction to bottles and old fruit is instantaneous and violent.