Bump up in size?

[lunicy]

If i had .308 bullets (jacketed) could I mash them up in size to .311 (762x39). Would I just put the bullet in a 7.62 die, or is there another process involved?

[Onlymenotu]

umm * till someone that comes along with smarts than me on this subject*.... in swagging they always say size down,,,, don't bump up... as it can cause the jackets to come loose from the core,,,,,,, I'm not sure if it works that way with the bought'n stuff too...... he he hopefuly you'll get your answer soon * someone should be along shortly to help you*

[georgeld]

Give a couple of them a try and see what the results are.
Might work for you and not others.
I've read of others doing it and came out ok, I haven't.

Good luck

[Bent Ramrod]

Actually, the swaging should go up, to larger diameters, for best results. The lead is inelastic, the cupronickel jacket springs back a little. So if you reduce the size of the bullet, the jacket will spring loose. If you squeeze the bullet larger, the jacket will try to spring back smaller, gripping the lead core more tightly.

In practice, though, I've sized .263-.264" bullets down to .261" to fit in an oversized .25 Remington bore and if any inaccuracy resulted from the "loose" jackets, I never noticed it. Probably another thing that would only be noticed in benchrest competition or x-treme varminting.

[BrentD]

Swaging is always a bump up in size. Down sizing in standard swaging dies is difficult, and it can be hard on equipment.

[Cap'n Morgan]

If i had .308 bullets (jacketed) could I mash them up in size to .311 (762x39)

I don't see why not - especially if it is a flat base bullet.

This picture shows two 150 grains Hornady .284 Interbond bullets. The top one has been swaged down to .277 in a homemade two-step sizing die (.284/.2765) Notice how it has stretched slightly.

(Please forgive me for posting a picture of ja***ted boolits):(

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9749/7mm270nr4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Buckshot]

..........Bent Ramrod is right. The core seating die shold be smaller then the final forming die. This way the lead core and jacket are both expanded a bit in the forming die. The lead doesn't shrink back when the pressure comes off and the jacket wants to, but can't. This way you get a good bond.

.................Buckshot

[Bent Ramrod]

Cap'n Morgan,

How do those bullets shoot?

[Cap'n Morgan]

How do those bullets shoot?

They shoot just fine.
I was looking for a 150 grain "premium" hunting bullet for my 270 Win, other than the Nosler PT I normally use. The Hornady Interbond looked like a good candidate, but it only come in a 130 grain version. So, just for the fun of it, I tried swaging down the .284, 154 grain.

Then, before I had time to do any serious testing, I got an offer I couldn't refuse for 200, 150 grain Speer Grand Slam bullets. It may be a while before I get to the bottom of those :-D

I tried swaging several other .284 bullets down to .277, but it works best with bonded cores. Nosler BT and Hornady SST will open the jackets ever so slightly, just behind the tip

[wonderwolf]

Yeah I was surprised to read on corbins site that swaging was actually bumping up in size and drawing was going down in size and that you should always start with jackets and cores smaller than your dies.