swaging press

[jlallen89]

can you use a reloading press for swaging

[legend]

yes,with some heavy duty presses;however you will be asking the press to do something it probably was not designed to do and press life may be short..

if i were to try it i might start with half jacket designs.

i am hopeing someone else will chime in with better info for you.

good luck!

[mac0083]

The smaller calibers would be easier on the reloading press.
I think that even a half jacket would be too much.
What bullet are you trying to swage on the reloading press?
And do you want it only lead or a jacket?


I just remembered something. You can use a reloading press (like the Rock Chucker for example) to turn old .22LR brass into jackets for .223

[Fadi]

From everything I've been reading (as I prepare to take the plunge into swaging) it depends on the press. How sturdy is the design and what kind of mechanical advantage do you get.

I'm going to piggyback on jlallen's thread here and ask if anyone has any stats on the amount of pressure it actually take to swage good lead vs. jacketed bullets.

And then, what kind of pressures are some typical reloading presses capable of applying/withstanding?

There's an old 1-ton arbor press I can pick up pretty easily, but I have no idea of the technical requirements.

[mac0083]

Tagging on to what FADI said about the arbor press, how much force would it take to flatten and expand a copper disk a little larger than a penny(thicker too) Maybe I could form cups from the copper disks, then form jackets from the cups. Or just go from the disk to the jacket in one step. What would I need to do this?

[Bent Ramrod]

For swaging on a reloading press, you would need a reinforced "C" press at minimum. This would be something like the heavier Herter's, the old Pacific Super, or one of the "C" presses that used the steel strap between the primer arm slot on the bottom with a flange or T-slot on top. Alternatively, a Hollywood Senior, with the linkage shortened and the strap between the top and bottom. A regular "C" press would flex too much, and turret presses or other designs would flex way too much.

Better, for a press that mostly does reloading, would be an "O" frame. A RCBS Rock Chucker or Junior, a Redding, or a Lee Classic Cast are examples of this type.

Then comes the question of linkage and leverage. I started swaging with a Pacific Super, and if you go with a press with this kind of simple linkage, buy some liniment as well as swage lube. The up side is you will have "arms of steel" by the time you amortize your swaging investment in bullets. Back in the Good Old Days, this was about all you had unless you had a screw press or big arbor press or a hydraulic arrangement. The RCBS Rock Chucker compound linkage not only gives you much better leverage, but it allows a limit to the punches' travel, so the core seating and point forming are not so totally subject to "feel."

From the O designs with the compound linkage, the next step up is the Walnut Hill type press which I understand has a tool steel ram and bearings, and is really a swaging press set up for reloading on the side rather than the reverse. Somewhere in this spectrum is the reloading press you have; hopefully this helps you judge its suitability for swaging.

[trevj]

One of the points raised by some of the Corbin's writing, is that the ram on a reloading press that has been slotted for a primer arm, is a weak point in the mix.

A solid ram arm is something to consider. IIRC, RCBS sells a solid ram for their presses.

Cheers
Trev

[454PB]

I use both my RCBS Rockchucker and Lee Classic Turret for swaging .224 bullets using Corbin dies.

[JohnM]

I’ve got 4 RCBS Rockchucker presses. 2 have heavier shafts and longer handles for swaging 308 bullets and rims of rimfire brass! The longer handles make it a lot easy over a day’s work. All these presses have been modified by Larry Blackmore.

John

[bohica2xo]

It all depends on the diameter of the bullet, and the operation you are performing.

.224, 6mm, and the like can easily be done in an "O" type press. My de-rimming die is mounted in a 20 buck Lee aluminum "C" press, and has been there for years.

If you plan to swage jacketed .375's you will need a true swaging press.

Straight lead bullets for handguns, paper patch etc. can usually be done in an "O" press without overworking things. The original CH Swage-O-Matic was a "C" type press.

B.

[Fadi]

I'm really looking to make jacketed .375s and .458s, so it looks like I may need to get serious.

I've got two Lyman turret presses and I knew that wouldn't do it, but it sounds like for the work I want to do just getting a rockchucker won't do it.

Every arbor press I've used is essentially a reinforced C-press MUCH heavier than any hand powered reloading press. I'm still toying with the idea of making adapters to be able to use something like that (because I have access to it), but then most likely the adapters would be the weak point if I built them out of anything I can handle in my garage.

I do have a machinist friend that owes me a favor or two...

[bohica2xo]

Fadi:

People bring up arbor presses for this job all the time. The problem with an arbor press is that it is built for force in one direction.

A swaging press provides force on the return stroke to eject the part from the die. Once you shove that .375 into a die, it takes some force to remove it.

B.

[gjb]

Don't use a RCBS JR. I can suppy parts the first time handle broke off last time it cracked from the die base. becareful with the shell holder if you notice ti starts to snap out hard and change the ram. Mine went down swedging 158 gr swc but I think the "lead " was pure. I never checked the hardness but the Herters press does not have a problem after8 yrs.

[WilGoodlett]

In the old days I used to swage a 30 cal. full jacketed bullet as well as 38 cal. half jackets..I used an RCBS A-2 press which has not been in production for years...I still have mine and use it only when I am remaking cases that take a lot of pressure...Before I bought the A-2 I had a really nice C-H Htype press...(hasnt been made in years) I thought that the C-H would take the stress of bullet swaging....NOT So..I ended up with a piece of junk that C-H would not replace...There are still a few Massive Herters presses to be had...I have a RCBS Jr3 which is a nice press but I feal sure that it would not last long swaging bullets...

Good luck...Wil Goodlett......also you might watch ebay for an old herters press...

[Sixgun Symphony]

Check ebay for an old Herters press, they're out there and they sell for about half the cost of a new press.

[Crooked Creek]

I've used an RCBS A-2 press for 7MM jacketed bullets and an older (late '70's) Rockchucker press for 30 cal. jacketed since the late '80's without any problems. The Rockchucker was "modified" with a new ram I bought from Larry Blackmon when I got a set of 30 cal. dies from him. The only modification to the press itself was to drill a hole in the front of the casting for insertion of the ejector pin and the swapping the new ram which is set up on the end to receive the punches Larry uses for his dies. They work great, I know several people that have used that arrangement.