44 bullet swaged from 40 case questions

[MakeMineA10mm]

Wow, I should have looked in this section awhile ago... Swaging has interested me, except for the cost and complexity and difficulty of finding raw materials, and now I find all these problems solved!!

First off, in swaging 44-cal bullets from 40 S&W cases, I have a couple questions:

Is BT Sniper still selling his one-step form die?

Did BT or anyone else ever post their success (or catastrophe) with using the Lee Classic Cast press? (I saw the thread where BT set up a special ram extension, but couldn't find the review of how it's been holding up.)

Do the 40 cases need to be annealed, or is this just recommended, such as to make forming pressure lower or better results, or ???

If I don't want to mess with trimming the 40 brass, what weight 44 bullet should I expect to get, if I want a TC-nose with a meplat just big enough to avoid primer set-off issues in a tubular magazine and just a little bit of lead exposed?

[buck1]

Is BT Sniper still selling his one-step form die?
YES HE IS!


Did BT or anyone else ever post their success (or catastrophe) with using the Lee Classic Cast press? (I saw the thread where BT set up a special ram extension, but couldn't find the review of how it's been holding up.)

I think its all going well, but I will add after LOTS of these being made on my rc press. I have had no trouble with my ram. If i did RCBS would replace it for free.


Do the 40 cases need to be annealed, or is this just recommended, such as to make forming pressure lower or better results, or ???
I have read threads where cases were not annealed. But its sooooooo easy to do I have not tryed it un annealed. Stand cases up in a old cast iron pot/pan , turn on fire, when you can detect any red glow you are done. CAKE!!


If I don't want to mess with trimming the 40 brass, what weight 44 bullet should I expect to get, if I want a TC-nose with a meplat just big enough to avoid primer set-off issues in a tubular magazine and just a little bit of lead exposed?

I dont trim mine, they come out at or near 257gr.


Theres lots of "almosts" out there these days, but this rig just works. It walks the talk!
Last year I was in your shoes. This is the way in. Reasonable prices on quality equipment, cheep jackets, easy to make cores, easy process, use your press not a $500 hard to get press.
You need a mold for cores thats already premade by lee, The bts die, .40 jackets, A good press, lube, and your cooking. Plus lots of help from all of us here at your finger tips!....Buck:p

[pathfinder]

I use the LEE Classic and it works good for me. You should anneal the cases it makes them soft enough to expand.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use the Lee Classic cast Press for swaging.
I replaced the upper Ram piece with a custom machined piece.
this was the first one BT made. Works great, Holding up great.
He put 1/2" fine thread for ease of manufacture of the base punches,
also it's the same as CH uses on two of the other presses I have.

Anneal your brass, if you don't, you may find that the base (web) of the case
will not fully expand. That may not be a big deal, it'd give you sort of a Boat tail
shaped base...BUT, if the little expansion that does take place isn't uniform,
that would not be good for accuracy.
Jon

[MakeMineA10mm]

Thanks guys!! I hate 40S&Ws, so every piece of brass I find for that is just trash to me anyhow. So, now, if I can made 44 Mag Jackets out of them, I'll actually start saving them!! :roll:

I will definitely anneal. I can do it, but being lazy by nature, was trying to skip a step... :mrgreen:

Buck (or anyone else), what do you use for a core mould? I haven't got a 40 S&W case to even weigh, so I don't know what to expect for core weight and "jacket" weight. Do you expand the 40 case first, and then insert the core, or do you do it all in one shot? (I've seen BT's video, and it appears to be one-shot, but I also noticed the cores were already seated, so I'm not sure if there was an expanding step first or not?)

JonB - Could you post a pic of that new ram top-end? How easy/hard is it to switch out with the factory one? (I may like that anyway, because I'm working on a modification to cover up the primer arm slot, so spent primers quit bouncing out onto my lap when I'm de-capping. If I can get that thing off, it would make modding it easier...) After I post this, I might go to your albums here and see if you have some pics already uploaded here.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I'm in the middle of a Lube blending project right now.
I'll post photo's later. many are all ready here,
infact everything posted here is via my photobucket account.
here is link to my photobucket account.
http://s640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/

My new custom Lee upper ram piece is very easy to swap out.

I use a LEE 125gr. RN 9mm mold, I use soft Lead, but I may
be switching to a 50/50 blend of WW and solt Lead. there is
another post here about that.

I get 252 gr in the hollow point BT made for me.

I do expand the case mouth before seating
the core, then I seat the core quite firmly using a
Hornady 380 seating die I have laying around.

I measure the cores and cases to match them up
to get a uniform 252 gr bullet (plus or minus 0.5 gr.)

Oh, and after Annealing, I rinse in a Acid bath, then rinse
with water, then dry, then tumble in clean dry corn cob media with
no polishing additives. If you choose to skip the acid bath,
tumbling takes lots longer (like...18 hours instead of 3 hours)
ALL THIS FOR PURTY BULLETS :mrgreen:
Jon

[buck1]

Here it is ....
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=642322

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Oh, yeah, the one Buck posted a link to
the 40 cal 175gr.

I use the 125 gr 9mm RN for 40 cal brass jacketed bullets from 9mm Luger brass.
Jon

[MakeMineA10mm]

Sweet, I've already got the regular-lube-groove version of that mould. 175grs of lead must mean the 40-cal jackets are weighing around 77grs or so...

Not bad. I think a PM to BTSniper is in order.

[BT Sniper]

Quick note on the cores for the 44s. I found that I like the regular lube grove better then the tumble lube grove. The tumble lube boolit seems to drop bigger (larger diameter) then the regular 175 grain lube grove 40 cal boolit, making it difficult to seat in the jacket.

Got a lot of inquires I'll reply to soon as I can.

Good shooting guys.

BT

[buck1]

I HAVENT HAD ANY ISSUES oops cap lock was on.
Its snug but no trouble what so ever. It could be just my mold??
Mine fit real nice. I do get one light wrinkle , But its exactly where I like to crimp. How lucky is that, FREE CRIMP GROVE! I dont even canalure them anymore.8-)
I have thought of making a .357ish core mold , so I can just drop in the core.....Buck

[Daywalker]

Yea I do not have any problems with my tl grooves either. Actually, I find it kinda helps in stretching my cases a bit. Not much, but every little bit help.

[MakeMineA10mm]

When you drop the 40-cal 175gr bullet "core" into the 40-case "jacket" do you put the bullet into the case nose down (by primer flashole) or nose up (like you were seating it in the case to load a round of 40? Or, does it matter?

[Daywalker]

I do mine nose first. The nose of the bullet resting against the primer pocket. This gives you a good flat base for your punch to work with.

[bdbullets]

I am using BT's dies for 41 mag bullets and it is fantastic. I use 9mm brass for the 41. I deprime the fired brass and set the core in the empty case and set several hundred of them on a stainless steel plate in my kiln, that aneals the brass and rivets the core to the jacket. They are as accurate if not more so than the XTP's in my Desert Eagle. I do have some picts posted here if you get a chance to look at them. Looking forward to deer season to try them out.

[a.squibload]

When you drop the 40-cal 175gr bullet "core" into the 40-case "jacket" do you put the bullet into the case nose down (by primer flashole) or nose up (like you were seating it in the case to load a round of 40? Or, does it matter?

I think BT (or somebody here) said the round nose fits the bottom of the case better,
look in there it's kinda rounded, not flat.

I looked on Midway for a Lee 105gn mold, to make the lighter 40s, didn't see one.
Maybe they're out? Or am I confusing it with another mold?:veryconfu

[MakeMineA10mm]

Squib, I know Lee offers a 102gr RN .356" which is intended for 380; maybe that's what was meant? I have one and from my alloy the boolits come out right at 105grs.

bd, I did a search on your posts and found your photos. Very nice 41s! I'm really excited about the notched (XTP style) mouth JHP and especially JSP (since Hornady doesn't offer that version to us). I'm thinking a 265-270gr NMJSP (Notched Mouth JSP - avoids copyright infringement on Hornady's XTP) in the 444 Marlin would be killer on deer or even larger game.

[Grapeshot]

Buck (or anyone else), what do you use for a core mould?


I use a 175 grain .40 TL Bullet cast from pure lead or 30 to 1 lead tin mix.

It gives me a 257 grain .45 caliber bullet. Shouldn't be much different for a .44 (.429) bullet

[a.squibload]

Thanks MakeMine, I'll search again.
Hey, I was close!

[DukeInFlorida]

I think PURE LEAD makes better cores than WW alloy does. Softer is better when seating the cores, and forming the swaged bullets.

[buck1]

I agree ...Buck

[MakeMineA10mm]

I've got some 40x175s cast up out of 1/2 WW metal combined with 1/2 pure lead, and about 1% tin added. (It was for a hollow-point mould project, and I ran these 40s to empty the pot out of that alloy.) Not quite as good as pure, but I'm not worried about expansion for my first run. Just trying to get bullets that work. I figure I'll mess a few up at first anyway. I usually do whenever learning something new!! :shock:
:bigsmyl2:

Good thing about that, is I can shoot away the mistakes! :mrgreen:

[buck1]

that should work fine.

[BT Sniper]

Yep those will work perfect.

[2wheelDuke]

I think BT (or somebody here) said the round nose fits the bottom of the case better,
look in there it's kinda rounded, not flat.

I looked on Midway for a Lee 105gn mold, to make the lighter 40s, didn't see one.
Maybe they're out? Or am I confusing it with another mold?:veryconfu


Squib, I know Lee offers a 102gr RN .356" which is intended for 380; maybe that's what was meant? I have one and from my alloy the boolits come out right at 105grs.

bd, I did a search on your posts and found your photos. Very nice 41s! I'm really excited about the notched (XTP style) mouth JHP and especially JSP (since Hornady doesn't offer that version to us). I'm thinking a 265-270gr NMJSP (Notched Mouth JSP - avoids copyright infringement on Hornady's XTP) in the 444 Marlin would be killer on deer or even larger game.

I just got that Lee mould for my .380. I haven't cast with it just yet, but maybe tonight. Maybe I can cast up a bunch of extras with it and trade them to somebody that'd give me back some of these swaged jacketed boolits.