Lee press bullet swaging ejector apparatus

Here is the Lee Classic press with bullet swaging ejector mechanism. Has a little different bottom flat bar attachment to the press's ram head where the shellholder is...because the ram is a lot smaller than the ole Herters press.

Note: To be able to full stroke the press's handle the top cap shell holder on the Lee Classic press is a screw off & on affair, this had to be shorten by 1/2 inch but requires a lathe to do it...it is an internal cut and fit with hex screws.

Yet all works well for bullet swaging with a Lee press, have it set up for .44 caliber.

Swagerman

.............Neat. Looks like you went with a bit heavier rods this time? I don't know how much those rods wiggle at full 'Up' extension, but an aluminum guide plate would work well if they did move a bit. Sandwich it in between the die and the press. An arm out either side with a hole for the ejector rod to go through. May not be an issue anyway.

Wish I could quit my job so I could get some of this fun stuff done! :D

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

Hello Buchshot.

Don't quit your job yet, us old guys on S.S. need you're support...Lol

This apparatus has no problem with the side rods moving or swaying...so, nothing else is required at this point.

The support rods are still the same 3/8 inch diameter as is the thickness of the flat bars is also 3/8 of an inch thick. The flat bars on the Lee are six inches long instead of seven like on the Herter's press.

The Lee press is a small unit compared to the big ole Herters press. It also has a smaller press ram piston which required a different design on the lower flat bar attachment area.

This Lee press also requires the use of smaller regular type shellholders or bullet nose punches. Though it could be adapted to use the Herter's type shellholders or nose punches by changing the top cap of the ram that threads off and on.

As I have two extra top caps I may eventually do just that to keep busy this winter.

Swagerman

I'm surprised that this Lee press is strong enough for swaging bullets. I have one of these presses mounted to a piece of big angle iron, bolted to the concrete wall. What kind of swaging will it handle? Please tell more. May I use the picture in the next edition of the CBA cast bullet book?
Thanks;
joe b.

I assume thats a cast iron press? I'm only familiar with Lees aluminum presses. I never really thought about swaging until that photo. Now I may have to do some research. Any good web-sites available with info?

Yes, you may use the photo in your report.

The Lee press is capable of bullet swaging, but be advised that the screw off shellholder was shorten by 3/8 of an inch on a lathe and internal sleaved and two hex screws to hold it together.

It's compound leverage is not as good as the old Herter's Super-O-Maximum press with its 1-1/4 " diameter long ram, but really not too shabby.

The Lee Classic press has ram with a fall free primer release in the bottom of the ram where the toggle linkage is. The link pin is not a one piece pin but rather a two piece affair much like two cone portrusions fitting into the ram's bottom holes.

But so far this has held up well, and I always have the option of removing it and inserting a one piece link bolt or pin in its place.

They only made it that way so the primers could fall through the bottom and into the long plastic tube to catch said spent primers.

The Lee Classic press will not swage well if you do not shorten the shellholder like mentioned above, the press has to have full handle stroke so the bullet will form (swage) completely at the top of the stroke.

The Lee Classic can swage anything the Herter's press will swage. It does hollow basing, hollow pointing, or both at the same time if you have the right punches and swaging die plunger stems. (I made my own)

I use mostly C-H tool 4-D swaging dies, but order them in special sizes to do the type of swaging I want done. Sizes like .429, .452 and .454 diameter are the most common I like to use.

If you order from C&H their regular swaging sets you'll most likely be getting their copper jacket lead wire fitting stuff. These are not good for for just bullet shape changing...like I do. They are not the finish bullet shape size needed in both dies...one is under size and the other is the finish size.

My suggestion is to order the two dies in the finish size diameter you want to change nose shape of bullet...but that is just me.

As to websites on swaging bullets...if you find one please let me know. This has been a home grown learning experience for myself.

If I didn't have this mini-lathe, (another home learning experience I'm still working on) there wouldn't much progress in my hobby.


If need be can take pictures of the shellholder taken apart.


Swagerman

Swagerman, just a thought. Since some of my lyman 45 rifle moulds cast undersize. Would it be possible to make up a lets say .460 die and swage the body of the bullet up to .460 without touching the nose portion of the bullet. My inexperience is showing up here. Seems one would have to machine a cavity of the bullet style with the larger section .460. Just curious. What type metal do you make your dies from if you do. Sounds like a good winter project for my ruger #1 in 45-70 Frank

Yes, it would help to see pictures of the shell holder taken apart.
Also, swagerman, would you tell me your name so I can attribute the information properly?
Thanks;
joe b.
Joe Brennan
joeb33050@yahoo.com

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frank46

Swagerman, just a thought. Since some of my lyman 45 rifle moulds cast undersize. Would it be possible to make up a lets say .460 die and swage the body of the bullet up to .460 without touching the nose portion of the bullet. My inexperience is showing up here. Seems one would have to machine a cavity of the bullet style with the larger section .460. Just curious. What type metal do you make your dies from if you do. Sounds like a good winter project for my ruger #1 in 45-70 Frank

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Frank: Don't know how you'll avoid the nose portion of the swaged bullet? Unless you use only the nose punch die and the base of the bullet rest against the ejector rod stem. Then just adjust the die to allow only that amount of bullet to enter the swage die...thus, leaving the bullet nose head
slightly bigger...if that is what you require.

The C-H swage die sets come in two types. One has a nose punch that mounts where the shellholder is and the bullet is pushed up into the swage die to come to rest against the ejector stem base. (the nose punch forms the bullet head shape)

The other has a round ogive to it in the upper die body cavity that the bullet stops against thus forming the bullet with an rounded ogive and flat meplat on the very top of bullet that stops against the ejector rod base stem. This swage die still requires the ejector stem to push the bullet out of the swage die.

You can machine a swage a die body cavity to open up to .460 diameter but you'll need to make a new ejector stem to fit the larger size. If you have a lathe or milling machine these are not hard to make.

I had this done to a Lee seater die by Lee, in 25-35 caliber opened up to .429 diameter and made a new seater die ejector stem. They used a ball mill bit to accomplish that work. I don't have a milling machine.


Swagerman

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joeb33050

Yes, it would help to see pictures of the shell holder taken apart.
Also, swagerman, would you tell me your name so I can attribute the information properly?
Thanks;
joe b.
Joe Brennan
joeb33050@yahoo.com

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Joe33959, email sent to your address.

Swagerman

Here is the cut-down shortend Lee Classic shellholder so that the press's full handle stroke can be utilized.

To the left is a full size unaltered Lee Classic threaded shellholder, to the right is the shellholder cut into and sleaved to fit inside of the lower body. Two hex screws hold the two halves together.

These pictures and ideas are not intended for commercial use to manufacture these bullet ejector assemblies. They are intended to share with the common handloader or hobbyest. Please don't abuse the privaledge of copying it for commercial use as a sellable item.

Thank you, Swagerman

Swagerman, after I posted the message I realized that this would be an all or nothing idea. There would be no way to just swage the body of the bullet and leave the round nose alone. The reason for the first post was that my ruger #1 has a .459 throat, shouldn't really call it that as the rifling starts where the chamber ends. Most of my lyman moulds cast about 458 or 459. The rcbs moulds only go to .458. Will try lapping out one of the lyman moulds first. Just want about another two thousandths. Sure wish lyman would come out with a 400gr bullet with a gas check instead of the one they have now. Thanks. Frank

Frank, whatever the nose punch shape is will determine what contours the bullet head will have. If it is SWC it will be that type, or if its rounded with an ogive it will be that shape with a flat meplat on top of the bullet.

But all swaged bullets will require an ejector rod stem in the die body to eject the swaged bullet.

I think I have an early experimental swag die that was opened up to be nearly .460 diameter. I was using it for .455 bullets but got carried away in the reaming process. Its not much good for anything I shoot.

Swagerman aka Jim

I don't have swagerman's e-mail address. I have included his/your pix and words in the section "How To Change The Size Or Shape Of Cast Bullets", that has been put up in the FILES section of the CBA Forum. It is in four parts, ending A-D. Also mentioned in the message. Please look at your work, and see if I have copied it correctly. Any comments, edits, criticism is welcome.
Go to the Cast Bullet Association, click on FORUM.
Thanks;
joe b.

I can be reached at bigcaddy@centurytel.net if anyone has questions about making the Lee press swaging bullet ejector assembly or the cutting in half of the Lee Classic shellholder.

Jim aka Swagerman