Swage 240-gr .44 Mag Jacketed Bullets from .40 S&W Brass Using 7x57mm Mauser Die

This is how I mounted mine:

https://i.imgur.com/QVdU2UF.jpg

Hope this helps.

Fred

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Liberty1776

How do you pour hot lead into a tiny shell safely and consistently? Doesn't it overfill and go all over the place? Do you hold the shells in something as you make the pour? Doesn't the lead shrink?

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My cases fit directly into the mold.
The lead may shrink a tiny bit but that doesn’t matter since the case is next squeezed into the die.

"After that, it's simply a matter of lubing the bullet and brass, jamming the bullet into the brass (which bevels the rim into a boat tail); reversing the bullet in the same setup and swaging the lead front to form a soft point."

Liberty: probly don't want lube between core and jacket, but definitely want the jacket lubed to swage.

"Barely felt the lead compress and brass form..."
Yep, anneal step successful!

Range stars...
Attachment 285858

Attachment 285859

Quote:

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Originally Posted by a.squibload

"After that, it's simply a matter of lubing the bullet and brass, jamming the bullet into the brass (which bevels the rim into a boat tail); reversing the bullet in the same setup and swaging the lead front to form a soft point."

Liberty: probly don't want lube between core and jacket, but definitely want the jacket lubed to swage.

"Barely felt the lead compress and brass form..."
Yep, anneal step successful!

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YES. I went back and watched MannyCA's YouTube video and he noted that the core should be dry going into the .40S&W, but the outside of the case should be lubed.

When I started swaging I watched a lot of videos by Ammosmith Reloading and Hillbilly Angler (his channel had a different name back then) Between those two you can really learn a lot.

This is something I would like to try for myself. Has anyone here used the resulting bullets on game such as deer to know how they'll hold up and/or expand in an animal?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LeadHead72

This is something I would like to try for myself. Has anyone here used the resulting bullets on game such as deer to know how they'll hold up and/or expand in an animal?

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If you look at post 5 of this thread you will see some rounds I recovered after shooting. They were recovered from the berm and a bowling pin. It should give you a good idea how they would work on game.

Post 43 shows what they look like after hitting steel.

Tried: 20 lbs. Lee melting pot works perfectly for annealing the cases. Thank to all about the input!
Tried: Lee case cutter mounted on a drill and coupled to a shortened .40 S&W Lee case length gauge works quite well, without having to buy a more expensive saw.

Attachment 296881

Similar method. I use the Lee universal 3 jaw chuck and a tubing cutter.

Attachment 296884

I will certainly try yours too, because I scattered brass dust everywhere :)
but anyway I shortened them without sawing them by hand, and for me it is already a result[smilie=l:

among other things, I tried Imperial Sizing Wax, because I had nothing else at hand.
in my case it worked well in all the swaging steps where I used my RCBS Ammomaster and without particular effort .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilecoyote

among other things, I tried Imperial Sizing Wax, because I had nothing else at hand.
in my case it worked well in all the swaging steps where I used my RCBS Ammomaster and without particular effort .

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From what I have read in the past just about anything that can be used to size brass can be used for swaging in steel dies. (I will probably catch it for that one.) It's just that when I started the Lanolin/Castor oil mixed seem to be the standard for homemade. I did this back when Obama was first in office and still have two 4 oz. jars in the freezer, I haven't started to think about using.

what I had on hand at the time can have unexpected results, sometime even more when I make mistakes or reverse some instructions :smile: . not perfect, but the fun has just begun...

among my other strange trial-error results, I see that it is possible to obtain something with brass that cover the tip more, accentuating the ogive profile. not of great use in revolvers, but perhaps useful in leverguns where feeding can be critical, and a rounder, or more tapered anyway, nose preferred.
the only additional die used is a .45acp seater, here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ReloaderFred

https://i.imgur.com/afZTkvl.jpg

This is a batch ready to anneal. I like to anneal the cores and cases at the same time. I stumbled on a way to make bonded core bullets without the use of flux, which is hard on swaging dies.

https://i.imgur.com/g9AwzHR.jpg

After annealing. I raise the temperature of the kiln to 1,125 degrees F after loading the cores and jackets. I use that temperature because it's what Starline uses to anneal their brass between case forming stages, and I figured if it works for them, it'll work for me, and it does. After the kiln gets to temperature, I turn it off and let it set overnight. The next morning the cores and cases will still be over 250 degrees F. I remove them and let them finish cooling, and after cool, then give them a bath in Citric Acid to remove the debris left from annealing. After they've dried, then the forming steps begin. My bullets are just as accurate as factory bullets from my S&W 629 revolver, and in my Marlin and Winchester rifles.

It's very important to have clean jackets/cases when swaging, as it produces a better bullet. A good swaging lube is also necessary. And before anyone asks, Imperial Sizing Wax isn't up to the job.....

Hope this helps.

Fred

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Are you saying that you heat the case AND lead core to 1125 degrees? Isn't that a bit high for lead?

I heat them both together. The kiln is completely enclosed, with no venting, and I don't open it until the inside temperature is down to about 250 degrees F. People I've talked to about this speculate that the lead and brass are joining at the molecular level, but I'm just a hobbyist, not a scientist, so I'll just take their word for it.

You don't want to heat lead to those temperatures if you'd be breathing the vapors from it, so yes, it is a little high for lead. My goal was to make the core and jacket "as one", and I accomplished that without the use of flux.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Keeping track of this, another thing to try.

I have a bunch of ready .401-175grs. pure lead slugs.
a Lee 20 lbs. furnace, and the .40 cases to be annealed _

I would like to understand if, since .40 cases have to be annealed anyway, and we want to insert our 175grs-.401 slugs, cast by Lee mold, it is not easier to insert the ready slugs in the cases first, and then place all 50 pieces, with the case mouth up, in the lee 20lbs. electric pot. (50 pieces fit right, upright, in there) _
beyond the use of flux (bonding is not my goal, now), etc., certainly the pure lead would have to adapt perfectly to the cases thanks to the fusion induced by the brass annealing.
what I do not know is whether the cases thus filled can then stress the press (RCBS Ammomaster) more than allowed,
or make it more difficult to obtain the j.44 during the forming in the 7x57mauser die.

before my next mess, pros & cons are really welcome. thanks to all

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilecoyote

I have a bunch of ready .401-175grs. pure lead slugs.
a Lee 20 lbs. furnace, and the .40 cases to be annealed _

I would like to understand if, since .40 cases have to be annealed anyway, and we want to insert our 175grs-.401 slugs, cast by Lee mold, it is not easier to insert the ready slugs in the cases first, and then place all 50 pieces, with the case mouth up, in the lee 20lbs. electric pot. (50 pieces fit right, upright, in there) _
beyond the use of flux (bonding is not my goal, now), etc., certainly the pure lead would have to adapt perfectly to the cases thanks to the fusion induced by the brass annealing.
what I do not know is whether the cases thus filled can then stress the press (RCBS Ammomaster) more than allowed,
or make it more difficult to obtain the j.44 during the forming in the 7x57mauser die.

before my next mess, pros & cons are really welcome. thanks to all

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As long as you are using dead soft lead (as pure as you can get) and the jackets are annealed, the Ammo Master should be able to handle the stress. I reform lead alloy bullets using a Rock Chucker 4 press and do not have a problem with the press.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sasquatch-1

As long as you are using dead soft lead (as pure as you can get) and the jackets are annealed, the Ammo Master should be able to handle the stress. I reform lead alloy bullets using a Rock Chucker 4 press and do not have a problem with the press.

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Sasquatch-1, thanks for the reply!
I'm really interested to try them in my .444