Swaging with rockchucker-is it possible??

I know this has been asked before and the usual answer is "buy a swaging press". But, before anyone jumps on that band wagon...

I am ONLY interested in swaging 22LR brass casings for use in .224 projectiles. It would be for a low volume amount, almost like "I am not dependent on the manufacture". Most other calibers have the ability to shoot plain cast or gas checked cast boolits. I would have the dies made by a buddy of mine (40+ years tool and die experience) and a full machine shop. If I can get a sketch of the part, he can make it. Has anyone done such a thing in the past?

I was thinking of having a mold blank drilled/milled to the correct diameter and depth to make the lead cores.

Any help in the feasibility and ability of sketch/dimensional availability would be greatly appreciated.

I did it years ago but found it tedious. Yes strong enough for that. Only issue was ejecting the parts.

It would need a new or modified ram as it would need to be threaded and would need an ejection frame made for it. Some of the die makers like Niemi , and Detsch have modified RCBS presses over the years I believe. I know they have modified Redding Big Boss presses as I have 3 of them. Ulrich and a member on here have used Lee cast iron presses as well.

There is a member (BT SNIPER) on here that used to sell the parts to modify the Lee press I believe.

Swaging the jackets out of 22 cases can be done on a number of reloading presses.

I started out making the jacket on a Texan turret press. Then finished the bullet on a Hollywood.
As long as the jackets(and finished bullets) are pushed through the top of the sizing and forming dies, you wouldn't need an ejection arm.
I'm the first one to say a Swaging press is a lot faster. But it can be done.

Sounds to me that you will save quite a bit of money getting the dies & punches made for free. Also modifying a reloading press into a swager will cost you some in dollars or labor. With the savings buy a Sea Girt press from RCE for $350. These are excellent presses & seem to only go up in value. The ram & handle are easier on the arm too. Just my 2 cents....

the rockchucker works fine, its what i unused for a long time until i got a big max. the only problem is it will eventually crush the shell holder part of the ram so as stated above a threaded ram would be better but i swaged thousands on my rock chucker before it was hard to get the shell holder in and out(never affected the part that holds the brass, just the top of the ram that the shell holder slides into. if you start doing bigger calibers you will have problems but the 224 is fine.

I've swaged .357", .40/10mm, .410", .429" and .452" bullets on a Rockchucker, and the only issue I had was finally bending the shell holder slot. I was able to fix it, and also called RCBS and they sent me a new ram for no charge, even after telling the tech how I bent it. The larger calibers are a stretch, but they can be done. I've also swaged them on the larger Hollywood Senior and on a Corbin CSP-1 swaging press.

I have a friend who has swaged thousands of .223" bullets on his Rockchucker and it's still going strong. You can make an ejector for the swaging dies, and since you have access to a machine shop, that should be an easy task.

Hope this helps.

Fred

I use a RC to reform .357 and .430 lead after casting. I have also made 1/2 jacket .430 bullets with it. I use an old Swage-it style single die set for these. The die screws into the frame and the point form punch slips into a shell holder. I have crushed a shell holder a bit doing this. Other than that, the biggest problem is ejecting the bullet. I use a lead ingot to smack the ejector pin. I have made no modification to the press.

Now for soft point and hollow point I have a Dave Corbin "S" press and three dire set for .430. No comparison.

I looked at this years ago for the same reasons as the OP. Nice to be self-sufficient.

What brought me to reality was the cost of dies. In your case that will be less of a factor as you will likely barter for them. BTW, it would not be "kosher" IMO to expect them for free. Dies are going to be worth over $800

I then found a place that sold bulk 55 gr Hornady SP's or FMJ's for $420 delivered for 6000 bullets. Today the same place sells them for $530.

https://www.armorally.com/shop/horna...r-spire-point/

For me, 12k bullets was a lifetime supply so based my numbers on that. I estimated I could make maybe 50 bullets and hour with the RCBS press between casting cores, making jackets and making bullets (I was just spit balling as I had no idea about swaging). That worked out to 240 hours. IIRC the cost of a mold and dies was over $900 at the time so it made no sense. For less than that, I could buy a lifetime supply of decent Hornady bullets.

Your press will work as others have stated. I bought mine used for $75 for the same reason; as it was the least expensive option for making .22 cal jacketed bullets.

Interesting question in that it shows the loss of historical knowledge. Can an RCBS Rock Chucker press be used to make .22 caliber bullets? Let's consider:

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...et-swage-rcbs/

Most grand endeavors come from humble beginnings and RCBS would be no different. They did not get their start in a garage like many tech companies from Silicon Valley and California, but it is pretty close. RCBS got their start in a small 72 square foot room (12’ x 6’) in the back of a laundromat. Hailing from Oroville, California on the heels of the attack on Pearl Harbor there was not much in the way of bullet-making materials at this time. The founder of RCBS, Fred T. Huntington, looked to change that.

The first reloading dies he ever made, the Rock Chuck Bullet Swage, were… “specifically designed for making jacketed bullets to shoot the Rock Chucks in the Western United States, providing the acronym RCBS that the company would become known by in later years”… according to Vista Outdoor.

With RCBS creating some of their 1st products in 1943, by 1950 they were full-steam ahead with what would be some of their most iconic products. That year they introduced their famous A-2 Press which showed marked improvement over competing models and various other equipment from the time. Other familiar products that were soon to follow were the Reloader Special and RCBS Junior Press which demonstrated early on the secret sauce of “Precisioneered” craftsmanship.

That being said; I use a Corbin S-Press and Corbin dies for all my swaging needs. http://www.corbins.com/csp-1.htm

I might add that whatever press you decide to use for swaging, a sturdy bench and mounting system is absolutely necessary. The heavier and stronger the bench, the better. Some say my benches are overbuilt, but they don't move and there's no "springiness" in the bench tops.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Hundreds of thousands of bullets have been swaged on a rock chucker. Threading the ram is not difficult job, and making an ejector system is just as easy.

George Ulrich was modifying LEE Classic presses before he retired, he claimed they were better aligned. His ejector was not of the same style usually seen on a RC, but certainly worked. I don't swage anymore, but I know several who make anything from 22 to 30 caliber bullets who use either the RD or LEE

I think dverna summarized it very well. I am looking to be "more self sufficient". The dies made by my friend are NOT free. I will have to pay for time and materials. Does anyone have drawings or dimensions of the dies they have made? I don't want to re-invent the wheel.

I have four rockchuckers set up for swageing with ejectors. I swage 22s 30 cal. 380s, 9mm, 40s and 45s. Been using them for 10 years with no problems. The only thing I changed on the press is the ram pin.

Rockchuckers work just fine for .224 Swaging.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crandall crank

I think dverna summarized it very well. I am looking to be "more self sufficient". The dies made by my friend are NOT free. I will have to pay for time and materials. Does anyone have drawings or dimensions of the dies they have made? I don't want to re-invent the wheel.

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I have the info that came with my dies from Richard Corbin (RCE). He explains the heat-treating & polishing process of the pointing die. No drawings or dimensions but usage & trouble-shooting guide. PM me an email address & I'd be glad to send you what I have.

I sent a PM to you. It will have some information on some things available on e-bay.
Not to buy, but might give you an idea on construction. I have no connection with the products.

Larry Blackmon sells a threaded ram and loans a jig to drill a hole for the ejector pin to use his dies in a Rockchucker press.
I have 2 sets of his dies and have converted my press.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by deltaenterprizes

Larry Blackmon sells a threaded ram and loans a jig to drill a hole for the ejector pin to use his dies in a Rockchucker press.
I have 2 sets of his dies and have converted my press.

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I understand that the Blackmon kit is only for the older Rockchucker press made in USA with the large dia ram.

I have 2 of the older Rockchuckers I use for swaging

I did it another way.

Made a new toggle block, with larger drill rod pins, and shortened the ram stroke to 2 5/8" like the old smaller Corbins or the BSSP press
A new threaded ram to use the Blackmon dies, and a new pin hole in the press body for the ejector pin

So when I am set for swaging I can use the 2 Rockchuckers, a OLD Corbin press, and the 2 BSSP presses all in a row to swage a bullet from start to finish

JW

"I understand that the Blackmon kit is only for the older Rockchucker press made in USA with the large dia ram."

Not so.
He ask which press you have and sends the correct ram for your press.
I use his dies and am pleased with them.

Lafaun Floyd

RC works just fine so long as you use pure lead for your cores.

I have the RC II and I have messed up the shell holder part of the ram swagging 22lr into .224's to where only LEE shell holders will fit it now when I use it for re-loading.
One of my swagging punches will not fit as well so I have to preform that step on my LEE Turret press.

Is there an easy fix for my RC ram?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fla9-40

I have the RC II and I have messed up the shell holder part of the ram swagging 22lr into .224's to where only LEE shell holders will fit it now when I use it for re-loading.
One of my swagging punches will not fit as well so I have to preform that step on my LEE Turret press.

Is there an easy fix for my RC ram?

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If you call RCBS directly, they will most likely send you a new ram, but they'll need to know the exact diameter of the ram you have now.

There is also a fix for the squashed shell holder slot. It just involves having something the same thickness as the shell holder slot that you can drive into the slot and open it back up again. I've done this, and I've kept the ram RCBS sent me in reserve for when I finally mash it too much for me to repair it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

For .22 cal, yes, bigher, gets questionable??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ReloaderFred

If you call RCBS directly, they will most likely send you a new ram, but they'll need to know the exact diameter of the ram you have now.

There is also a fix for the squashed shell holder slot. It just involves having something the same thickness as the shell holder slot that you can drive into the slot and open it back up again. I've done this, and I've kept the ram RCBS sent me in reserve for when I finally mash it too much for me to repair it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

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Hey thanks Fred, I will give RCBS a call and see what I can do.

In the interim I will try driving something in the ram to see if I can straighten it out.

Thanks for the information!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fla9-40

Hey thanks Fred, I will give RCBS a call and see what I can do.

In the interim I will try driving something in the ram to see if I can straighten it out.

Thanks for the information!

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Glad I was able to help. Keep in mind that the ram isn't hardened steel, so it can deform when swaging. I mashed mine swaging .429" bullets from .40 S&W cases and cast pure lead bullets for cores. It lasted through about 1,000 bullets before it finally deformed enough that I couldn't get a shell holder to slip in. After calling RCBS on the phone and admitting that I deformed the slot via swaging bullets, the tech told me it didn't matter and only asked the diameter of the ram in my press. Within a couple of days I had the new ram in my hands, at no charge. In the meantime I had taken an old shell holder that was otherwise fairly beat up, and drove it into the slot in the ram. I used a 1" x 2" piece of wood about 2' long to lever the shell holder out again, and repeated the process until other shell holders slipped in as they should.

That process may work for you, or may not, depending on how much deformation the slot has. At any rate, it's worth a try.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fla9-40

I have the RC II and I have messed up the shell holder part of the ram swagging 22lr into .224's to where only LEE shell holders will fit it now when I use it for re-loading.
One of my swagging punches will not fit as well so I have to preform that step on my LEE Turret press.

Is there an easy fix for my RC ram?

---

+1 on contacting RCBS. I have never had a problem with them replacing an item. They even replaced a lost part once free of charge.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ReloaderFred

Glad I was able to help. Keep in mind that the ram isn't hardened steel, so it can deform when swaging. I mashed mine swaging .429" bullets from .40 S&W cases and cast pure lead bullets for cores. It lasted through about 1,000 bullets before it finally deformed enough that I couldn't get a shell holder to slip in. After calling RCBS on the phone and admitting that I deformed the slot via swaging bullets, the tech told me it didn't matter and only asked the diameter of the ram in my press. Within a couple of days I had the new ram in my hands, at no charge. In the meantime I had taken an old shell holder that was otherwise fairly beat up, and drove it into the slot in the ram. I used a 1" x 2" piece of wood about 2' long to lever the shell holder out again, and repeated the process until other shell holders slipped in as they should.

That process may work for you, or may not, depending on how much deformation the slot has. At any rate, it's worth a try.

Hope this helps.

Fred

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Yes sir I have always had great service from RCBS, they have never question me just sent the replacement part!

I'm going to look around all my stuff and see if I can find a donor shell holder and give it a go.

You know on a second thought I have used this press for swagging 9mm to 40 S&W and also from 40 S&W to 44 mag. The 22lr swagging may or may not be the culprit! :)

Thanks again!

GONRA hasa
1. Corbin CSP-2 Mega-Mite hand press that is more than sufficient for my needs.
2. Watch for olde (today, "Ebay") CH "Swag-O-Matic" presses and tooling. GET 'EM !!!
3. Warm up yer Chequebook,
4. Screwcutting Metal Lathe (HASA LEAD SCREW)
5. decent Basement Machine Shoppe.

Rest is up to YOU ! !!!

HAVE PHUN!

RCBS has always been there for me on anything they made, motorized trim pro, dies, moulds, top punches and sizing dies. Good folks to deal with.

i use a older lee hand press as a ejector for a set of dies i got form a guy on eBay Kane dies work grate

i made a set of 22 LR dies to load 22LR and use them in a old half jacket press