Dumb Newb Question - Cost to get started swaging

I may have overlooked, but what is a ball park cost for the bare usable minimum to get into swaging say one caliber? Ballpark for additional calibers/styles?

I know when I started loading, $100 would get you a lee hand press, lee dies, a scale, a pound of powder, 100 primers and 100 bullets. Granted this was about 15years ago, so I'd imagine that cost is a bit higher now.

What brand(s) are good for someone starting from scratch? What all is actually needed? Ideally stuff that'll work with my current loading press? Primarily pistol bullets

IMO swaging pistol bullets is a a waste of time. You will spend a lot of money for a very low output. Get a quality mold and cast. I hate casting but it is the most efficient way to produce decent bullets.

if you have to ask, you can not afford it.


about 2k would get you set up for one type of boolit, you could do it for less but you get what you pay for and quality is costly.


swagging is only worth it for stuff that needs to be pushed over 2500 fps.

The cheapest would include a 1)press "Rockchucker minimum" 2)dies "C&H-4D die company or Corbin or Detsch (cheapest to most cost)
3)jackets Sierra, J4 or range brass for jackets
4)lead wire or cast your own cores
5)lube
6)the other support tools and equipment should be nominal.

You can do the price search and read the forums or blogs to learn more.
I'm assuming you have NO equipment and asking for the bottom price on getting started.

I would expect you to enter into swaging for 600-800 today's price on the cheap side dependent upon caliber in handgun caliber. If going to rifle add another 400. or more I would guess.

A Benchrest rifle setup for example, for competition complete would be north of 4500. unless you find a good used setup someone wants to sell.

If not looking for the best equipment but middle of the road Corbin setup for about 2000+

I started with C&H 4D, then moved to Corbin and then onto a Dave Detsch system.

For the last two die makers you might have to wait for a year or more to get your dies. Dave Davison of C&H might have the dies in stock.

Good luck!



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I agree if you are wanting to make handgun bullets, casting is the cheapest and fastest way to accurate bullets. You can push cast bullets north of 1500 fps with pure lead with powder coated bullets and then add a good bullet lube to it. Or 1000 fps
With good lube or good powder coating.


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I started to dabble in swaging .401" bullets. This was with 9mm brass for jackets and cast .356" 9mm bullets as cores. I proved to my self that I could do this with a hodgepodge of reloading dies and push through bullet sizers.

It was recommended to me by a very experienced bullet swager that I not continue down the swaging road. That once you start it can be very addictive. That the tooling costs will quickly become very prohibitive. That even when you have become an expert, you will still not be producing a bullet that will outperform manufactures premium bullets. That there will really not be a cost savings.

When talking rifle bullets, 2K will buy around 5700, 150gr .308 Hornady Interlocks at $35.00 per box. That's a lot.

So I practice with cast, and hunt with store bought jacketed.

JM

I was just on Dave Corbin's site yesterday. A complete set of dies for his "S" press for handgun will run between $600.00 and $800.00 dollars. Then you have to buy the press.

I was lucky when I started about 8 to 10 years ago and found used equipment for what I wanted for under a thousand dollars, just barely. This gave me a set of dies to make jacketed .430 cal bullets and an interesting die in .3575 that I can make stackable, multi projectile bullet that are lead.

Now the only reason I put down the money was so I could make jacket bullets for a Desert Eagle when no one else could get them.

Thanks guys!
I already cast for pistols, and I don't really shoot rifles as much and cast most of them.
Almost sounds like I'd be better off getting a small secondhand lathe and turn rifle bullets as needed plus be able to do a lot of other things.
I really don't shoot at all this time of year, with the heat and humidity it's too hot to do anything outside unless you have no other choice

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Originally Posted by Sasquatch-1

Now the only reason I put down the money was so I could make jacket bullets for a Desert Eagle when no one else could get them.

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I just cast and powdercoat those.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rancher1913

if you have to ask, you can not afford it.

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What can I say, I'm cheap. even when I was making 6 figures I asked price at a restaurant on the drink menu before ordering and never go to places without prices on the menu

WOW WOW WOW!

Someone else mentioned that you can not make bullets better than premium store bought bullets by making your own and that is totally NOT TRUE.

Everything has a cost and you should weigh your needs to cost to determine if it can be met.

Benefits

1) better bullets over factory ones
2) control of weight, length and type
3) control of hardness of your core lead needs (examples hunting or target)
4) finding the right length weight and velocity to match your rifling of your barrel.

YES there are reasons to use premium factory bullets over making your own, but accuracy is not one of them, don't be mislead and explore the many benefits of making your own.


Almost every Benchrest shooter shoots their own self made bullets or someone else's homemade custom bullet.

Example the Super Shoot heald once a year in the US with participants from around the world. I would venture to say no one in the last 50 years, won or even placed using factory bullets.
It's just not possible in that event.

I understand that long range completion 600-1000 yard some shooters might use Berger bullets or some others and win, but the very best bullets are hand made on quality made swage dies.

Expect to pay between 2500-3500 for just the dies.

If you pay less, do not expect those dies to perform or last as long as a good set of Carbide dies.

Most shooters don't have the funds or desire to make their own, but they do have the access to some custom bullets made by someone else that have a proven performance record bullets available at a reasonable price.

Go cheap dies first and learn and explore, then decide which way you want to go!



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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Renofish

WOW WOW WOW!

Someone else mentioned that you can not make bullets better than premium store bought bullets by making your own and that is totally NOT TRUE.

Everything has a cost and you should weigh your needs to cost to determine if it can be met.

Benefits

1) better bullets over factory ones
2) control of weight, length and type
3) control of hardness of your core lead needs (examples hunting or target)
4) finding the right length weight and velocity to match your rifling of your barrel.

YES there are reasons to use premium factory bullets over making your own, but accuracy is not one of them, don't be mislead and explore the many benefits of making your own.


Almost every Benchrest shooter shoots their own self made bullets or someone else's homemade custom bullet.

Example the Super Shoot heald once a year in the US with participants from around the world. I would venture to say no one in the last 50 years, won or even placed using factory bullets.
It's just not possible in that event.

I understand that long range completion 600-1000 yard some shooters might use Berger bullets or some others and win, but the very best bullets are hand made on quality made swage dies.

Expect to pay between 2500-3500 for just the dies.

If you pay less, do not expect those dies to perform or last as long as a good set of Carbide dies.

Most shooters don't have the funds or desire to make their own, but they do have the access to some custom bullets made by someone else that have a proven performance record bullets available at a reasonable price.

Go cheap dies first and learn and explore, then decide which way you want to go!



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Agreed. That’s the reason we reload our own ammunition. Our reloads can be on par or better than factory rounds. It can be said the same for making your own bullets. It’ll be on par or better. But people forget the fact that you won’t be at the mercy of others when you can make your own at: However you like and whenever you like.

You won't like swaging then. Figure a Corbins S press is $750 and a 3-die set is $650. Lead wire is $3 per pound. Jackets are $0.10 to $0.20 each.

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Originally Posted by lksmith

What can I say, I'm cheap.

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Dedicated swaging dies and equipment are way too expensive for the average reloader IMO, but you can make some pretty good bullets using standard dies and a sturdy press using once, or many times fired cases:
Swaging on the Cheap - 9mm Case to 40SW/10mm JWords
swaging on the cheap - modified Lyman/ RCBS sizer dies
Making Jacketed Hollow Point .45 acp Bullets Using A Lee .243 Sizing And .40 S&W Brass

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tiger762

You won't like swaging then. Figure a Corbins S press is $750 and a 3-die set is $650. Lead wire is $3 per pound. Jackets are $0.10 to $0.20 each.

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I was planning on using fired cases as jackets

GONRA sez Corbin's CSP-2 (his largest hand press) is the way to go.
To get the most out of it all, setup a basement machine shoppe
and have phun making / trying to make necessary tools and dies.
(Or, send Nr. 1 Son to Tool & Die Maker school.)