Swaging 125/gn 357/sig, 240/gn 44/cal, 300/gn 50/ae in my spare time

[KAYDADOG]

In my spare time over this winter, I wanted to make these calibers and do some more testing making 300/gn 50/AE copper jacketed bullets. This information is for those who do swaging and know all the steps and for those interested into what is required to make quality swaged bullets. I don't believe with the right equipment you can tell the difference between a factory bullet vs your own swaged bullets. Overall, the ones I make are as good or better than a factory bullet and about ten times cheaper.

The first several pictures show what it takes to make a 500/pc lot of 125/gn TC nose bullets I'll only use for the 357/sig.
10/billets = 10-28"long x 0.312" core wire which will give you 50 113/gn cores per length of wire.
The cut cores will then be swaged 500 more cycles, into 110/gn cores plus the 15/gn 357x0.500" giving you a 125/gn finished bullet.
The cores are then washed, and core seated 500 more cycles.
Finally, almost done point forming another 500 more cycles.
To finish a cannelure is added to finish the completed bullet.
Lets see my cost copper jackets $0.05/each x 500 = $25, lead 4/lbs@$0.50/lb=$2.00 Total cost per 500 bullets $27.00 not to bad.
Time to make using an automated hydraulic press less than five hours, also not too bad for a 500-piece lot, all look the same.

Prior to making this lot I made a smaller 250-piece lot of 240/gn TC nose 44/cal bullets. These were made to feed my Desert Eagle with a 10" 440/Corbon barrel which was discontinued many years ago. I like doing smaller lots because there are so many cycles involved, very repetitive. All these cycles take less than seven seconds so you're constantly feeding the press. Now I only do several hours at a time. In two or three days I can finish the smaller lots.

The one picture just shows the comparison between a 240/gn TC 44/cal bullet and the 125/gn TC bullets just finished today.

The last picture shows a small lot of 300/gn RN copper jacket 50/AE bullets. This was a test lot using 44/cal x 0.700" copper jackets to see if they would work. From the end results to my surprise the 44/cal jackets expanded 100% to form the 300/gn 50/AE bullet. The cost to make these is about $0.06/each a little bit of a savings. I don't think you could do this without using a hydraulic press.

Just some more swaging information to review for those new to this hobby. My only other goal is to make jacketed 45-70 bullets which I thought I would never get into. The dies have been on order but may take 9-12 months from Corbin. All I can do now is wait and shoot cast-GC bullets for now. I have all the cores swaged to make 300, 350 & 400-gn copper jacketed bullets. I will also make some test lots using 40S&W cases for jackets. They should shoot as good as the copper jacketed ones and a little cheaper to make. A 300-500-gn 45-70 jacketed bullet should cost less than $0.08 each. The two-die set will pay for itself pretty quick. Plus, I think this is the same caliber as the Socom!

Any questions let me know.

[Sasquatch-1]

Prior to making this lot I made a smaller 250-piece lot of 240/gn TC nose 44/cal bullets. These were made to feed my Desert Eagle with a 10" 440/Corbon barrel which was discontinued many years ago. I like doing smaller lots because there are so many cycles involved, very repetitive. All these cycles take less than seven seconds so you're constantly feeding the press. Now I only do several hours at a time. In two or three days I can finish the smaller lots.

You're lucky. I do all this on a "S" press from Corbin. Plus, I cast my cores as rifle bullets and have to form them. I also use 40 S&W brass as jackets and have to process them. Saves a lot of money though, if I don't think about how much I spent on equipment.

[JRLesan]

Where are you obtaining copper jackets at $.05 ea???

[KAYDADOG]

When RCE was still in business I purchased around 20/K in several calibers and lengths. I still have his cost sheet for the various calibers. If I had known, he was planning on getting out if this business I would have probably bought his entire inventory of at least the pistol calibers. His brother Dave is selling the same thing for double the price. When jackets are costing over $0.10 each the price to make them keeps going up. It is still cheaper for me to make jacketed bullets versus casting a bullet with a gas check. Gas checks are now costing as much as a once fired case. Dave's dies are still reasonable, and he hasn't raised the prices like everything else associated with reloading.

That's why using pistol cases for jackets is a very good alternative versus using copper jackets. The bullets come out and shoot as good as a copper jacketed bullet. All the 9/mm, 40/S&W, and 45/ACP cases I now use for jackets cost no more than $0.05 each. The only issue is that the cases need to be annealed adding another step. I've automated an induction annealer and can easily do 300 cases an hour, so I have that step covered. If I'm swaging bullets I can do annealing at the same time which doesn't add any additional time to making any lot of bullets.

I could have easily used the 9/mm cases I draw down to make 357 magnum bullets, but the cases would have to be trimmed to 0.500". It just would take a lot of time and steps to do at least a 500-piece lot. Since I have plenty of the copper jackets, I probably would never use a drawn down 9/mm case to make 357/Sig or 9/mm bullets.

Sasquatch-1, I'm fortunate that I was able to build, program and do all the drawings required to make an automated piece of equipment. I have several thousand dollars invested but that would equate to over ten times that amount if I were to purchase or have someone make what I now have. My goal about eight years ago was to make an automated hydraulic press which will do everything exactly the same each cycle. It does all the work, and it is designed to do swaging. My loading presses are designed to do loading not make a bullet. I can't even imagine doing what I now do on a manual swage press. A ten-hour lot would probably take 30-40 hours to complete, maybe more.

Thank you everyone for the interest.