Bullets cost too much. I need to start swaging. lots of questions

[jmorris]

For those of you saying Id need to shoot alot to make it make sense. Ive shot in the neighborhood of 1200 .30 cal bullets in the last 2 months. Id shoot more but its HOT here in Texas.

Back when I bought my first beltfed .308, I just started buying LNL AP presses (at cost) removing the UPC to send in for their “get loaded” promotion and selling the press for the same price I paid for them (same price retail stores pay before their markup) and getting the 1000 bullets per press a couple weeks after mailing it in.

Once I was stocked up enough on 308’s I started getting others, even some that are not on their list of choices but they let me get them after I called and asked. Yeah, that’s a lot of work but less than making them myself.

[Alex_4x4]

... IMO it will take you 10 years to breakeven unless you shoot a lot. ...

Two years. Moreover, spend the first year on developing skills when working with a stamping press.

[dverna]

Two years. Moreover, spend the first year on developing skills when working with a stamping press.

Was hoping you would post on this. Good to see you have not abandoned this collection of lunatics.

[Alex_4x4]

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...waging+bullets

I've done over 500,000 bullets on Dave's press. Besides enjoyment, this process is, for now, my only source of income.

https://forum.guns.ru/forummessage/430/2399915.html

[wyowillys46]

I started swaging my own bullets because it was a very interesting and involved hobby. Plus, you don't have to rely on anyone else to get them. Cost is always a factor and to do it right the first time it is going to be a substantial investment. 75% of my savings is due to me making all the equipment. Forty years of learning everything in the industry and getting my Elec.Engr. degree paid off for this hobby. Machining, hydraulics, electrical panel designing and PLC programming. Most of my expense is in five Corbin H-die sets and lead extruding die setup. For under $2500 I built a four-post automated hydraulic press, PLC controlled and color touchscreen to enter all variables and monitor current status. Not taking anything away from Corbin's press for around $11/K mine far surpasses his and has some safety features and capable of doing whatever you could think of by programming it. Most operations take less than seven seconds. You're moving very fast if you want to keep up this pace. I'm good for two or three hours max at a time, very repetitious. Why it's worth it, I can make any caliber for less than $0.05 each at around twelve hours per 1000 finished rounds. Of course, the younger you are most of your investment will eventually be paid off. After eight years probably most of the die sets have been paid for due to not buying any bullets.

Yes, I sent dverna samples of almost all the common calibers that I can make. He's always liked what I posted, and I wanted him to try some of the 9/mm bullets made from 9/mm drawn jackets and the others I've been making over the years. I sent 50-60 of the 9/mm's. Hopefully he'll be able to try them out one day. Pretty confident they will shoot as good as a factory jacketed bullet.

If you have the basics a good mill, lathe and of course a good electrical-mechanical background you're going to save a lot toward your initial investment making what you need. The press is the primary piece, annealing case is secondary but you're going to need something to do them. I use Corbin's H-Die type dies which I don't think you could ever break. Right now, they are still cheaper than the 7/8-14 dies sold on this forum by quite a bit. Right now, delivery is around a year plus. Still waiting for my last 45-70 die set.

If you're going to keep the hobby going for years, it will be well worth the effort and time put into it.
Just keep good records of every operation if you get to that point.

I just got a full set of dies in from Corbin last week. Included a custom point form die with a jacket reduction and trim die set. Total wait was about 18 months.

[GONRA]

GONRA hasn't properly read all this - but get a Corbin CSP-2 Hand Press
and go on from there........ patience / $$$$$

[elmacgyver0]

I just got a full set of dies in from Corbin last week. Included a custom point form die with a jacket reduction and trim die set. Total wait was about 18 months.

Wow! I didn't realize they needed ATF approval.

[rolltide999]

Quoted from another thread:

David Corbin is over a $1000 for presses and about $1500 for die sets. $2500 initial setup. BT Sniper is about $1500 for die sets. . Around $2000 initial setup. They both make excellent products and I have bought from both years ago when they were a little more reasonable on prices. Certain things I still buy from them now.

Richard Corbin (RCE) is much more reasonable with pricing and ships fast if it is in stock (just like everyone else). Presses are about $400+ to $500+ and dies sets about $500+ per caliber. Some presses have a short stroke for swaging, and a long stroke for reloading. You have to check his website regularly for what is in stock. It changes, but he does publish what is in stock. Initial setup $1000 with Walnut Hill press, or about $850 if you can use a Sea Girt press. He has in stock today, Walnut Hill press $499 and full lead (no jacketed bullet) die set in 379 caliber with 2 point form dies (paper patch set) for only $275. $775 initial setup. You could add a point form die only ($230) and squish a bigger caliber, or a caliber reducing die (Lee $25) and reduce to make smaller calibers. You could have a 4 caliber setup for making lead only paper patch bullets only with 2 point form options (round nose or flat point) and an infinite selection of bullet weights for under $1000.

RCE dies are more robust than most others (7/8" thread/1" main body as opposed to Dave Corbin 5/8" thread larger body and BT Sniper more or less straight 7/8"). I find workmanship on Richard Corbin dies to be second to none, and I own dies and punches made by Dave Corbin, BT Sniper, Herters, and others. I have a RCE Walnut Hill press (available in stock now) and a set of RCE 308 dies I have had for years. RCE presses are also more robust that just about any other hand press. I just bought a 308 Rebated Boattail die set to add to my 308 set. I just purchased 375 die set with multiple point form dies, a 379 die set, a 458 die set, 223 die set, and multiple jacket makers (458, 375, 358, 355, 40, and 45acp all at around $80+ each), all shipped in less than a week or so. Richard told me last week he is working on a big batch of 308 dies. RCE often includes core seating punches with his jacket makers, often HP and Solid tip, that is a premium jacket maker die, push punch, and one or two core seat punches all for around $80, which is a GREAT value. His point form dies are around $200+. With Richard Corbin's reasonable prices (about 1/3 what others charge) and equal or superior quality compared to most others, it can make a lot of sense money wise to swage. With availability being sporadic, prices high, and sometimes selection limitations in factory bullets today, I love the fact that me and mine for generations to come can make everything from shot filled safety slugs, in any caliber, that won't over penetrate in home defense scenarios, to big bore super penetrator, welded core, high antimony solids for the biggest, baddest thick skinned dangerous game on the planet, and everything in between. I can place cannelures wherever I please along the bullet depending on load density and other factors. I can use 22lr cases for 223 jackets at a price of around $100 for 15,000 (not a typo) and other available and inexpensive fired cases for every other rifle and pistol jacket I shoot, and I shoot a lot of different calibers in both rifle and pistol. Of course the same equipment can use more expensive factory jackets, or with additional dies, copper tubing jackets.









All totaled, swaging makes all the sense in the world to me. In 10 - 20 years, there will be those who bought all the swaging gear they could while there were still people alive who knew how to make it and sell it, and those who wished they had. I am not just buying for the years I have left, but for my children and grandchildren to be assured of enjoying shooting sports I taught them to love with the firearms and equipment I leave them.