.500 bullet from 45 ACP

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Not to hijack your thread Duke, but...

The toughest job is setting in the cannelure.

A buddy of mine and I are working on fabricating our own cannelure tool that is more ergonomically correct than the CH4D tool. He is an older gentleman and a retired tool maker. Needless to say he has the machines and the know-how. These may come up for sale after we perfect the design. We will be able to put a cannelure on .17 cal up to 50 cal (.510). The prototype is about halfway finished.

Back to the thread.... I see a purchase in the near future to feed the Smith Jacketed bullets.....

This place is gonna make me go broke!!!!!

[DukeInFlorida]

The CH4D version of the cannelure tool leaves much to be desired. I hate the thing, but it is the only way I have (currently) to install cannelures.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I bought this used CH4D cannelure tool with homemade base from a member here...back 3 years ago. Now I haven't tried using it without the base, but I think is works pretty slick. I use it only on 44 cal brass jacketed (40 case) home swaged bullets.

[RANGER RICK]

Ok here are a few pictures of the 50 AE loaded up with the bullets Duke sent me to try out made from 45 acp brass.
They work great and feed perfectly out of my Desert Eagle 50 . Looks to be a winner for me . I will have to put some funds together to get a set of these dies from Brian .
Thanks again Duke for sending me the testers .

RR

[Fetzner808]

Man these swaged boolits look so slick. I'd love this die set to swage for my .50 Beo. Can't wait to see how they perform in the .50 AE.

[BT Sniper]

Those do look great!

I was just in a local sporting goods store. Glanced at the still empty bullet, powder and ammo shelves and I saw a box of 50 Hornady 500 cal bullets for $45! DANG! Nearly a buck a piece just for the projectiles! Not loaded ammo!

Good shooting!

BT

[scarry scarney]

Doesn't take long for it to pay for a set of BT's dies.

[BT Sniper]

Got a customer's 500 cal die set ready to go. Check out all the extras I provided and samples of each step of the way.

Customer supplied me with a couple copper jackets so I supplied him the necessary tools to turn them into perfect 500 cal Hornady XTP copies!

Good shooting and swage on!

Brian

[bbailey7821]

Can anyone advise if a RockChucker is sufficient to pull this off? I'm about to take the plunge and need to find out if I need to start shopping for a press, too...

[BT Sniper]

PM sent

[Lizard333]

Can anyone advise if a RockChucker is sufficient to pull this off? I'm about to take the plunge and need to find out if I need to start shopping for a press, too...

Your making a LARGE bullet. A dedicated swaging press is the way to go. Just my two cents.

[bbailey7821]

Ok, Gents. I'm in. My wife is gonna be soooo mad...again

Cheers!

[Cruddymutt]

New to these forums. Has anyone used these in an AR chambered in 50 Beowulf? I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work but you never know.
What press are folks using for swaging? The only press I have is a very old RCBS "A" press. Big ol heavy brute! Would I benefit from converting the "A" to a swage only press and buy a new press for reloading purposes?
Thanks!

[Lizard333]

New to these forums. Has anyone used these in an AR chambered in 50 Beowulf? I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work but you never know.
What press are folks using for swaging? The only press I have is a very old RCBS "A" press. Big ol heavy brute! Would I benefit from converting the "A" to a swage only press and buy a new press for reloading purposes?
Thanks!

Keep that "A" press for reloading. Get a dedicated swaging press. RCE has a walnut hill press for a little over 400$.

Others will tell you that your rcbs is suited for swaging, but 224 is as far as I would push it. Swaging projectiles larger than that requires more leverage. Keep your reloading press for reloading, and get a swaging press for swaging.

[DukeInFlorida]

We don't all have the budget that Lizard333 has.

I am happily making the following with my RCBS RockChucker:

.22LR > .224
9mm > .40
.40 > 45
45acp > 500 magnums

I find that the 500 magnums don't require as much pressure as the 9mm > .40 swaged bullets do. It could be the ratio of diameter expansion is better. Or, it could be some other factor that I don't really care about.

The only issue I got was early on, with the 22LR > .224 bullets. I broke the factory pin that connects the linkage to the bottom of the ram. I replaced that with a 3/8" Grade 8 bolt (long enough so that the un-threaded shoulder portion fits the holes). No issues since!

I have been punching out 500 magnums in the past week, and as a test, didn't even anneal the jackets (45 acp brass). They ran fine, and come out to proper diameter.

I've been bringing the swaged bullet samples to the gun club I just joined, and have been having great fun asking some of the old timers if they can tell me what they are looking at (when I show them a swaged 45 acp case > 500 magnum). Some of them look with squinted eyes, and ask what kind of gun it shoots in. Even when I give them a Hornady XTP as a "hint" they still don't get it, until I show them the assembled round.

So, yes, there are many of us, successfully swaging bullets for the 500 magnum in a single station press, including Lee Classic Cast and RCBS Rockchuckers.

Do yourself a favor though.............

After buying a press, order a threaded ram, either from chuckbuster or BT Sniper. Price is fair either way, chuckbuster will get it to you faster. Fitting the bottom punches into the T-slot is a recipe for bent punches, and collapsed T-slots. The threaded versions are all but failproof.

Can anyone advise if a RockChucker is sufficient to pull this off? I'm about to take the plunge and need to find out if I need to start shopping for a press, too...

[BT Sniper]

The web (solid brass base) of the 45 acp case is thinner then the web of the 9mm case making it slightly easier to swage into a bullet.

Threaded base punches and a threaded ram are a very good idea when it comes to swaging bullets.

BT

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

RCBS "A" series presses will work fine for swaging. In fact that is what the original presses were made for.

[Lizard333]

RCBS "A" series presses will work fine for swaging. In fact that is what the original presses were made for.

This is true. To swage 224's out of 22 rim fire. Big difference between 22's and 50's.

[Utah Shooter]

Ladies and Gentlemen, the stars have aligned. Duke, I could not agree with you more!

As for the rest of the conversation......

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Lizard, have you any experience using an A series press? It is way more stout than a Lee Classic cast.

I have no need to swage 50 cal rifle bullets.