What is Swaging?

[Land_Owner]

There are no Stickies or FAQ's in this Forum and I am trying to determine what is being discussed.  I followed some instinct in here thinking I could read a few of the noobie posts and get a clue.  I am still clueless after reading about 10 different posts. 

This activity must be some convoluted form of alchemy and Voodo, because there are not too many current postings.  What am I missing?

I get the gist of it - I think - just not enough ideas posted in regard to the proceedure(s), equipment, experience necessary, time requirements, talent or luck, and last but certainly not the least in importance - budget. 

You are making your own bullets.  Jacketed bullets?  That sounds interesting...

[talon]

Bullet swaging  is the technique that forms bullets by use of pressure rather than heat. Like moulding bullets using molten lead dies are used. but also presses that hold those swage dies while tons of pressure is applied that turns 'cores' into bullets. That is the simple answer... and the tip of the iceberg. Swaging is a tar-baby: one thing leads into another. Acquiring pure lead and bullet jackets at a reasonable price is a subject all in itself. How to select the proper set of swage dies and the right press is another huge area. Then there are those machinists that make their own dies and use their years of technical know how to select the proper steels and cutters to make dies to not only make bullets, but the jackets and core wire (lead) themselves. There is an excellent on-line book on the subject that's found at  www.corbins.com/hb-9-e.htm that will answer most of your questions.
While bullet swaging does cost much more than casting ( a single 3 die set that makes only one caliber of jacketed bullet will run around $500 while a bullet mold $60), there is more flexability in the weights made. And unlike the large secondary market for used molds, used swaging dies are found in the chicken teeth category. Another disadvantage to swaging is locating pure lead and jackets at decent prices. The third major disadvantage is the long wait time having a die maker make the die set you want. Often this takes over a year. On the plus side a jacketed bullet can be made no other way, and you don't don't have to fool with the dangers and smell of molten lead.
Lastly, I don't know why this board isn't used more than it is. Perhaps it's because for every 100 bullet makers casting their bullets there may be only 2 or 3 swagers....

[84Jim]

Actually this forum was what introduced me to Graybeard!
Another jacketed bullet making technology developed during WWII when copper was rationed and bullets hard to find uses .22 cases to make .224 bullets in the 55 to 60 grain weight range.  Its a 3 die process, 1st swage the rims off of the .22 cases to form the jacket, 2nd swage a lead core into the jacket, and 3rd form the point, which is hollow in the bullets that I make.  Me and 2 other guys split the cost of a set of Corbin dies and make bullets in the 55 to 57 grain range.
They are decent bullets accuracy wise, but definately not Sierra MK's.  I have killed a couple of ground hogs in the 250 yd. range, and shot a couple of short range highpower matches with my AR and not seen a noticible drop in my scores.
My final thought is this technology was developed when bullets were expensive and a person's time was cheap.  Its been a lot of fun experimenting with various lubes and annealing techniques and so forth and is rewarding when you turn out a nice batch of bullets.  But it has also been very time consuming.
Jim

[Drilling Man]

  In the 70's, when i first started makeing .224" bullets from rimfire cases, i think the quality of the rimfire cases was better.
 
  I guess my time got to be worth more, and .224" bullets "seem" cheaper, so i no longer make them...
 
  DM

[iiranger]

The old and long winded in this field are the brother's Corbin. Dave at swage.com, corbins.com, swagedies.com, etc. and his brother Richard at rceco.com. BOTH have books for your complete edification on their web sites. Download, etc. (Without pictures regrettably but you don't miss much.) As indicated, the lead is formed with or without a jacket by high, really high, pressure. Most forget that RCBS stood for Rock Chucker's Bullet Swages. And the press was for turning .22 fired cases into jackets. Names like Hornady and Speer began this way. Fascinating field and much to learn if it interests you. Most basic. Major makers have a tolerance of 2 or3% or more % weight. You can hold it where you like. Luck. Enjoy.

[Drilling Man]

The old and long winded in this field are the brother's Corbin. Dave at swage.com, corbins.com, swagedies.com, etc. and his brother Richard at rceco.com. BOTH have books for your complete edification on their web sites. Download, etc. (Without pictures regrettably but you don't miss much.) As indicated, the lead is formed with or without a jacket by high, really high, pressure. Most forget that RCBS stood for Rock Chucker's Bullet Swages. And the press was for turning .22 fired cases into jackets. Names like Hornady and Speer began this way. Fascinating field and much to learn if it interests you. Most basic. Major makers have a tolerance of 2 or3% or more % weight. You can hold it where you like. Luck. Enjoy.

  And going even OLDER is SAS Engineering, aka Ted Smith.  Ted is how the Corbin brothers learned about swageing, getting started by buying tooling/idea's ect. from Ted.
 
  I considered Ted a good friend, he taught me quite a bit about bullet swageing...  He was a GREAT guy to spend time with!
 
  DM

[darkgael]

Can't add much - making bullets by squeezing lead.
I treated myself to a Corbin press years ago. And dies. Yes, tooling was expensive. I haven't priced anything lately but can't imagine that any of it got less expensive.
Sure is fun, though, making your own.
I don't make jacketed bullet for the most part - the occasional half jacket maybe for a 45-70. I do make a couple of different style bullets for paper patching. I also have use the press lately to adapt bullets. I shoot thousands of .45s, not nearly as many .44s. I was gifted with a few thousand factory swaged and hard lubed .429 LHPs a while ago.
I put them into a .452 swage die with with a SWC nose punch and change the .240 grain .429 LHP into a 210 grain .452 LSWC. They shoot very nicely out of my Gold Cup.
Pete