Hello Newguy,
Talon covered where to get the dies from. So, I will talk about what the best bullet to make is.
As it is for business location, location, location, so it is for bullet swaging purpose, purpose, purpose. The best bullet to make is determined by what you want to do with it. A class winning target or benchrest bullet is designed and constructed differently than a hunting bullet and not all hunting bullets are designed and constructed the same. You mentioned partitioned or bonded core bullets so I can assume it is for hunting. For hunting bullets the two main factors are: First, what are you hunting? Is it thin skinned or thick hide is it small or large boned and is it going to be hunting you if it is hurt? And second, at what range are you expecting to shoot your game it at?
Your question is not a simple one to answer and there is more than one correct answer to a question. Volumes could be written in bullet design and construction, and new chapters are being written every day. I just recently finished designing a custom bullet for the U.S. Army that has only one purpose. But fortunately for sport hunting bullet designs can cross over and blend into one another.
Both a partitioned and bonded core bullets are similarly good for a wide range of hunting applications. Where the applications of the two are well mixed it is only the preference of the shooter that determines the best bullet. For the bulletsmith, making a partitioned bullet can sometimes be made with nothing more then the original die set or maybe a few added dies and punches, to make a chemical bonded core bullet requires the purchase of a furnace to melt the lead in the jacket cups. Special Note here guys: No! You do not want to use your girlfriends or wives kitchen ovens unless you want to know first hand what a conniption fit looks like, believe me fellows. :wink: The standard kitchen oven only gets around 500 to 550 degrees and that’s not hot enough to melt lead besides you don’t want to melt lead with something that you use to cook your food. Lead is toxic to living organisms and that includes humans. The nice thing about swaging is that you can make a bonded lead partitioned bullet too if the steps are done correctly. Usually the partition cup is made first than the upper lead core is bonded to the cup and seated than the lower core is seated and then the jacketed cores are formed in the point forming die, of course other steps maybe needed in addition to these. But even this hybrid will not function the best for the full range of hunting conditions that both the partitioned and the bonded core bullets can perform. But where the two overlap the hybrid will perform the best.
Donna :-D
