I use only a Corbin Series II press, so much of what I say may be of little use with the variety of equipment you have.
When I originally received my equipment, Corbin sent me some sample cores, jackets seated cores and finnished bullets, so I was able to work from them, and then make modifications when I needed to. It seems you'll be starting from scratch, so you'll probably make several mistakes before you get it right.
I'd start with the jackets you have, measure them, and then compare their length with that of finished bullets. This should allow you to determine what bullet weight your jackets will make. Once this is established, you should weigh the jackets (I'm assuming you're making simple jacket+core bullets). This should allow you to determine the weight of the cores you have to make to get the appropriate bullet weight.
If you have different jacket thicknesses and core swaging diameters, you will have to make a proper selection so you have the right wire or cast core for the core you need to swage, and for the jacket you plan to use.
I make .358 bullets with .032 jackets. In order to establish my core size I had to double the .032 (.064) and subtracted it from .358 for .294, and then deducted an additional .010 (safety margin) to make .284. The core swage Corbin supplied me with makes .280 cores. The wire or cast core you use must be smaller than this figure (I use .275 wire). If your .308 jackets are .015, your core size must be .268 or less, and your wire or casting must be less than this (I believe .308's are made from .250 wire).
Lets say you want a 120 grain core for your bullet. You must cast or cut a rough core of say 130 grains. A core swage has two moveable punches and must be set up to make the core size you want. Once you've made a core of the right size, you should put a sample aside to use to set up your swage in the future.
First you lube the wire (If you don't have swage lube anhydrous lanolyn will work fine). Place it in the die which is turned out so it won't swage right away. Turn the external punch in 'till it makes contact, and then a little at a time until you start getting lead coming out of the relief holes in the die body. I usually re-lube after each 2 or 3 "tightenings", in order to prevent possible jamming. At this point I set up my scale at the desired weight, and turn the external punch in a little at a time (and re-swage) until I reach the desired weight. I then loosely tighten down the lock rings, and swage another core. Often you have to adjust after the second core, because the earlier busy work can give an inaccurate weight. Once I have it making accurate cores I tighten down the lock rings and make all my cores for that run.
You have to remove the lube before proceeding, so you can boil them to remove it.
Next you need the core seating die. Place the core in the jacket, lube the outside of the jacket and use the same procedure as above for setting up the external punch. Once you meet resistance, there is very little travel needed to seat the core (compared with core swaging). This is largely a matter of "feel", and after each attempt at seating I lightly re-lube the jacket. The jacket is seated in my die when it stays inside the die and no longer comes out on the punch . It will come out easily on ejection, however. I then tighten down the lock rings and seat all my cores.
I then set up my point forming die. If you're making lead tipped bullets, you'll need someone else to go through that procedure with you.
With my press its often tricky inserting the ejection punch with the stop pin, so maybe someone else can help you with your systems there as well. Lube the outside of the jacket again, and insert it open end forward into the die with the external punch against the base. Again, tighten the external punch until you meet resistance. Like before, turn the punch inward and swage a little at time (lubing between forming attempts) until you get the tip closure you're looking for. The first few bullets will probably be a throw aways as the bullet expands to a point where it won't go easily back into the die. Some further adjustments may be necessary before you get the desired bullet. Once you finish making your bullets, its necessary to boil the lube off again. Keep an example of your production at each stage of the process so you can use them to set up your dies the next time.
You may find the the bullet doesn't necessarily "come together" at the weight you planned. The core may be the wrong length when you finalize the manufacturing, so you may be faced with trimming jackes (or buying longer ones) or increasing or reducing your core weight. If you're targeting a 180 grain bullet, you may end up with something a little light after lead tip forming, and have to adjust. Just sit back and enjoy the process even if it takes a few tries to get it right.
