Beginning bullet swaging

[Gary in Illinois]

Well, I received the first 3 packages from Richard Corbin today. Lots of parts and pieces and no instructions yet. Hopefully they will come in the last package due later this week.

Since I am still waiting on the jacket reducing die, the .172 die set and the lead wire cutter, there isn't much I can do yet. I think I have figured out what most of the pieces are for and how they go together. The only thing I was able to do with what I received is swage a bullet core (approx 45 gr) for the .20 caliber bullet. I was surprised at how little effort this required. I understand the real work is in forming the point.

The RCE press seems to be very well built and really sturdy. I am still trying to decide how and where to mount the press and the riser stand. I am anxious to get the rest of the setup so I can actually make a bullet!

Gary

[Rodgervich]

The pic is the one posted previously but I identified what each set is, as near as I can tell anyway. Looks the same as what I have so I believe this is correct, I don't have a point close/reform die so I can only guess that is what I have identified. There are also a few parts that I do not have and cannot identify: the little black thingy in the top of the "core swage" compartment and the little stepped rod gizzie to the left of the tapered pincher in the top "jacket trim" compartment.
As to how you use each one that would take some more detailed explanation than I can do by the forum. Make sure you call Richard and tell him you need some instructions and ask what he has available to send to you. Otherwise you will have to buy the book "Handbook of Bullet Swaging #?" from Dave Corbin or wander through the maze of info on Daves site www.corbins.com and may be able to figure out the basics from that. The absolute best is to find someone locally who can and will give you a personal lesson.
Get some proper swage lube too of course.

[Bayou City Boy]

but I did try to leave a fairly good explanation of each die and it's function above the picture on page two..... Including what the little tool next to the v-cutter is for and about the point forming die on the far right for lead tipped bullets.

The other item in question is a decapping rod nut for a sizing die that just happens to be be almost the proper length to set the punch holder from the seater die for that operation when I make 38 grain HP bullets. It's just a "cheater" to get me close to start...from there I go by visually checking the appearance of the seated core to finally set the core punch depth.

I hope you can get detailed instructions from richard for the use of each die. That's what the papers are on the top of the lid.

And as I mentioned in my original post with the picture/s, the swage lube is literally the most important item to have.


-BCB

[Gary in Illinois]

I think I have identified most of what I received and have figured out (somewhat) how most of it works. My dies are for the Walnut Hill press and are all different from those in the picture (those appear to be Type S dies from Dave Corbin). I have not yet received my jacket draw die and jacket trim die.

I was able to swage a core and form a lead bullet using the .20 caliber dies. Couldn't put it into a jacket since I don't have the right combination of jacket draw die or pre-formed jackets yet but I was anxious to see how the point of the bullet looked. Looks like it will take some experimenting to find the right core length and die adjustments to get the right amount of lead into the jacket and the right adjustment to form the point without extruding lead from the bullet point. I ended up with a bullet with an extrusion from the point about 3/4" long!! I continue to be surprised at how little effort is required to do the forming - maybe it will increase when I form the point using a jacket.

For the .20 caliber die set, it appears that I have several sizes of external punches for use with the core seat die. I assume these are for use with jackets of different thickness?? Does this sound right?

I have downloaded and read most of Dave Corbin's "Handbook of Bullet Swaging #9" and asked Richard to send me instructions. Hopefully they will arrive with the last of the swaging equipment.

I think I will enjoy this part of the shooting / reloading sport as I have always hunted deer with home-cast bullet in my handguns. I feel it adds to the enjoyment knowing that I made the bullets I use.

Thanks for all the information you have provided.

Gary

[Bayou City Boy]

The picture of the dies that I provided are the S-dies from Dave Corbin as is the press and wire cutter, etc. that I showed in my post on page 2.

And you are also correct that point formng with a jacket requires more force than just forming lead. But you'll find that it all works fairly easily without the need for a great deal of force for the smaller caliber bullets.

-BCB

[Rodgervich]

BCB, you are correct, you did describe everything. Jeez, I feel a bit foolish for not paying better attention. I read it a few days ago but it all slipped right through my head. Sorry about that.
The jacket length gage is pretty neat, I'll have to make one of those up ASAP! Didn't see what you called the little black nut though.

[Bayou City Boy]

I'm over 50....and I thought I had provided explanations, but I went back and looked just to be sure. Stranger things have happened with my mind.....

Part of the depth gauge is covered up by the v-cutter. It's actually a little screw with a finger tab on it to use to adjust depth on the little collar from the top of the die.

The Allen wrench is used to adjust jacket length...the bottom end of the internal punch has an Allen head and you hold the nylon lock nut with a small "adjustable metric" wrench and adjust the length with the Allen wrench.

The sizer die rod nut.....I explained what I used it for just above in my previous post. Since getting separate punch holders for each punch that I can leave adjusted, I don't use it any longer. Just never took it out of the die box.

HTH - BCB

[caller223]

Can't resist telling you all some of my swaging tales. About 36 years ago I was at a gun show and spied 2 rolls of lead wire and a set of dies. Looking at dies you could see a 22 bullet stuck in dies. Guy didn't know anything about them and sold cheap. I had saw ads before from SAS, wrote to them and recieved answer from Ted Smith, inventor/designer of the dies ( and the guy that sold to the Corbins some time later) . Ted said sounds like my dies, if you don't mess with them I will remove stuck bullet and polish dies and let you know what you have. This started a long term friendship, Ted made me up a ram for a Rockchucker and supplied me with directions, some jackets and got me started, then made me up some 6mm dies and sold me a couple of his Mity Mite presses. BTW they were great little presses for small calibers.
Richard Grantham

[Bryan]

I made .224 bullets on Larry's dies and press for years. When I went commercial, I bought Niemi stuff (from Clint Starke). The Blackmon setup went to a BR shooter in Phoenix who wins his share of wood with those bullets. Last time I talked to him, an un-named shooter who you all know, had shot those bullets and was wanting a bunch more. Blackmon's stuff is very good.
Bryan

[Pappy]

I noticed no mention of what lubes to use. Every bullet maker has a favorite, I think. Core squirting is easy; I use RCBS Case Lube II; just about 9 grains of lube for 1000 core pieces (for 30 cal), tumbled in a gallon jar for about 20 minutes. The trick to core squirting, if you want to get uniform weight cores, is to cut the pieces as uniformly as possible, then, when squirting, don't go too fast. Seems the lead keeps squirting out slowly after the initial stroke. It takes probably a full second for it to stop. With practice and a lot of weighing, you can get very uniform cores more quickly than that, by altering the pace according to how heavy the core feels.

Don't forget to degrease the cores completely before seating. I boil them in water with dishwasher powder (like Cascade), then rinse.

For jacket lube I suppose you can buy it, but I make mine from castor oil and anhydrous lanolin 1:1 by volume. I use lube-grade castor, not pharmaceutical, but it probably doesn't matter. The lanolin you can get online. It takes only about 8 grains of lube for 1000 cal 30 jackets.