Hunting Forum

Agree with David above. Brass would have to be cast oversize and machined to final dimensions.

In the case of swaged bullets, I have a Corbin S-Press and FINALLY bolted it to a bench a couple days ago. I want to make some .223 bullets and maybe some .308 caliber stuff or .45 caliber pistol bullets. I do not have the 800+ bucks laying around for the jacket maker, but I DO have a crapload of .22 brass and some other assorted caliber cases here that I don't use too often that I would like to make something of (.38 special cases for instance, could be perhaps be made into .45's??). I understand the process for filling the .22 with lead and just swaging it to a point, that is straightforward (if I had dies). Where can I locate or make a jacket forming die for those .22's? I saw someone who made one with a Lee Sizing die set and some carving on the pushpin, I am considering such an event in fact...

or can those .38s be drawn into .308's??

I do make 22 cal bullets with very old presses and dies. It is all cold swaging. I got the copper jackets from sierra and they are already mostly formed resembling a rimless 22lr casing. Making a bullet is a 4 step process after cleaning the lead. Start with 5/16 wire lead cleaned. Use a special cutting tool to cut lead slugs to a specific length. Insert the lead slugs into the first die and it forms and sizes the lead slug to the inside demensions of the jacket and makes a specific weight. Next insert the lead slug into a jacket and insert into the next die which presses the lead into the jacket to eliminate any voids between the lead and jacket. Finally place the lubed jacket into the forming die and that die forms the front of the bullet. I use these bullets in my 222 rems and 219 Donaldson Wasps. I got this equipment from my father-in-law who participated in benchrest shooting back in the 50s. Back then you could not buy good enough bullets so most benchrest competitors made their own. I do not know who made the first two dies but the bullet ogive forming die is a Bieler and Astes (sp). I would imagine I could make different weights of bullets by adjusting the first two dies but without any instruction manuals for this equipment I let well enough alone and produce copper clad bullets of 54 1/2 grains that shoot great out of my old rifles. I also can only make flat based bullets without any cannular wihch most likely would take another die or piece of equipment. These are hollow point bullets and are a bit more explosive on a target but sure do a job on local groundhogs.