bullet swaging vs processed ammo

healea11 · April 10, 2011, 01:21 PM

hello im new here and for years have always came here for advice on things as a non member and today decided to join to reap even more benefits of learning im only 22 but have been reloading for several years....recently i ran across a video showing 22lr spent cases being made into .224 diameter bullets.....i did some research on the presses and dies that you would have to have and its retardedly stupid at how much the setup cost but im just wondering if any of you have expereince with this and is it really worth it?? i mean i shoot alot of 22lr and have abundance and have more lead than one man should have (im also an active diver/spearfisher lead weight belts gallore) but i shoot my AR alot more just looking for some friendly advice thanks

Casimer · April 10, 2011, 01:39 PM

I've never done it, but I do know that you can without needing a dedicated swaging press. You can get dies to do the same w/ a standard SS reloading press. So the cost isn't as high as it would be for an entire kit.

healea11 · April 10, 2011, 01:48 PM

i noticed that lee has a sizer kit but then you also have to have all the bells and whistles to swage the core and make the point and stuff idk the more i set and thnk about it the more it seems so scattered to do i mean i am a bachelor and have nothing else better to do other than work ha ha

medalguy · April 10, 2011, 03:11 PM

It's only worth it if you have the time and plan on making a lot of bullets. Like most things, cost is amortized over time. The longer the time, the less the cost per unit.

chris in va · April 10, 2011, 06:14 PM

Quote:

i noticed that lee has a sizer kit

That's not the same thing as what you're talking about. The RO at the range I visit has the kit and it cost him roughly $1000 for dies, press and everything else he decided to use to make 224 bullets. Pretty slick though.

By the way, punctuation and capitalization is a good thing on this board.

amamnn · April 10, 2011, 06:41 PM

I looked into this some years back - so my info might be out of date but I think it probably isn't

As mentioned the Lee sizer is not applicable to this situation--you may have seen the Corbin equipment in action and it works quite well for a limited application - it will never form an acceptable jacket from .22 LR cases to be used in a halfway serious match and it will be what your accountant might call non amortizable--which means it will not be expected to pay for itself let alone save you money unless you shoot more rounds than Tony Boyer ot David Tubb and don't really care how accurate they are.

FrankenMauser · April 10, 2011, 07:12 PM

Although I think several posters here are unfairly criticizing the quality of the bullets produced by the Corbin kits, there is one additional factor to consider:

The jacket punches are reported to wear very quickly (pushes the .22 LR / .22 WMR case into the die, to form it to a cylindrical jacket). Rimfire priming compound contains crushed glass, which acts as the "anvil" in the mixture itself. It is impossible to get all of the compound out during the wash process. That glass (and the debris that gets caught in it) wears down the jacket punch in as little as 300-500 jackets.

You can still use the worn punches, but the jackets will have poorly formed bases. As such, the bullets will have poorly formed bases; and will be unsatisfactory.
Luckily, the punches are affordable, and/or can be re-ground. But, it's an ongoing cost, that must be calculated into amortization estimates.

I have run the costs many times. I REALLY want to be able to justify getting set up to swage my own .224" and .243" jacketed bullets. ...But the numbers are always bad. Last time I ran the numbers, I calculated that I would have to make more than 13,000 .224" 50 grain bullets, to amortize the cost of the equipment (not counting the cost of having a jacket punch reground or replaced every 500-1,500 jackets).

Waldog · April 10, 2011, 08:15 PM

Another thing to think about. The bullets are OK for what they are. You are limited in velocity because the 22rf jackets come apart at higher velocities. If memory serves me, I think 2700-2900fps is the max these bullets can be pushed. I could be wrong on that number. But they are LIMITED.

healea11 · April 10, 2011, 08:20 PM

Well thanks guys that about sums it up for me. I think I will stick to the basics and just continue reloading what i can buy processed. Only reason i was considering it was because there are two shops in my local are that even carry reloading supplies and both are very high on their prices. A pound of powder i can buy at a gun show costs $30-40. Bullets are about the same double almost the cost. Tulsa just went on (which im sure most of you know

) and i stocked up greatly out there on most things i needed, and sorry about the gramar errors im just a backwoods boy. Thanks again guys for your advice and input on the matter.

April 10, 2011, 01:21 PM	#1
healea11 Member Join Date: April 10, 2011 Location: Arkansas Posts: 19	bullet swaging vs processed ammo hello im new here and for years have always came here for advice on things as a non member and today decided to join to reap even more benefits of learning im only 22 but have been reloading for several years....recently i ran across a video showing 22lr spent cases being made into .224 diameter bullets.....i did some research on the presses and dies that you would have to have and its retardedly stupid at how much the setup cost but im just wondering if any of you have expereince with this and is it really worth it?? i mean i shoot alot of 22lr and have abundance and have more lead than one man should have (im also an active diver/spearfisher lead weight belts gallore) but i shoot my AR alot more just looking for some friendly advice thanks

April 10, 2011, 06:41 PM	#6
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	I looked into this some years back - so my info might be out of date but I think it probably isn't As mentioned the Lee sizer is not applicable to this situation--you may have seen the Corbin equipment in action and it works quite well for a limited application - it will never form an acceptable jacket from .22 LR cases to be used in a halfway serious match and it will be what your accountant might call non amortizable--which means it will not be expected to pay for itself let alone save you money unless you shoot more rounds than Tony Boyer ot David Tubb and don't really care how accurate they are. __________________ "If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

April 10, 2011, 07:12 PM	#7
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,421	Although I think several posters here are unfairly criticizing the quality of the bullets produced by the Corbin kits, there is one additional factor to consider: The jacket punches are reported to wear very quickly (pushes the .22 LR / .22 WMR case into the die, to form it to a cylindrical jacket). Rimfire priming compound contains crushed glass, which acts as the "anvil" in the mixture itself. It is impossible to get all of the compound out during the wash process. That glass (and the debris that gets caught in it) wears down the jacket punch in as little as 300-500 jackets. You can still use the worn punches, but the jackets will have poorly formed bases. As such, the bullets will have poorly formed bases; and will be unsatisfactory. Luckily, the punches are affordable, and/or can be re-ground. But, it's an ongoing cost, that must be calculated into amortization estimates. I have run the costs many times. I REALLY want to be able to justify getting set up to swage my own .224" and .243" jacketed bullets. ...But the numbers are always bad. Last time I ran the numbers, I calculated that I would have to make more than 13,000 .224" 50 grain bullets, to amortize the cost of the equipment (not counting the cost of having a jacket punch reground or replaced every 500-1,500 jackets). __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

April 10, 2011, 08:15 PM	#8
Waldog Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 2007 Location: SOCAL Posts: 359	Another thing to think about. The bullets are OK for what they are. You are limited in velocity because the 22rf jackets come apart at higher velocities. If memory serves me, I think 2700-2900fps is the max these bullets can be pushed. I could be wrong on that number. But they are LIMITED. __________________ I am the Christian Conservative that CNN warned you about!! “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy.” Winston Churchill

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April 10, 2011, 01:39 PM	#2
Casimer Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2007 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 1,918	I've never done it, but I do know that you can without needing a dedicated swaging press. You can get dies to do the same w/ a standard SS reloading press. So the cost isn't as high as it would be for an entire kit.

April 10, 2011, 01:48 PM	#3
healea11 Member Join Date: April 10, 2011 Location: Arkansas Posts: 19	i noticed that lee has a sizer kit but then you also have to have all the bells and whistles to swage the core and make the point and stuff idk the more i set and thnk about it the more it seems so scattered to do i mean i am a bachelor and have nothing else better to do other than work ha ha

April 10, 2011, 03:11 PM	#4
medalguy Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2009 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,033	It's only worth it if you have the time and plan on making a lot of bullets. Like most things, cost is amortized over time. The longer the time, the less the cost per unit.

April 10, 2011, 08:20 PM	#9
healea11 Member Join Date: April 10, 2011 Location: Arkansas Posts: 19	Well thanks guys that about sums it up for me. I think I will stick to the basics and just continue reloading what i can buy processed. Only reason i was considering it was because there are two shops in my local are that even carry reloading supplies and both are very high on their prices. A pound of powder i can buy at a gun show costs $30-40. Bullets are about the same double almost the cost. Tulsa just went on (which im sure most of you know ) and i stocked up greatly out there on most things i needed, and sorry about the gramar errors im just a backwoods boy. Thanks again guys for your advice and input on the matter.