swaging bullets for "more" accuracy

[bsears10]

I came across this website www.corbins.com/howto.htm while surfing this morning and am interested in input from you guys. I personally am interested in shooting for accuracy only and would like to know if there is a noticeable difference here compared to going with a factory bullet for reloading my accuracy related rounds? Thanks for your responses in advance.

[LR1955]

I came across this website www.corbins.com/howto.htm while surfing this morning and am interested in input from you guys. I personally am interested in shooting for accuracy only and would like to know if there is a noticeable difference here compared to going with a factory bullet for reloading my accuracy related rounds? Thanks for your responses in advance.

B10:

No, there isn't. You may be able to make something that equals commercially made match grade bullets from Berger, Sierra, Lapua etc., but you won't make one that can be proven to be better or more accurate.

LR1955

[stokesrj]

I agree with LR but will ad that you can make bullets that aren't available from the major bullet makers, and that may be more accurate than ones that are. For instance I shoot an 81.5 grain flat base bullet out of my Stolle Panda 6.5 Grendel. This is a bullet I have custom made by Cauterucio. It is demonstratably more accurate than anything I can get from Berger, Sierra, or Lapua. I don't believe that has anything to do with the quality of the bullet, only that It can be driven to an accuracy node that the others can't because it is lighter. You could make this bullet using Corbin dies, that is what Cauterucio does for me.
Bob

[bsears10]

So then, unless I am experimenting with the idea of bullets that aren't available for the loads I am trying to experiment with there is no use for swaging.
I am new to reloading so I think I will stick to the proven manufactured bullets available ( unless there are some specialty bullet makers who offer a more accurate/ consistent bullet that will show results). Thanks for the answers.

[mongoosesnipe]

I have looked into it before the equipment is increadably expensive and you still have to buy the raw materials so there is not much is the way of cost savings as far as accuracy outside of some sort of specialty load with a non factory produced bullet you won't see any diffence the big companies spend millions in research and development in order to make the best products they can the odds of you doing better in our garage are slim but if you have the cash to burn and are looking or something to do give its shot

[blackfoot]

Custom bullets are more popular in short range benchrest (100,200 yards). You will find very few commercially available bullets on the top of the winners lists at major shoots. Most of these are flat base bullets that as I understand are a lot easier to accurately make by hand than boat tails. My semi-educated conclusion is that there is an accuracy advantage, BUT for long range shooting that advantage is diminished with the requirement of high BC boat tail bullets. BTW, all the custom makers buy their jackets from the commercial bullet manufacturers, but it's the care and attention to detail in making the core and putting them together that they believe makes a better bullet. That and the quality of the die.

[StoneTower]

If you are after a .224 you can make the jackets from 22 LR cases. If you have 22 mag cases I believe you can make up to 6mm. I looked into it a one time but finding a large supply of the same brand of 22 mag can be a problem. Most guys that shoot rimfire do not save the brass and most guys that shoot 22 mag do not shoot large quantities at ranges.

[LR1955]

If you are after a .224 you can make the jackets from 22 LR cases. If you have 22 mag cases I believe you can make up to 6mm. I looked into it a one time but finding a large supply of the same brand of 22 mag can be a problem. Most guys that shoot rimfire do not save the brass and most guys that shoot 22 mag do not shoot large quantities at ranges.

ST:

Yes, you can make these cases into jackets. After a long process of heat treating, swaging out the rim, then trimming the ones you didn't ruin, the ones you are left with will suck big time compared to buying J-4 jackets.

LR1955

[LR1955]

Custom bullets are more popular in short range benchrest (100,200 yards). You will find very few commercially available bullets on the top of the winners lists at major shoots. Most of these are flat base bullets that as I understand are a lot easier to accurately make by hand than boat tails. My semi-educated conclusion is that there is an accuracy advantage, BUT for long range shooting that advantage is diminished with the requirement of high BC boat tail bullets. BTW, all the custom makers buy their jackets from the commercial bullet manufacturers, but it's the care and attention to detail in making the core and putting them together that they believe makes a better bullet. That and the quality of the die.

BF:

Not necessarily correct. You can obtain dies that will give you as high a BC as possible using swaging gear, lead alloy cores, and commercial jackets. As high as anything made by anyone but probably not higher as it seems there are no more ways to shape a conventional bullet that haven't already been made.

And, you would be surprised at how much a bullet can take before you destroy its accuracy. I swage out my cores but no longer weigh them. In fact, I have used cut pieces of lead wire without swaging them or cleaning off any grease into jackets and swaged bullets that were as good as anything coming out of Sierra. No doubt the bullet weight for say a 120 grain 6.5 bullet varied up to a grain because I didn't swage these pieces of lead wire. It meant nothing down range.

What you do need to watch is how much pressure you are putting out when seating the core, forming the base, and swaging the ogive. Too much pressure swaging the core and you will weaken the bullet jacket and stretch it too much. Not enough and the core slips when it is fired and the jacket won't fill out enough for consistent diameter. Forming the tail must be done uniformly or you have varying tail dimensions which is bad. But what is probably worse than the tail would be a failure to form the tip properly as this would mean your bullets would vary in overall length.

There is no magic to the process and you won't ruin bullets if your pressures are off some when swaging but if your pressures are off a-lot, which is easy to do with a hand operated press, your bullets will suck. And, if 500 bullets you just made suck, you are out a lot of money in jackets and lead.

LR1955