what kind of equipment do you need?
and what does it cost?
how will accuracy and bc be affected?

if i'll get around to do it it will be:
.227-.228" 71gr SP and FMJ, and size them down to .224".
roughly 100-200 bullets per year.

Corbin Bullet Swage Technology
This site has everything you need to know, also if you email them the owner is one heck of a guy.

To expand on Mr. Kain's remarks... Dave corbin, corbins.com or swage.com...
i). He has a book on the web site for review, download, free without pictures or you can buy a hard copy with pictures. "Rediscover Swaging #9".
ii). To summarize what I have gathered, you could make these bullets with a reloading press. Heavy press. Rockchucker equivalent. 6mms are possible too. Larger overloads the system not made for this kind of pressures.
In U.S. .224 is common and dies should be "on the shelf." .227 is the old Savage Hi Power, here or .22 Newton. Probably a custom order. Takes longer. Costs more. [Often ebay has used equipment of all descriptions.] With additional dies you could use fired .22 rimfire cases for light jackets. Weights up to about 65 grains. Otherwise you buy jackets. J-4s brand are pretty available from Brunoshooters.com among others.

Couple hundred a year is pretty low production for the investment but it is an interesting hobby and some sell bullets. There are other makers of this kind of dies. Mr. Dave Corbin has a brother in the business, Richard, at rceco.com. Mr. Blackmon of Louisana has a good rep. You have some homework to do. Luck. Happy trails.

the idea was to get 5.6x52R / .22 Savage High Power performance(a common combination gun chambering over here, 70gr SP and FMJ at 2790fs) in a sweet, handy mini mauser.

speer already makes a .224" 70gr SP, and a 55gr FMJ would give all the pentration you could possible want.
and with some work, it shoud be possible to load them both to the same POI out to 200m.
it just don't seems like its worth the trouble and cost of drawing.

however i haven't decided yet on which cartridge to go for, .223 or 6.5x55

After my time in the army and not having friends come home using the .223 (5.56x45 nato) I will never own one. Just a personal choice.

But this is also a choice on what you decide to hunt with it too. for the 223 I recommend for any game less then 50lbs.

The 6.5x55 just happens to be my all time cartridge! It has very mild recoil and hits "way over its class". This little sucker can keep up VS the 30-06 out to 500meters with out losing much at all. Hell in Sweden where this cartridge came from the hunt moose with it! That alone says something!
Currently I have a Mauser chambered in the 6.5x55 getting a new barrel and a few other bell's and whistles. Its a surplus rifle made in Huskavana made in 41 and could have been shot a the "Reds".

Which ever you decide I do be leave eve you will not regret. Both are fun to shoot and just as deadly to small game. You just have a larger game choice with the 6.5 in my opinion.

yes, the six-and-a-half for moose...

the easiest way to stir the pot and make a 100 post thread on a scandinavian hunting forum, is just to mention 6.5x55 and moose in the same sentence.

as to keeping up with the '06, for long range deer hunting i may agree with you.
but load the .30-06 with 200gr bonded-core bullets and hunt larger game inside 200m, and i'm afraid the 6.5 has thrown in the towel.

funny you should mention the .30-06 because if i'll go for the .223, i'll get an .30-06 to use on anything bigger than roe deer(mature bucks grow up to 75lbs)



i'm sorry to mess up the bullet making forum with caliber talk.

well i guess the more the marryer! "But beware of the man with one gun"

quote:

Originally posted by James Kain:
"But beware of the man with one gun"

he's probably broke and is about to rob you
as i've heard somebody say.

i just need 2 rifles, a shotgun and a combination gun to be happy, so i'm not of those 'one gun for all thinkable situations.

LOL nice I was thinking he probably knows how to use it lol

Another thought:

Actually this is fairly simple machine shop work. In US you need an FFL (Federal Firearms license). No idea there. Point, any machine shop can do this work.

You can buy .227/.228 bullets from Hornady anyway. [Mr. Corbin also has a list of bullet makers --who use corbin equipement, surprise-- and they will make you anything you can afford. Export? I don't know.]

Point, for under $100. US you can by a resizing die/ "ring die" to reduce the .227 to .224.

You might be able to do this with GREAT LUBE like lanolin or castor oil (or mix) and any old cast bullet size die but then the die might break. Lee has a .224 for around $20.- US. Might. For a couple hundred a year... luck.

I would email Mr Corbin and ask him what he thinks. It is possible to swage the smaller bullets from your hand loading press. Talk to Mr Corbin about all of that and see what he says.
If I get my loan to pay off a few of my bills I should have enough extra to get myself set up for swaging! .264(6.5mm) and .308, and .311/.312 cal's are what I shoot.

Kain,

I don't know about your statement RE the 223. I did three tours and part of a fourth in 'nam in the 75th Inf Abn. Aka the Rangers. If you took all the people I got it would be longer than the unemployment line most places. None of them ever complained about my choice of caliber.

Rich
Sua Sponte

I m not saying it doesn't work but is not the best choice. But this my opinion. I understand what your saying too. So at least I can say I hope to see both sides and take both in consideration.
With a statement like your how could we not want to keep it? Its just the type of ammo we use today that will rip though with out even wavering in direction unless hitting bone. So if we do continue to use penetrating ammo like we do, I feel we should use something that is better in tissue damage rather then less.

Read all Dave has to offer then go to WWW.RCE.com Packy

Packrat,

I believe the web site you refer to is http://www.rceco.com/

I swage .227" bullets for my 5.6x52R - 12ga. combo rifle i have. I'd say it's no where near worth buying swage equipment to make this bullet, unless it's going to be a hobby for you and you don't care what it cost...

DM

Dear Jim,
You say "beware the man with one gun- he`ll know how to use it!" Very true. I have over UhUHUh? BUT. Someone[thing] best not piss me off if I have my old pre-64 Mod 70 in 6.5 Swede that I built back in 74 to hunt Africa! At least not inside 800 yds or so. 6.5 Swede or just about ANY 6.5 is the ticket. Try the 260 AAR Sometime.
Aloha, Mark

iiranger, why does anyone, in the USA, need an FFL to make bullets or, swaging dies?

Dear DocEd,

I am most cautious. As Brownells' put it following the passage of the GCA 68 (Gun Control Act), "if you spit down the barrel and charge for it, you need an FFL." (to be safe).

As I understand the technicallities, NO, you do not need an FFL to make bullets or bullet making equipment, BUT you need an FFL, Class VI per Mr. Corbin, to legally sell bullets. I believe a class II is also acceptable but that is the $300.00 one.

I am trying to be general for the instruction of a foreigner as to US problems. Legal problems.

While I haven't seen it yet, I suspect that some poor machinist smuck might just get "dinged" for selling bullets for having a bullet he made with the dies in the dies he made and sold... Why bother?

I wish it were not so, but it is so and I try to be extra careful. Luck to us all. r

Dear iiranger, the way I see the rules, the license is required to sell loaded ammunition, not components. I believe we have Volkmer/McClure to thank for this. Up until that bill was passed (in the early '90s I believe) an FFL was required to sell components.