Where are people getting the wire for their swaging? I watched Tom's video (thanks Tom) and think this looks like something worth giving a go.
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anyone using the Corbin swage kit?
- Thread starter 13brv3
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Scoutscope,
I buy all of my lead wire from Corbin direct. It's not worth casting your own, or trying to find a better or cheaper source. Corbins lead is 100%, no alloys are introduced, so the wire you buy now, is the same as it was 8 years ago. When other alloys are introduced to the swaging process, there is a danger of too hard of lead due to alloys introduced. Lead wheel weight lead will damage the dies, and possibly damage YOU!!!
I get all of my wire from Corbin, .170 in diameter, in 10 pound spools. 10 pounds of lead is approximately 70,000 grains. One spool is $50, if you buy a case of 4, it costs $180. The shipping is up there, but not to the point it is cost prohibitive. I still have about 100 pounds left, I'll buy 3 cases at a time in the future.
I'll make another swaging video that is a little more detailed than the last one, due to my award winning camera work. One thing I will show in more detail, is the cheapo adjustable cutter that I made, that works like a charm. Anyone reading this, if you are inclined to get all or some of this equipment, leave out the wire cutter. It works well, but for lighter pellets that we use in the airgun community, it's a hindrance. It is really designed for making longer cores to be jacketed for powderburners
Tom Holland
Field Target Tech
I buy all of my lead wire from Corbin direct. It's not worth casting your own, or trying to find a better or cheaper source. Corbins lead is 100%, no alloys are introduced, so the wire you buy now, is the same as it was 8 years ago. When other alloys are introduced to the swaging process, there is a danger of too hard of lead due to alloys introduced. Lead wheel weight lead will damage the dies, and possibly damage YOU!!!
I get all of my wire from Corbin, .170 in diameter, in 10 pound spools. 10 pounds of lead is approximately 70,000 grains. One spool is $50, if you buy a case of 4, it costs $180. The shipping is up there, but not to the point it is cost prohibitive. I still have about 100 pounds left, I'll buy 3 cases at a time in the future.
I'll make another swaging video that is a little more detailed than the last one, due to my award winning camera work. One thing I will show in more detail, is the cheapo adjustable cutter that I made, that works like a charm. Anyone reading this, if you are inclined to get all or some of this equipment, leave out the wire cutter. It works well, but for lighter pellets that we use in the airgun community, it's a hindrance. It is really designed for making longer cores to be jacketed for powderburners
Tom Holland
Field Target Tech
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Good to know. I noticed the cutter looked a lot like a tubing cutter used on plastic pipe, with a depth stop. I look forward to seeing it a bit closer. My Dad is pointing me to the corbin website to do a bit of research. I look forward to learning more, and also to future posts/videos. This thread is pretty enlightening.
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Scoutscope,
That's exactly what that is, it's a hose cutter. Modified by me to make it adjustable, so you don't waste wire. I'll put a detailed review on it, and how I build it. Whatever weight I need, I make the lead slug weigh about 2-3 grains heavier for some bleed off.
I would also go onto Corbins website, he has TONS of free info that you can download and print out for reference. He tells you everything you need to know about swaging, as well as how to fix some issues that you might encounter. I downloaded and printed everything related to swaging.
Tom Holland
Field Target Tech
That's exactly what that is, it's a hose cutter. Modified by me to make it adjustable, so you don't waste wire. I'll put a detailed review on it, and how I build it. Whatever weight I need, I make the lead slug weigh about 2-3 grains heavier for some bleed off.
I would also go onto Corbins website, he has TONS of free info that you can download and print out for reference. He tells you everything you need to know about swaging, as well as how to fix some issues that you might encounter. I downloaded and printed everything related to swaging.
Tom Holland
Field Target Tech
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I use the Corbins cutter for .25 cal.
Not sure how well the home made hand cutter would be for the larger .247" wire. Might be just fine.
Not sure how well the home made hand cutter would be for the larger .247" wire. Might be just fine.
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how heavy were boat tails????? like 38gr
also corbins build quality is very very good , it will last lifetime , dies must use pure lead only hard stuff kills dies fast ,
also corbins build quality is very very good , it will last lifetime , dies must use pure lead only hard stuff kills dies fast ,
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Have you found a preference for one type of base over another, or does it depend on the gun and weight of the slug? I was thinking of starting with flat, and rebated boat tail, but the cupped and deeper base might be interesting too when it comes to shifting CG forward or aft. I can tell this is going to be expensive, but fun (hopefully). I really just have to pick .217 or .218, and I'm about ready to order.
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I noticed almost immediately in my reading at Corbin two different references to being able to buy corbin sets to use in your single stage reloading press. That should help a person without a corbin press reduce their initial investment. Just thought I would share that before I go read further.
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My understanding is that you can only make semi-wadcutter types with a normal press, not the smooth ogive that most of us want. I could certainly be wrong, so double check what I'm saying for sure.
Rusty (almost ready to order)
Rusty (almost ready to order)
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Rusty,
You are 100% correct. I have the semi wadcutter dies for the Corbin press, it is a one step process. It is a two step process for a standard reloading press to make semi wadcutter pellets, and a standard reloading press cannot make the smooth sided pellet (slug) that we want.
One piece of advice, if you are on the fence of what diameter to get, DON'T do what I did, it was an expensive mistake that ultimately failed.
I told Corbin that I wanted 4.52 mm, and 4.53 mm dies, in semi wadcutter. I recieved said dies, and they were much too tight in all of my guns, to the point that they were almost unshootable. At 30 yards, I could not get a 10" group out of a Steyr or a TM 1000. I did not like the rough .015 edge that makes it a wadcutter. I'll try to find some pictures to demonstrate that.
When ordering the last set of dies, Dave Corbin reccomended that I stuff some pillow stuffing in a 4 inch pvc tube, and shoot into it, and recover them with no damage. Don't be inclined to shoot them into water, it will deform them. This way he can put them under his microscope which is calibrated to measure stuff like that, and he will tell me what size dies I need for my guns, instead of the other way around. Best move I could've done.
Tom Holland
Field Target Tech
You are 100% correct. I have the semi wadcutter dies for the Corbin press, it is a one step process. It is a two step process for a standard reloading press to make semi wadcutter pellets, and a standard reloading press cannot make the smooth sided pellet (slug) that we want.
One piece of advice, if you are on the fence of what diameter to get, DON'T do what I did, it was an expensive mistake that ultimately failed.
I told Corbin that I wanted 4.52 mm, and 4.53 mm dies, in semi wadcutter. I recieved said dies, and they were much too tight in all of my guns, to the point that they were almost unshootable. At 30 yards, I could not get a 10" group out of a Steyr or a TM 1000. I did not like the rough .015 edge that makes it a wadcutter. I'll try to find some pictures to demonstrate that.
When ordering the last set of dies, Dave Corbin reccomended that I stuff some pillow stuffing in a 4 inch pvc tube, and shoot into it, and recover them with no damage. Don't be inclined to shoot them into water, it will deform them. This way he can put them under his microscope which is calibrated to measure stuff like that, and he will tell me what size dies I need for my guns, instead of the other way around. Best move I could've done.
Tom Holland
Field Target Tech
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I use a deep cupped base .25 cal. 30.5gr. in a stock Cricket @ 872 FPS. - Extreme sub-MOA. WAY more accurate than a JSB anything at all ranges. Down side, only about 52 FPE. Blows in the wind more than I like at long range.
I use a very small cup base for a .25 cal. 37.8gr. in a modified Cricket .35 to .25 @ 942 FPS. This is my 100 - 250 yard slug gun. Can't shoot pellets out of this one, even if you wanted to for some dumb reason. These things cut the wind unbelievably well.
These are what work best so far.
The Hollow Point is probably more important in some ways than the base.
Don't over look the HP size and depth...... To small will suck!!!!
I have the first two HP pins that were to small. They failed to expand properly at long range. No good to me.
This spring I had the right one made. Has perfect expansion beyond 250 yards from a 75 FPE gun. Get that first. Then accuracy.
Corbins is only about 25 miles away. That's handy for me. I always want a new something.
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Or - stuff some plastic shopping bags in a 4 inch pvc tube, and shoot into it, and recover them with no damage.
Work good too.
Work good too.
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Thanks for the additional base info. I'll almost certainly get multiple base punches, since I'll be in this deep already. I will also get a similar HP tip punch to what NSA uses, and also a flat non hollow-point punch. I don't hunt anything but paper, so expansion is a non-issue for me. I like the fact that you can use HP and base shapes to move the CG fore and aft on the same weight slug. That should keep me busy experimenting forever 
I just did some testing with two barrels 600 and 700 using .217 and .218 NSA slugs. It was close, but the .217 seems to be more consistent in both barrels, with a bit tighter groups. I didn't measure the velocity, but I'd expect it to be faster with the .217. Everything I've shot up until today was .217, so that's probably what I'll stick with unless I decide to do the bullet capture test.
Rusty
I just did some testing with two barrels 600 and 700 using .217 and .218 NSA slugs. It was close, but the .217 seems to be more consistent in both barrels, with a bit tighter groups. I didn't measure the velocity, but I'd expect it to be faster with the .217. Everything I've shot up until today was .217, so that's probably what I'll stick with unless I decide to do the bullet capture test.
Rusty
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Is it also possible to swage slugs in .177 with the Corbin Swage Kit ???
Yes. There are several posts on this thread from Xbowsniper who is using it for .177.
Rusty (order semi-placed)
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So Rusty, did you go with the PF-1-SP type dies? I'm curious to say the least. I've done a lot of reading in a short time, but I haven't talked with anyone in person. I read a book that I eventually figured out has some outdated material. There was a point where is sounds like the smooth ogive style of NSA could be produced only in a two step process, three if you wanted a hollow point. The pf1sp seems to be a miracle die compared to all that. I think I'll get a price sheet coming my way to help with my decision to jump down this deep rabbit hole. I doubt anyone here will help discourage me All the same I'd love to hear what others are doing and their experiences with the new toys.
All the same I'd love to hear what others are doing and their experiences with the new toys.Upvote 0
Starting from ground zero with Corbin for airguns, this is the place to start- http://www.swagedies.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CBST&Product_Code=KIT-2SP&Category_Code=Airgun
Yes, the PF-1-SP is the die, but the extra base and tip punches get really confusing. I send a screen capture of my best guess to the Corbin email address, and asked them to take a look and see if I got it right. Sadly, they mentioned that they have had some large orders recently, so none of this is likely to be in stock.
As for multiple steps, the die and press are made to be able to do both steps in one action. Watch the video that Tom posted on the first page and he shows exactly how the process works.
Rusty
Yes, the PF-1-SP is the die, but the extra base and tip punches get really confusing. I send a screen capture of my best guess to the Corbin email address, and asked them to take a look and see if I got it right. Sadly, they mentioned that they have had some large orders recently, so none of this is likely to be in stock.
As for multiple steps, the die and press are made to be able to do both steps in one action. Watch the video that Tom posted on the first page and he shows exactly how the process works.
Rusty
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Ahh yes, the hardest part, waiting. I feel your pain. I watched Tom's video and did a lot of reading on the subject of swaging as told by Mr. Corbin. I feel like I have a grasp on what's going on now. When you started this thread I was in way over my head. If nothing else, I gained an understanding of what it takes. I like the thought of being able to roll my own ammo. An uber quiet meat getter with a bicycle pump, a bag of o rings, and a renewable source of ammo may come in real handy some of these days.
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Finding this all very interesting. I question for those that are swagging slugs. How many slugs could you swag in an hour? Is it physically tiring?
Thanks Michael
Thanks Michael
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I make 60 – 100 in .25 cal. an hour approximately. About the same time it takes to have 3 beers. No big hurry. Precision match grade rounds are what it's all about for me. I visually inspect each one for perfect form.
Tiring? A 5 year old could make .25 cal. slugs all day long.
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