107 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
107 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
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.he CHAPTER 1 CORBIN HANDBOOK AND CATALOG NO. 7, PAGE #
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HOW DO YOU SWAGE BULLETS?
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There are five different ways to swage bullets today. You can
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use:
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(1) A POUND DIE
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(2) A RELOADING PRESS
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(3) The CORBIN MITY MITE PRESS
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(4) The CORBIN MEGA MITE PRESS
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(5) The CORBIN HYDRO-PRESS
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Each of the five methods has certain advantages. The pound die
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requires no press, but instead, uses a mallet. It is somewhat lower in
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cost because you do not need to purchase a press, but it is much slower
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to use and doesn't produce jacketed bullets. It is ideal for swaging
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large caliber lead bullets, and is often selected by replica black-
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powder rifle shooters who wish to use an authentic reproduction of the
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earliest form of swaging die (from the 1890's).
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The reloading press system is economical since most handloaders
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already own a suitable reloading press. It is limited to smaller rifle
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calibers (from .257 to .224) and medium handgun calibers (from .357 to
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.25 ACP) because of the inherent weakness of the slotted ram. There
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are certain design restrictions imposed on this system by the press, so
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it is not ideal for special work or custom calibers. Corbin makes
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standard calibers and shapes only, in this system. The cost is thus
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kept low for the quality. Speed is greater than the pound die but less
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than the other, special swaging systems.
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The Corbin Mity Mite system uses a special horizontal ram press
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with more power than any reloading press built. It is much faster than
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a reloading press since it ejects the bullet automatically on the back
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stroke. The dies for this system, and the matching punches, do not
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interchange with the reloading press system. They are made to fit into
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the RAM of the press, instead of the press head. Calibers from .14 to
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.458, tubing jackets with walls of up to .030-inch thickness, and
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weights up to 450 grains, can all be swaged with the Mity Mite. Custom
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work is done in this system.
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The Corbin Mega Mite system is based on a massive machined steel
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press that can handle both reloading and bullet swaging. It can accept
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ANY of the Corbin dies, including those for the Hydro-press. This
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ability to interchange various kinds of dies can be important to some
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owners. However, there are limits to any hand-powered press. The
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amount of force the Mega Mite produces is awesome, but still less than
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required for certain large caliber, heavy-jacketed production work.
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The Corbin Hydro-press system is the ultimate in bullet
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manufacturing today. It features automatic stroke and pressure
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control, electronic sensors and timing, programmable stroke control,
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and many other advanced concepts that place it at the top of the list
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for custom bullet firms around the world. Any caliber from 20mm cannon
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to a 10 gauge shotgun slug can be swaged, in virtually unlimited weight
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or style. Solid brass or copper rod can be formed instantly into
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bullets of higher precision than lathe turning. Lead wire can be
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extruded like toothpaste. And the press adapts easily to standard
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reloading dies for the convenience of automatic sizing and seating.
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Any of the various swaging systems use the principle that cold
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metal will flow under sufficient pressure and take on the shape of the
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vessel holding that pressure. The swage die is a very strong, highly
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finished vessel for containing the pressure. You swage the bullet in
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all these systems by driving a punch against the material while it is
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held within the confines of the die cavity. Upward expansion from the
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internal pressure created is the key factor in forming the bullets.
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Reduction in diameter is called "drawing". Remember, swaging always
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expands the bullet or material upward in diameter.
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Drawing dies are used to reduce the diameter of an object, such as
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a bullet or a piece of copper tubing or a jacket. They differ from
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swaging dies, in that the drawing die has an open top and only one
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punch is used. The component is pressed through the die and out the
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top. In passing through a hardened constriction, it becomes smaller.
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Drawing has serious restrictions when applied to finished bullets, and
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can only be used for very limited amounts of reduction. But for
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reforming jackets and making copper tubing into jackets, it is a
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valuable tool.
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If you try to put a piece of lead or a jacket into a die that has
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a smaller diameter of cavity, the material will be forced down in size
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and will exert a strong pressure against the sides of the die. When
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the pressure is relieved, by ejecting the component, the material may
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exert a certain amount of springiness, and become slightly larger than
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the die cavity. In making swage dies, the die-makers have to contend
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with the various amounts of spring-back in different hardnesses of
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jackets, different thicknesses of jacket wall, and other factors. The
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die itself is normally a different diameter from the actual finished
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bullet that comes out of it.
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What this means to you as a potential bullet-maker, is that you
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should NEVER try to force anything into a swage die. If it won't fit
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easily, don't push it in. At best, it will make the wrong diameter of
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bullet. But generally, it will stick fast in the die and require
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special techniques to remove. And at worst, it can generate enough
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pressure to break the die!
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In the following chapters, we'll discuss the various methods of
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making bullets in more detail, one system at a time. Bear in mind that
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there are hundreds of possible variations on the techniques, depending
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on what you want to make. It would be impossible to send this manual
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to you by mail if every style of bullet were to be described detail,
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with each step required to make it. We have to give you the basics of
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making two or three styles, and refer you to the more detailed
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technical books for advanced techniques.
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It is far more important for you to understand the principle
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differences between lead bullet swaging, semi-wadcutter (and jacketed
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wadcutter) styles of swaging, and the styles that bring the jacket into
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the nose curve or ogive portion of the bullet. These three basic kinds
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of bullets form the basis for everything else. If you understand how
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to make them, then variations such as rebated boattails, liquid-filled
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internal cavities, partitions, and other advanced designs are fairly
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simple to pick up. They aren't different: they just expand a bit on
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the basic techniques.
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