I ran across an old (~25 years ago) ad for a home swaging kit for RB. You cast a stick of lead, cut it into segments, fit them into a mold and bashed it with a large hammer. Trim off the lead washer around it and you had a swaged RB. It was sold by Senica Run in CO which I assume no longer exists. I didn't have the $35 for one at the time and wonder if anyone used one and if anything similar is available today.
Home swaging of round balls
- Thread starter Oldnamvet
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paulvallandigham
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Swagfind any lead projectile take a tremendous amount of strength( force) and if you have a hand press, the leverage required to produce consistently round balls is HUGE. No matter how heavy your hand press is designed, it can't compete with the consistency available from a hydraulic press.
Dan is right. It far cheaper, and easier to cast balls, and put them in a case vibrator, or tumbler, to knock off all the sprues, and make them round.
Dan is right. It far cheaper, and easier to cast balls, and put them in a case vibrator, or tumbler, to knock off all the sprues, and make them round.
Roy said:
If I'm bashing things with a large hammer, sooner or later my thumb WILL be involved! :cursing:
I cast balls now, but I like the idea of a simple home swaging setup. Wouldn't mind trying that out if they're still available.
Blizzard of '93
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never seen such - but casting ain't so bad after all :v
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If you're handy with a lathe or mill you can make up an impact swaging set-up. I have impact-swaged (read 8-pound hammer) lots of bullets. Bottom line is that for RB it is a lot easier/better to cast them. I was mostly swaging copper-tubing jacketed bullets for .375 H&H Mag.
Strawstalker/NM
Strawstalker CO & NM
Hello the camp - I cast my lead in good steel molds, place them into a 2'x2'x1' steel box in the back of my truck. after a few days rolling around they are completly covered by small dimples. I then take them out a weigh the lot into good balls and prectice balls. Good Luck, Dan Bromley, NM
Well heck everyone has this way and that I'm not sure if they used that back in 1973 (when I bought one of these) , did it make better balls than you could buy ?? They was fun to make and shot AS good as any I bought, I hadn't got into makeing them way back then( I bought pressed lead sticks to use) till newer moulds came out ...like the last 15 to 20 years :rotf: Fred :hatsoff:
Oldnamvet,
I saw those guys demonstrating these things at Friendship. I didn't realize it was that long ago.
I was impressed that the thing did not take too much hammering to swage the ball. If the piece of lead was just the right size for the cavity it made a real nice ball. They did have some way of cutting the lead to size but I have long forgotten that one.
I might try make one of them one of these days. If anyone has one I'd like to see a picture of it.
I saw those guys demonstrating these things at Friendship. I didn't realize it was that long ago.
I was impressed that the thing did not take too much hammering to swage the ball. If the piece of lead was just the right size for the cavity it made a real nice ball. They did have some way of cutting the lead to size but I have long forgotten that one.
I might try make one of them one of these days. If anyone has one I'd like to see a picture of it.
It sounds pretty labor-intensive to me, as opposed to simply casting a RB. First you have to make the lead stick, then cut it to size (how do you determine that without experimentation?) and then smack it with a hammer, then trim off the "washer". How is that different from cleaning up a sprue? You could have cast several RBs in that time span.
I did a little more digging into the basement library and found the 3rd edition of the Black Powder Gun Digest. On page 162 they have a complete article on this along with pictures. If you are interested I can photograph the 8 pages and send them to you. Tom
longcruise
70 Cal.
Both of the Corbin brothers offer round ball swaging set ups. Pretty pricey compared to the cost of a mold and melting pot though! :shocked2:
