Bullet Swaging for hunting

[Bockja]

Does anybody here swage their own bullets for hunting. I am just getting started and hope to develop a good long range bonded .308 cal bullet. Planning to use RMR ogive and rebated boatail. Not sure on final weight but likely around 210 gr. Any thoughts or advice is always appreciated.

 

[mgstucson]

I know this is an old thread, but I swage bullets for hunting. I started with 308 caliber, but now swage for many calibers both rifle and handgun. I shoot 180gr in 30.06 mostly. Just bought 100 lbs of lead wire for 30 caliber and that should make about 3800 bullets. I don't anticipate buying lead wire in that size again. You can use 5.7x28 cases for 308 jackets, buy jackets when you can find them, or make jackets from copper tubing or strip copper. The best dies on the market in my opinion are from Richard Corbin. It is also one of the few places that have 308 dies in stock, as well as hand presses for swaging. With swaging you have constant availability regardless of supply chain problems, you can make bullets in an almost limitless combination of weights, jackets, point configurations, base configurations, cannelures, bonded, solids, frangibles, limited expansion, etc. There are custom die makers to make dies for swaging ultra accurate benchrest bullets, but Richard Corbin dies will make bullets plenty accurate for hunting and on par with factory ammo or better. There is wide disparity in cost of die sets from thousands to hundreds. You can pay much more and get much less. Richard Corbin makes top quality dies and presses at relatively reasonable prices (a few hundred dollars). I believe he is in his 70's or 80's and will not make dies forever. His brother Dave Corbin just retired and sold off the business. If you want to get into swaging, you better buy dies now while you can. After Richard Corbin, there are only those who make very precise custom dies at very high dollars (thousands) in very low numbers and long wait times (years), then those who make dies of far inferior quality and charge just as much.