OT - Swaging airgun pellets - press advice?

[AmBraCol]

I'm seriously looking into swaging my own pellets for use in airguns. Yeah, I know, you guys can buy all you want at a dime apiece or less. But our situation down here is different. The customs has tightened down so shipping is a horribly expensive option (due to ridiculous taxes, not to mention cost per pound for the shipping company itself) and the local suppliers are iffy at best - and selection is limited (gross understatement). So the more I look at the possibility of swaging my own, the more it intrigues me. The ability of adding another dimension to my shooting sports hobby is another added plus. Running off a few dozen pellets of a different weight or nose shape prior to heading to the club as well as being able to ensure uniformity of weight and diameter and packaging in special boxes to retain roundness of skirt, etc - they all add up to more incentive to invest in this venture. The form at http://www.swage.com/ftp/pellets.pdf gives me dimensions to check on pellets that "work" in my guns so I can order a reasonable facsimile of the ones that are reasonably accurate in my guns.

The one thing I'm not sure about is "What press?" I want to keep cost and weight down (we're limited to 50 pounds per piece of luggage on our return) but want to make sure I get a press capable not only of swaging .177 caliber pellets but perhaps larger ones in the future if I get around to playing with larger diameter pellet guns. A .20 or .25 caliber MIGHT eventually be in the cards and I don't want to be stuck with a press that won't be able to handle the stress. I've pretty much written off Lee as an option, their products do OK for a lot of stuff, but I don't know about attempting to swage on one of their presses. I don't know if RCBS's Junior press is still on the market - I produced a lot of ammo on one way back when and it stood up well to the stress of full length sizing bottlenecked cases. Anyway, if you were thinking of swaging your own airgun pellets on a regular reloading press - which press would you use? And cost IS a factor as well, the dies are horribly expensive and I can't see dropping $300 on the press itself if a less expensive model will do as well.

Thanks for any useful feedback.

[deerwhacker444]

Would customs catch it if everyone on this board sent you a box of 500 crossman pellets..?

[mescalero1]

Try the Corbin swaging press, I think it would do the trick.

[AmBraCol]

Would customs catch it if everyone on this board sent you a box of 500 crossman pellets..?

Each and every package - with import tax due on each and every one...

[AmBraCol]

Try the Corbin swaging press, I think it would do the trick.

It would do the trick, but at $600 it doesn't meet the "low cost" criteria...

[mescalero1]

Let me ask, I know of one for sale; I do not know what they are asking.

[AmBraCol]

Let me ask, I know of one for sale; I do not know what they are asking.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[El Chivo]

if nothing else works out, the Lee Classic Cast press is going to be a monster. I have the turret version, and it's pretty heavy duty. If your opinion of Lee was formed before this came out, you might want to take a second look.

[Rusty]

Gee Paul, it's a shame you don't fly fish. If you did I'm sure you'd be tying your own flies and those .177 pellets look just like the bead eyes I use for tying Clouser minnows.

Maybe bead eyes wouldn't be taxed at the same rate as pellets.

[Alan Wood]

I thought that RCBS originally stood for Rock Chuck Bullet Swage Presss and the original rock chucker press was designed for bullet swaging. Could easily be wrong on that though.

[mescalero1]

The Corbin is no longer for sale, I was informed today.
It will stay in the " family ".
I was informed we have all pistol caliber dies, I need 6.5 rifle dies

[mescalero1]

Sorry, I was interupted.
As I said the election has changed many things "we " have all the pistols dies needed.
In rifle we have
.224
6mm
.308
.50 cal
I need to get 6.5 & .257
We have jacket material as required, it is a good feeling to know we can continue to make jacketed bullets as required.

[Old Ironsights]

Would customs catch it if everyone on this board sent you a box of 500 crossman pellets..?

Each and every package - with import tax due on each and every one...

Awww, c'mon. If folks can smuggle Coke out of Columbia....

[mescalero1]

That's the EASY part, everyone is in on it!

[Chuck 100 yd]

Friend Alan Wood , I read that Fred Huntington (origionator of RCBS) made bullet swaging dies that used empty .22 shells as jackets and swaged varmint bullets just after WWII ended. He made the dies out of his garage and named the company after the product. "Rock Chuck Bullet Swages" (Rock chucks being the favorite local target).
This was decades before the Rock Chuckar press was first developed.
The origional Huntingtons shop is right across the street from the RCBS factory IIRC.