Oldbloke wrote:That's my view to. I have a simplex O and I reckon you could make 224 bullets with it. But everyone talks about using much bigger presses. Got me buggered.
The Simplex O frame is a beautiful press . It's stronger than an RCBC Rock Chucker or Redding O frame because they were made with a higher tensile cast iron . They can indeed make upto about 6 mm projectiles and upto about 44 cal pistol bullet with half jackets . Using Pure lead cores that is . I have one myself and have made lots of 44 cal for 44-40 in times gone by .
Plenty of BR shooters swage there own 6mm bullets on reloading O frame presses usually RCBS .
As the bullet diameter gets larger and the core material harder the pressure required to swage rises in non linear manner .
Dedicated bullet swaging presses the smaller ones have a shorter stroke and as a result the compound leverage is over a small radius and that gives more power so even though a small hand press like a Corbin Silver press looks small and puny it has 10 times the leverage than a reloading press but the ram only travels about 2 inches . They can make upto 308 cal bullets with near pure lead cores . Once you get over 30 cal and using harder alloy cores you are talking larger hand press and bigger diameter dies to contain the pressure . Bigger hole in the die means a thinner weaker wall so the press and die gets bigger . Something like a Corbin CSP-2 can swage upto 50 cal and long bullets and more . After that your talking a hydraulic press .
