Manual

Never try to swage a component that will not go into
the die by hand. The swaging operation depends on each
component being slightly smaller than the die bore, and
increases the bullet diameter a little with every step. The
core seating die and point forming die are matched to each
other for a given jacket and core material to within 0.0005
to .0010 inches with the core seater being smaller.
The first die is the CORE SWAGE (CSW-1). It is
used to form a piece of lead to precise diameter, length and
weight. There are three bleed holes through the sides of the
die, and its punches are very close fits to the die bore. They
are the smallest punches in the set and only fit this die prop-
erly. Always make sure the punch fits the die by hand be-
fore applying pressure to it with the press!
For power presses, set the bottom sensor so the pres-
sure stops (red LED on the sensor goes on) just as the
swaged core is ejected (internal punch even with the top of
the die). Use a knock-out bar that allows the punch to come
just to the die face, if you have more than one height of bar
with your press (CSP-2 hand press uses three different
heights of bars for various punch and die lengths). Make
sure your hand press is in the SHORT STROKE (swaging)
position: the CSP-1 and CSP-2 presses have dual stroke pivot
holes for the ram/toggle linkage and you cannot swage in
the long or reloading stroke (it may break the stop pin to
try).
You can use cut lead wire, or a cast lead core. Apply a
small amount of Corbin Swage Lube to the cores as you
handle them. Set the floating punch holder so the desired
amount of lead is left in the die when the press stops mov-
ing up (position of the top sensor controls top of stroke on
hydraulic presses, physical end of ram travel is fixed on hand
press). Always extrude at least 1-2 grains from each core,
or else you will not achieve consistent weight control. But
do not extrude more than about 10 grains, as this only wastes
time and raises the swaging pressure unnecessarily.
After making the desired number of cores, clean them
in hot water to remove the swage lube, then let them dry
and insert them into bullet jackets (if jackets are used).
The CS-1 Core Seater is the second die, if you are
making flat base bullets. Otherwise, it is the BT-1 Boattail
Preformer. It will accept the jacket easily but closely, and
has no bleed holes. The CS-1 or BT-2 looks similar, but is
marked with the CS-1 or BT-2 designation. The bore size of
the BT-1 is slightly smaller than that of the BT-2. The inter-
nal punch for the BT-1 die is a loose fit in the die; it serves
ONLY to push the bullet out, and plays no part in forming
the base.
Select a diameter of external punch that fits the jacket
ID at the point where you want the core to be after seating.
Thicker jackets, and lighter cores in tapered jackets, both
require a larger diameter external punch than thinner jack-
ets or heavier bullets with a tapered commercial jacket. (See
Corbin Handbook for discussion of proper core/jacket/
punch fitting).
The correct core seating pressure is normally in the
300 to 500 PSI range. This can vary with the particular cali-
ber, jacket thickness, and other features of the bullet, so
follow any written instructions provided with the die regard-
ing the suggested pressure. Always start with the pressure
in a low setting on the hydraulic presses (300 to 500 psi)
and increase slowly until the jacket expands to just under
the diameter you get with a swaged pure lead slug in the
die. Apply a small amount of swaging lube to the outside of
each jacket as you pick it up to insert in the die; the amount
that you get by rolling a drop between finger and thumb is
sufficient in most cases. Lubricant should not be allowed
inside the jacket.
The third die for RBT bullets is the REBATED
BOATTAIL FINISHER (BT-2), which is the CS-1 Core
Seater with a RBT internal punch. For FLAT BASE
BULLETS, go from core swage to CS-1, skipping the BT-1
die. The combination of the BT-1, BT-2, and the external RBT
punch for the PF-1 die is also available as the RBT-2 ADD-ON
SET, for adding the RBT design to existing flat base die sets.
Use the same external punch (core seating) that you used
with the previous step. Push the bullet base first into the
die, and apply enough pressure so that a shoulder is formed
clearly at the junction of the boattail and the bullet shank
(full diameter portion). The shoulder formed in this die must
match the cavity of the external point form punch. If it is
too long or short, a double shoulder may be created in the
final step.
The fourth die for RBT bullets or third (and fi-
nal) die for flat base bullets is the POINT FORMER
(PF-1). It shapes the ogive curve on the bullet and gives
the bullet its final diameter. This die has a bullet-shaped
hole. The diameter of the point form die itself is usually
NOT the same as the bullet, and is designed to match the
core seater, the jacket material and thickness, and the lead
hardness. Using materials other than those for which the
set was designed can change the bullet diameter and may
cause the bullet to stick or become hard to eject.
The external punch has a cavity matching the boattail
angle and shoulder depth. Make sure that the bullet is short
enough so that the entire punch tip is well within the die
cavity before any pressure is created. If the punch walls are
not supported fully by the die, the punch will crack when
pressure is applied. Making too heavy a bullet for the length
of the PF-1 die cavity may break the external punch.
For Flat Base (FB) bullets, use the flat base punch.
Never use the RBT external punch for any other purpose
than pushing RBT bullets into the PF die or the LT die.
Eject, examine, and re-adjust until the tip is formed to
the desired amount of closure, but do not try to close it
smaller than the size of the ejection pin! Never force jacket
material up into the ejection pin hole: doing so will concen-
trate force in such a small area that it can crack the die.
Remember, we are dealing with rifle chamber pressures in
these swaging dies, when the press goes "over center".
Leave plenty of lead extruded from the tip of the bul-
let in order to finish shaping it in the LT-1 die. Two com-
mon problems in making lead tip bullets are (1) closing the
tip too much when forming the ogive, and (2) not leaving
enough lead to fill the cavity of the LT internal punch. The
open tip can be gently pushed together more closely, using
the LT die. Avoid pushing hard enough to put a ring in the
ogive from the punch edge.