Airforce Slug Press

Some people earn "good" money, so they sometimes overestimate themselves and become arrogant, here in the EU the average net hourly wage is from 5-20 Euro depending on the country and the company, but this is a HOBBY that people should enjoy and that it is good to have a pellet /slug trap and then the fun never ends and at the same time we protect the environment...

Consider how much some of us have stockpiled. My little pile of airgun ammo is nothing compared to some of the photos I've seen shared here.

I didn't check the math but @allinssd's breakdown seems reasonable. He calculated a break even point of 19,000 slugs, or 19,000/500 = 38 tins of pellets (500/tin). Lots of AGN members have WAY more than 38 tins sitting on their shelves. AND, once you get to that point with the slug press, the machine is paid for. After that, just lead wire and your time.

@steve123 recently gave a breakdown of his cost to produce custom slugs for himself for the custom barrel in his ThomasHPX.

From both of those examples, the idea of making your own projectiles sounds pretty attractive to me, The big kicker though....is whether or not the slug being cranked out is meeting accuracy expectations.

My arrogance and hubris still

Franklink said:

The big kicker though....is whether or not the slug being cranked out is meeting accuracy expectations.

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This right here.

Also -- my calculations are price per lb of lead NSA charges, which is $16.60/lb for the .30 62.5gr ($0.15/slug) they have. They're pretty good at keeping their prices @that price per sku.

LMFAO - just plugged in numbers for .22cal 18.13gr JSB 500rd tins - yes I know swager makes slugs not pellets -

Anyways - numbers are for break even are:

$2,607
56,684 Pellets or 474 tins of 500
147lb's of lead.

IMO you handload for PB because of:
1. Better Accuracy
2. Custom ballistics and bullets not sold.
3. Cost savings.

I'm dating myself but my first gun was a 44 mag. revolver. Factory ammo ran about $0.50 each round and maybe $0.30 if you can find a good sale. Handloading your own would cost 0.01 primer, 0.05 powder, case almost zero (reloaded > 20 times), bullet 0.10 jacketed, <=0.05 cast. Max cost of a jacketed round was about 0.16. Saving at least 0.15 per round, but more often 0.34 per round. It doesn't take that long to recoup your equipment cost and time. At the rounds are as good as factory for accuracy and better in many cases because you can tune the ammo to your liking

Things are much different for pellets guns if you are talking about 30 cal. or less. You are unlikely to get a more accurate projectile, unless you invest/waste a lot of time and money chasing your tail buying a bunch of different dies and tuning your process compared to buying something sold. Pellets in these smaller sizes cost so little compare to the time to make each one even if you labor was ZERO you would still find it hard to recoup your equipment and material costs. Very hard to achieve any of the 1 to 3 goals!

A rational case could be made for big bores where the cost per slug is much more and the selection much worse. Unlikely to see any cost savings, but you may get 1 or 2.

allinssd said:

LMFAO - just plugged in numbers for .22cal 18.13gr JSB 500rd tins - yes I know swager makes slugs not pellets -

Anyways - numbers are for break even are:

$2,607
56,684 Pellets or 474 tins of 500
147lb's of lead.

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You lost me there. $2607 would get ya about 145 tins of 500ct 18.1s. And that's assuming about $18/tin, if you take advantage of "deals."

You were talking about 19,000 slugs in the earlier post as the break even. I was doing 19,000/500ct tins to get 38 tins, just to put it into perspective of how much ammo that is. (pellets and slugs, I was just trying to think in tins to wrap my brain around how much ammo we're discussing).

Regardless, if your gun likes what the Press Slug is putting out, the dollars and cents it would make sense, for anybody who is a high volume shooter.

Franklink said:

You lost me there. $2607 would get ya about 145 tins of 500ct 18.1s. And that's assuming about $18/tin, if you take advantage of "deals."

You were talking about 19,000 slugs in the earlier post as the break even. I was doing 19,000/500ct tins to get 38 tins, just to put it into perspective of how much ammo that is. (pellets and slugs, I was just trying to think in tins to wrap my brain around how much ammo we're discussing).

Regardless, if your gun likes what the Press Slug is putting out, the dollars and cents it would make sense, for anybody who is a high volume shooter.

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It's all calculated by weight - pellets per tin x grains divided by price gives you price per pound of lead. then you just factor in cost of startup + price per pound of lead to produce replicate then you come to an equilibrium in price and that's where your break even is.


NSA 61.5gr slugs come in 120rd lots

In this case, you don't need lead wire, which is too expensive!...

Think it would be for the love of doing it, making the ammunition that suits your barrel('s) is what makes it difficult for me to press the button. You can of course change/modify die but that is expensive. The threat of a lead ban is also to be considered at least you could be independent of that !

qball said:

Problem is 18k of same exact ammo. Then the new and better design comes out it’s back to square one again. Think I’ll just order from Nick at nsa.

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Not to mention when we croak what’s wifey gonna do with 18,000 slugs and a press?

If I was even into slugs, and pcp’s were as advanced as they were today, and I was 20 or 30 years younger I would do it. But at 60 years of age and no where to shoot slugs( in all honesty, no reason to), yeah I’ll pass on that. The comment about buying it for a club, like a compresdor, is a smart move

I know it is expensive but to me it was worth it. My 30 cal 700mm Panthera would shoot any slug very well, but when I got a 600mm in 30 cal it wasn't shooting well at all. I got the Presslug and that turned this gun around. I made about 10 different weight slugs and tried them out. All shot well out of this gun when no other slugs I have tried shot well. I found the best one and boy does it stack them now. Even my other Panthera shoots my slugs way better than any other slugs I have tried. You can tune your gun with these slugs and not the other way around. You can see how changing the length of the slug affects how the gun shoots. I know the Presslug isn't for everyone but it was a great investment for me.

drumie said:

I know it is expensive but to me it was worth it. My 30 cal 700mm Panthera would shoot any slug very well, but when I got a 600mm in 30 cal it wasn't shooting well at all. I got the Presslug and that turned this gun around. I made about 10 different weight slugs and tried them out. All shot well out of this gun when no other slugs I have tried shot well. I found the best one and boy does it stack them now. Even my other Panthera shoots my slugs way better than any other slugs I have tried. You can tune your gun with these slugs and not the other way around. You can see how changing the length of the slug affects how the gun shoots. I know the Presslug isn't for everyone but it was a great investment for me.

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That's good to hear, tuning the ammo to the gun

That’s a very expensive press.

I’ve averaged about 10,000 slugs per month for coming up on 3 years. If you don’t shoot a lot, of course, it won’t make much sense.

Mike

Does it produce dish based slugs?

When they ban lead in California I’ll be buying one.

Yes it does make a dish base slug. Hopefully they will come out with more options at some point. But they shoot so well now I am not worried about it. Sooner or later I will get some more in other cals and try them out. But I am getting very good groups at 300 yards with the 30 cal slugs I am making right now.

One other point that hasn't been mentioned is what happens when there are supply line disruptions again and so called shortages of pellets or slugs because of shipping restrictions? If you have your own press and a supply of lead you get to keep shooting otherwise we are at the mercy of when the all clear is given. This concept used to seem far fetched to me but Covid showed us otherwise. If it happened once you can bet it will happen again.

Does Corbin, or press slug sell sample packs? I’d like to test them in my gun before I pull the trigger on one of the kits.

Humbledfisherman91 said:

Does Corbin, or press slug sell sample packs? I’d like to test them in my gun before I pull the trigger on one of the kits.

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I have experience working with both Corbin and PressSlug units. The PressSlug unit is impressively designed and offers a smooth operation. However, it is the Corbin CSP1 and CSP2 models that truly stand out for their strength and durability. I have personally witnessed Corbin presses enduring over half a million cycles and still going strong (perhaps even reaching a million cycles by now). I have my doubts about whether the aluminum construction of PressSlug will be able to last as long as Corbin's presses.

Although the price may be higher for PressSlug, it is justified by its superior packaging and overall quality that leaves a positive impression. When using the PressSlug unit, there is a notable tactile satisfaction due to its excellent touch and feel. On the other hand, Corbin presses inspire confidence in their long-term durability. It's worth mentioning that PressSlug incorporates toolox tools with a brown electroplated finish, which adds to its appeal.

Between the two, I would argue that PressSlug has a more user-friendly design. It features conveniences such as a micrometer head (or similar) punch adjuster, threaded punches, stepped ejector pin, and a hex die. These elements contribute to an enhanced ergonomics. But It is the Corbin equipment that remains to be 'the' benchmark for precision slug making (even if its decades old).

While it would be beneficial if manufacturers provided test samples, it is understandable that they might face workload constraints. Nonetheless, offering test samples is a great idea that could help customers make informed decisions. Corbin's CSP1 has been a trusted product for decades, and it would be exciting if Corbin listens to customer requests and develops a new generation of presses. Additionally, it's worth noting that Corbin's wait times have been improving, with lead times now typically ranging from a couple of weeks to a maximum of three months for some high-demand tools.

Thanks.

drumie said:

Yes it does make a dish base slug. Hopefully they will come out with more options at some point. But they shoot so well now I am not worried about it. Sooner or later I will get some more in other cals and try them out. But I am getting very good groups at 300 yards with the 30 cal slugs I am making right now.

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What weight are the slugs you are making for your 600mm .30 panthera? And how fast are you shouting them? I’m considering buying a press to make my own since I’m having trouble finding affordable slugs that shoot well with it. So far the best groups I get are from AVS. Their .3013 80 grain dish base seems to do the best for me at around 900fps.

I am shooting 68gr slugs that I make. I have them going around 920fps. They just stack. By far the best slugs for this gun.