Executive summary: this is an expensive and time consuming way to make a pellet and buying this swaging die kit does not guarantee top notch results. The cost per pellet in lead material is very good ($.01/pellet for 13.5gr) but it would take a lifetime to swage enough pellets to cover the initial equipment cost. I believe this tooling makes it possible to make superior pellets with minimal rejects if you have appropriate attention to detail and the right supporting tools. After developing my process over the course of a few hundred pellets of varying quality and efficiency, I can produce 80-100 really good pellets in 1 to 1.5 hours. My hope is that I can spend about this amount of time to produce enough very consistent for a field target or benchrest match. The cost is still fairly high but at least I don't have stacks of tins of pellets that don't shoot very well or to sort through (if you're a sorter). The swaged pellets look really good and come out free of visible flaws and they can shoot really well in the right conditions. And I'm enjoying this right now - there's something satisfying about making your own and seeing them out-shoot anything you can buy.
My personal interest in airguns centers around accuracy. One thing that most seasoned accuracy shooters agree on is that having consistent and uniform pellets is a huge element. I got quite interested when I first saw the HM Hen dies but they were already unavailable. So when Thor announced split swaging dies I decided to jump in and be an early adopter. At about $1000 it was no small chance.
Big thanks go to my friend Rod (@bearbar) for his help and involvement all along the way. Anything good that came from this is a team effort.
I am using the terminology swaging and die because that's technically what this is: cold forming the lead in a die (as opposed to casting molten material in a mold).
Figuring out how to make perfect pellets took work. It takes the right lead wire, consistent pressing force, a very good swaging die that is perfectly clean, very careful handling of the pellets, and a consistent process. And after all that, some batches don't come out as well as others so you need to inspect your pellets. I use a digital microscope for that. The idea of inspecting handmade pellets might sound like a step backward but it's not bad since most of them are acceptable or easily fixed by brushing away flashing.
I'm using a 20 cavity, Gen 1 .177 / 13.5 grain model die. I chose this because I have two accurate rifles tuned for JSB Monster 13.4's. But I still struggle with flyer shots and so there is room for improvement. Also, sorting and inspecting tiny .177 pellets for debatable improvement just sucks and I wanted to get away from that entirely. The 13.5gr die is based on the JSB Monster and while it's not an identical copy it's pretty close. I get 13.6x or 13.8 grain pellets depending on how much press force is applied.
The Thormold die arrives in a compact foam-lined plastic carrying case which is adequate. The punches each have their own cases. The die has information printed all over it and logos on one end that serve as match marks. Always assemble the die parts with the logos facing the same end.
The die is listed as 440C stainless with 55 Rockwell C hardness. I haven't tested it using the inspection gear we have at my work but I have every reason to believe that is the spec. The die surfaces are all fairly shiny and well finished.
The dowel pin fits were very snug at the beginning. They've loosened up quite a bit since I've made about 500 pellets with it. Now I'm considering whether I need to monitor the pins for wear and periodically replace them.
Safety moment: this process involves extensive handling of soft lead and it creates shavings and pieces lead along the way. Take precautions, perform this work in a place where lead will not harm anyone, and sweep up your scraps. Rubber gloves make a lot of sense. I'm already in the habit of getting my lead levels tested with my annual physical and this gives me additional reason to continue that.
The die has three socket head cap screws and two 8mm dowel pins joining across the split halves. It has ten cavities per long side. There is a base plate and a guide plate - place the die on the base plate with the working cavities facing up. Then once those 10 pellets are pressed and scraped you can flip the die over on the base plate and do the second ten. In my current testing I have found the cavities to be fairly consistent to each other. Within a batch of pellets I am seeing the final pellet weight vary based on the pressing method I used. Using heavier press force results in 0.2gr lighter pellets, and I believe that is because the guide plate flexes a bit more and that allows the finishing punch to push a bit deeper into the cavity and displaces more lead. I've tried using the quill of a milling machine as a press, a K&M bullet seating arbor press, and a bench vise. For 177 caliber I think you don't need a huge press, and in fact too much press force can separate the die faces and cause flashing. So it seems like the right amount of pressing force will fully form the pellet and will not form flashing.
The flashing is an issue that must be resolved. If you ignore it, it ruins the aerodynamics. If you roll the flashing over onto the pellet with your fingertips it will imbalance the pellet and still affect aerodynamics. So far my best solution is to brush off the flashing with a tiny stiff bristled brush and use a good magnifier so I can see what I'm doing.
I've tried a few types of lead wire. The ideal wire for this pellet is just under the 4.1mm waist diameter, so that the core drops fully into the cavity and simply expands to fill the head form and skirt. 5/32 and 4mm wire is ideal. I bought some 5/32 wire on eBay that was listed as 'lead' but in fact it was half lead and half something else (probably tin or antimony). I managed to make some nice shiny pellets with it but the pellets came out 2gr light and shot very poorly. That metal was also hard to form and cut. I'm now testing with .166 dia (4.2mm) Nielsen wire and 1/8" wire from rotometals.com. They are both nearly pure lead and form well. I'm using a Corbin wire cutter to make the cores at 14.5-15.0 grains. I suggest you source some pure lead wire based on the waist diameter of the pellet type you choose.
My personal interest in airguns centers around accuracy. One thing that most seasoned accuracy shooters agree on is that having consistent and uniform pellets is a huge element. I got quite interested when I first saw the HM Hen dies but they were already unavailable. So when Thor announced split swaging dies I decided to jump in and be an early adopter. At about $1000 it was no small chance.
Big thanks go to my friend Rod (@bearbar) for his help and involvement all along the way. Anything good that came from this is a team effort.
I am using the terminology swaging and die because that's technically what this is: cold forming the lead in a die (as opposed to casting molten material in a mold).
Figuring out how to make perfect pellets took work. It takes the right lead wire, consistent pressing force, a very good swaging die that is perfectly clean, very careful handling of the pellets, and a consistent process. And after all that, some batches don't come out as well as others so you need to inspect your pellets. I use a digital microscope for that. The idea of inspecting handmade pellets might sound like a step backward but it's not bad since most of them are acceptable or easily fixed by brushing away flashing.
I'm using a 20 cavity, Gen 1 .177 / 13.5 grain model die. I chose this because I have two accurate rifles tuned for JSB Monster 13.4's. But I still struggle with flyer shots and so there is room for improvement. Also, sorting and inspecting tiny .177 pellets for debatable improvement just sucks and I wanted to get away from that entirely. The 13.5gr die is based on the JSB Monster and while it's not an identical copy it's pretty close. I get 13.6x or 13.8 grain pellets depending on how much press force is applied.
The Thormold die arrives in a compact foam-lined plastic carrying case which is adequate. The punches each have their own cases. The die has information printed all over it and logos on one end that serve as match marks. Always assemble the die parts with the logos facing the same end.
The die is listed as 440C stainless with 55 Rockwell C hardness. I haven't tested it using the inspection gear we have at my work but I have every reason to believe that is the spec. The die surfaces are all fairly shiny and well finished.
The dowel pin fits were very snug at the beginning. They've loosened up quite a bit since I've made about 500 pellets with it. Now I'm considering whether I need to monitor the pins for wear and periodically replace them.
Safety moment: this process involves extensive handling of soft lead and it creates shavings and pieces lead along the way. Take precautions, perform this work in a place where lead will not harm anyone, and sweep up your scraps. Rubber gloves make a lot of sense. I'm already in the habit of getting my lead levels tested with my annual physical and this gives me additional reason to continue that.
The die has three socket head cap screws and two 8mm dowel pins joining across the split halves. It has ten cavities per long side. There is a base plate and a guide plate - place the die on the base plate with the working cavities facing up. Then once those 10 pellets are pressed and scraped you can flip the die over on the base plate and do the second ten. In my current testing I have found the cavities to be fairly consistent to each other. Within a batch of pellets I am seeing the final pellet weight vary based on the pressing method I used. Using heavier press force results in 0.2gr lighter pellets, and I believe that is because the guide plate flexes a bit more and that allows the finishing punch to push a bit deeper into the cavity and displaces more lead. I've tried using the quill of a milling machine as a press, a K&M bullet seating arbor press, and a bench vise. For 177 caliber I think you don't need a huge press, and in fact too much press force can separate the die faces and cause flashing. So it seems like the right amount of pressing force will fully form the pellet and will not form flashing.
The flashing is an issue that must be resolved. If you ignore it, it ruins the aerodynamics. If you roll the flashing over onto the pellet with your fingertips it will imbalance the pellet and still affect aerodynamics. So far my best solution is to brush off the flashing with a tiny stiff bristled brush and use a good magnifier so I can see what I'm doing.
I've tried a few types of lead wire. The ideal wire for this pellet is just under the 4.1mm waist diameter, so that the core drops fully into the cavity and simply expands to fill the head form and skirt. 5/32 and 4mm wire is ideal. I bought some 5/32 wire on eBay that was listed as 'lead' but in fact it was half lead and half something else (probably tin or antimony). I managed to make some nice shiny pellets with it but the pellets came out 2gr light and shot very poorly. That metal was also hard to form and cut. I'm now testing with .166 dia (4.2mm) Nielsen wire and 1/8" wire from rotometals.com. They are both nearly pure lead and form well. I'm using a Corbin wire cutter to make the cores at 14.5-15.0 grains. I suggest you source some pure lead wire based on the waist diameter of the pellet type you choose.
