Cast versus Swaged Bullet Process

In general, what are the differences between cast versus swaged bullets?
If everything else, does swaged always out perform cast?

Cast- harder with air bubbles. With the right alloy, good for magnum loadings in 357 and 44 . 

Swaged- soft, for light target loads. In general, more accurate than cast.

Swaging from industrial lead wire is a more repeatable process with fewer opportunities for inconsistency than casting, but good cast bullet process can create good bullets.

Good casting alloy is fairly hard, so it is better for higher velocity and higher pressure rounds. 

It is possible to swage hard lead, but swaging systems you can buy are intended for soft, nearly pure lead. If you want really light puff-ball loads you might have trouble getting harder bullets to obturate and might get more leading than from a softer bullet.

For most of us good quality cast bullets are plenty good enough, even at 50 yards. Good quality swaged bullets might be a bit better. If you really want the best accuracy at 50 yards you probably want a good quality jacketed bullet.

Many thanks for the info.

Swaged--today, most are 95/5, 94/6, or 92/6/2 alloy, so they are NOT SOFT, like old wives keep saying. Today's swaged bullets can perform quite well, up to very hot .38 Super loads based on my experience. Main "problem" is the lube. Some are coated and can be pushed very hard and some only have a thin wax emulsion coating and can't be pushed quite as hard, but they all will handle .45 Auto, 9x19, and other standard handgun cartridges. 
They are made by being swaged in a die, so there are no air holes and weight and dimensions are as good as jacketed (which are made the same way, just with a outer copper layer).
Cast are made by pouring molten lead into a cavity and freezing as it cools. They will have air voids and they will range in weight; but, out to 50 yards, it really doesn't matter.
However, I find the best accuracy in .45 is with swaged bullets and the ONLY accuracy I get in .38 Spl is with swaged wadcutters (cast wadcutters, even from an H&G mold, have been worthless to me).

noylj wrote:Swaged--today, most are 95/5, 94/6, or 92/6/2 alloy, so they are NOT SOFT, like old wives keep saying.

I don't have a hardness tester, but my thumb nail can press an indentation into Zero swaged bullets. I can't make a mark on cast bullets from SNS or Quality Cast.

Corbin doesn't make a blanket statement but as a general rule recommends BHN no more than 10 for their low end hand press dies that soemone from this forum would most likely start with. They recommend no more than 20 for their dedicated swaging press and -s dies and you need the hydraulic press and dies to swage harder lead.