An assembly may comprise a head stack assembly (HSA) swaging tester device, comprising a base and a top tooling assembly connected thereto. The top tooling assembly may comprise an actuator motor; a load cell connected to the actuator motor; and a force gauge connected to the load cell, the force gauge being configured to measure torque imparted by the actuator motor on an HSA under manufacture. The force gauge of the HSA swaging tester device may be calibrated according to a selected type of HSA to undergo the swaging procedure by coupling a selected reference torque assembly to an axle connected to the actuator motor, the selected reference torque assembly being configured to impart a known torque onto the axle. The force gauge may then be adjusted (e.g., calibrated) according to the known torque imparted upon the axle by the selected reference torque assembly.