It's interesting that in nearly 80 posts so far, no one has mentioned the legality of hand swinging.
If the aircraft is designed to be hand swung, the procedure is in the flight manual and you are flying a fully serviceable aircraft in accordance with that manual - happy days
If the aircraft is designed with electric start (like a four cylinder Piper or Cessna) and you find the starter motor U/S, or the battery flat and you decide to hand swing it.... you are now deliberately setting out to operate an unserviceable aircraft without entering the defect in the maintenance release, and not in accordance with the flight manual starting procedure. Something the insurance lads might point out to you if you present them with a medical bill ...
