Casting hot glue boolits

[340six]

I was thinking about this as 30 years ago I had some lyman {i think rubber ones ya use just a primer with} and would shoot them inside the home till they were worn out.

[DCP]

Good Job Jim

I wrote a photo essay on gluelits.

[Dannix]

I wrote a photo essay on gluelits.

Nice.

• What kind of grease are you using?
• Are some gluestick brands recommended, and others to avoid?

Sorry if the above questions are already answered in the thread.

[Omnivore]

I experimented with wax boolits some years ago. The practice goes way back, but I don't recall where I'd heard about it. I'd warm a paraffin canning wax block to make it more plastic, and simply push a primed 38 Special case into the wax to cut, size and seat the boolit simultaneously (you could probably do that with glue, too, if you have an arbor press, etc.). It worked great except that the low pressure resulted in primer setback in my revolver, and that often tied up the cylinder.

Using the case to form the slug, the wax doesn't need to be cast, and it's self lubricating. It'll go through a cardboard box too.

Never did try any powder, but it would likely have to be a very light charge of 3F or 4F black powder (smokeless burns very slow at low pressure) and that would mean a lot more gun cleaning.

[BCHobo]

I'm not sure I would waste a perfectly good store bought shell turning it into a glue slug, when you can do the same thing by reloading spent shells, but I guess you can use the shot for other projects that way.

Yes, a good idea, I just don't reload shotshells at this point.

So do you put powder inthe glue slug? Or is it just primer fired also?

Just dump the shot and leave the wad in palce and pump in the glue

Like he posted just dump the shot, should make the bear yelp!!

They make them yelp!

Wow

Maybe its just me

But puting hot glue over a powder charge and a primer doesnt sound safe to me.

I will pass on this one
__________________

Not hot enough to do anything dangerous, but it's up to you.

sounds like it would work good to me the hot glue wouldnt be hot enough to set off the powder, but i would put the hot glue in the cup, and let it set a little ,before putting it in the shell so it wont stick to the shell and cause too much pressure . if thats possible

You could do that, too, but any glue "sticking" to the case is minimal, and since the glue load is so much lighter than the shot charge, pressure isn't an issue. Loads don't even really recoil, like shooting a .22


If you want a bit more "persuasion" you can pour it part way with glue, then add some pellets to increase the weight of the glue bullet and top it off with more glue. Tried that too, and the grizzlies took notice!

[mnkyracer]

Just found this and have to say I will be trying this in my T/C (.45 Colt). Where I work, they use granulated hot melt for sealing packages. I am going to try to melt this in a potpurri (sp) electric pot. may not get enough into the mould this way, but worth a shot since its free. If not, gluegun, here I come.

[fcvan]

After much deliberation I finally tried pouring some hot glue boolits. I swabbed the mold with a q-tip wetted with olive oil. I swabbed between each casting and had great results. I tried using the freezer to speed things up but found I had less wrinkles with a properly warmed mold block. at this point things seemed strangely familiar . . .

I cast with a bit of excess on the mold block top and cut the excess with a knife. I found that if I filled the cavity with the right amount i would get a very slight hollow base when cooled which required no trimming. What would normally be a 175 TC 40 cal (Lee, I like them a lot) became a 15 grain glueblit. After a while I began using a second mold, a 158 RF in 38 cal. Things began hopping after that. On to the fun!

I loaded the 40 cal TC glueblit into cases with flash holes enlarged to 1/8th inch. I shot 10 or so through my Glock 22C which did fairly well but the compensated barrel is not recommended for use with glueblits. Nothing in the barrel but powder residue but the ports likely grabbed the soft glueblit and reduced accuracy. These chronographed at 410 fps. Other than being darkened by powder residue the glueblits were no worse for the wear.

My Ruger Vaquero 38-40 also has a cylinder for 40 S&W which shot quite well although I didn't run them through the chronograph. Good fun. I pad lubed the 40s with olive oil on a paper towel. I forgot to pad lube the 38 glueblits and the first one, well, stuck like glue. Getting that out was fun. I then lubed the barrel with an oily cleaning brush which worked for 2 shots before another stuck. Pad lubing is the way to go but I think next time I will try the lube I use for black powder. I'm hooked, my brother is hooked and there isn't a tin can in the county safe from my trusty Vaquero loaded with glueblits! Frank

[Jim]

Fun, ain't it?

I started this thread, but actually, it was dk17hmr who thought of this whole thing initially. THIS is where it was born. I just fell in behind him and started some serious R&D work on the idea.

Among many things about gluelits that I like is the flexibility. There's a number of ways to make 'em, load 'em and shoot 'em and there are very few "must/must not" limitations. And, aside from shooting AT someone with one, there's relatively little danger. That is, of course, unless you decide to push the limit of how much Bullseye you can put behind one. That might not be a good idea.

In the four years that this has been explored, I have acquired and gone through several different glue guns, several molds, some I bought new for this, several large bags of glue sticks and who knows how many hundreds of primers.

A lot of people jumped on the wagon when it first came by, but it seems to have trailed off quite a bit. I'm still shootin' gluelits!
------------------------------------------------------------X-------------o

[BigRix]

To add to this wonderful thread I tried casting a few hot glue bullets and decided to video the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2ghV8wLcI

Should have a video of the firing of these up in a couple of days.

[BigRix]

Here is a video of the firing of my new gluelits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhESy_ZocfM

I ran these dry and that caused alot of leading, glueing?

When I ran the .38 New Police gluelits through my Official Police they stuck in the barrel after the fourth round and were a pain to remove and clean up.

Firing these same bullets through the Police Positive produced excellent results. I think this was do to a number of factors. Proper size gluelits for the gun, smaller case capacity, and shorter barrel length.

None of the cases had the primer hole enlarged and I had issues with the primers backing out causing the cylinder to lock up.

[Jim]

BigRix,
If you read the tutorial and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, you won't have those problems.

[Jethro44mag]

I made a dozen or so just by shoving the glue stick as far as possible into a 45acp case then trimming glue stick flush with the end of the case. Using a large pistol mag primer, and i drilled the flash hole out to .125". I lubed the gluelets with gun oil. They shoot good and have more power than I expected.

I shoot them out back in the reloading room while watching tv.

[Jim]

Jethro, the oil is the trick to keep the barrel from "leading". If you want a little more power, seat a large magnum rifle primer in your case and try that. It really delivers a punch! You have to put a bit more pressure on it to get it properly seated, but it can be done.

[BigRix]

Ok Jim,

I read this tutorial.

http://fgsp.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/gluelits/

Is that the one you are referring to?

Although I am not casting round balls I used your method and so far so good.
The gluelits dropped right out of the canola oil lubed mold. They are curing over night and I should get some down range tonight.

I cast a few from my newly aquired H&G #50 wadcutter mold but I'm thinking that there will be too much barrel contact with such a long gluelit. I am considering cutting them in half.

I guess the reason I having such a problem with all this is because my first experience was to make some gluelits like Jethro44Mag's. I did not enlarge the primer holes, I did not lube the barrel, I did not use magnum primers. I put a little Honady One Shot on the stick to help push it in the case. Thats it. They surprised the hell out of me when they went through me cardboard box and out the other side and bounced of 3 walls inside me garage. I was only dissatisfied with the fact that I turned my 1911 into a single shot pistol. I thought I'll cast some up for my revolvers and then I will be golden.

So far, it's not working out so well.

I won't give up till I find out what works the best for my guns.

By the by I measured the cyl gap on my two revolvers while in battery. (trigger pulled, hammer down) Police Positive .002" Official Police .006" This might explain some of the problems I'm having with the OP.

[Jim]

Ok Jim,

I read this tutorial.

http://fgsp.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/gluelits/

Is that the one you are referring to?
Yes.

Although I am not casting round balls I used your method and so far so good.
The gluelits dropped right out of the canola oil lubed mold. They are curing over night and I should get some down range tonight.

I cast a few from my newly aquired H&G #50 wadcutter mold but I'm thinking that there will be too much barrel contact with such a long gluelit. I am considering cutting them in half.
Lube the gluelit with a LIGHT coat of GREASE, push it ALL THE WAY into the bottom of the case and THEN prime the case.

I guess the reason I having such a problem with all this is because my first experience was to make some gluelits like Jethro44Mag's. I did not enlarge the primer holes, I did not lube the barrel, I did not use magnum primers. I put a little Honady One Shot on the stick to help push it in the case. Thats it. They surprised the hell out of me when they went through me cardboard box and out the other side and bounced of 3 walls inside me garage. I was only dissatisfied with the fact that I turned my 1911 into a single shot pistol.
There's no way these loads are going to cycle an automatic.

I thought I'll cast some up for my revolvers and then I will be golden.

So far, it's not working out so well.
My way is not THE way, it's what I found that works best. But I CAN tell you, my gluelits don't hang up in the barrel and they don't coat the barrel with glue.

I won't give up till I find out what works the best for my guns.

By the by I measured the cyl gap on my two revolvers while in battery. (trigger pulled, hammer down) Police Positive .002" Official Police .006" This might explain some of the problems I'm having with the OP.

Rix, please don't misunderstand me. Try it my way one time, exactly as I describe in the tutorial, and see how it works.

[BigRix]

Thats the plan Jim. I just wanted to start over from scratch to make sure my casting wasn't causing issues. I felt the mold grow in my hand when I first cast them and was concerned that they were too large in diameter. I plan to lube and seat the gluelits all the way into the case and to run an oily patch down the barrel. I'll let you know how it all works out.

[BigRix]

I think I've got it now. This video shows how I am casting and loading my gluelits and they are working great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ANy39pHrDA

[Babalooie]

I'm a new guy here and never heard of hot glue boolits, but it sounds exciting. I'm afraid I'm going to develop another addiction.

[delmar]

I wrote a photo essay on gluelits.

Jim the link does not work any more. Do you have the photo essay saved somewhere, or is it gone forever?

[delmar]

I'm thinking of getting a couple of those $100 nagant revolvers and loading those funny cases with gluelits.