.308 Bullet Questions

[Rob Carney]

I purchased some surplus .308 bullets at a gun show last weekend and after examining them later, I discovered some to be home-made - yet very well made. They are copper jacketed and copper based with a lead core and at the top of the lead point is a small rectangle of lead sticking off to one side of the bullet. This small rectangle looks like it was lead residue which remained after some sort of press forming took-place and just had not been trimmed-off, yet. The give-away for me was when I looked closely at the base of the bullet and noticed a small ring mark - it was almost like a press was used to push the base of the bullet at this point. I have a couple of questions and maybe someone here can direct me down the right path for me to also begin making these bullets.
1- What kind of die-set was used to produce these bullets?
2- Can I use my conventional RCBS RockChucker press to produce them?
3- Was the copper jacket formed from some sort of copper tube and if so, how did they get the base to fold-in so nicely?
4- Can I use a spent cartridge case of approximately .30 caliber (like an .30-M1 Carbine case) to serve the same purpose as the copper jacket?
I'm eager to produce something as sophisticated as this and hope that the cost is not too prohibitive. Any advice would be appreciated.
Rob

[Reload3006]

With out getting too deep in discussion, I suggest you at your leisure read a lot of the threads on this site because there are lots of options out there. Dave Corbin (Corbin MFG.) Richard Corbin (RCE,LLC) Dr. Larry Blackmon (Bullet Swaging Supply INC) Deutsch swaging dies. Niemi BT Sniper and CH4D. I personally went with RCE all these people make quality swaging gear and with their dies you can make bullets as good or better than factory. But all are expensive Deutch and Niemi being the most expensive and CH4D being the least expensive. Dr. Larry Blackmon makes the least expensive set of dies for use in a dedicated swaging press. BT Sniper I am told makes the best dies for use in a reloading press. All have their pluses and all have their minuses. You can buy 30 caliber jackets from Sierra and Berger Corbin Mfg and RCE LLC. Sometimes Dr Blackmon has them too. I have a set of dies to turn copper tubing into jackets but probably are not what your looking at. Both Corbin Brothers make Copper strip dies to make jackets. Yes there is brass out there to make 30 caliber bullets out of but IMO is pretty scarce and just as expensive as buying commercial jackets. You can do ok making them from copper tubing. Read up IM or just ask more questions lots of people here will help you. Dont let anyone push you in any direction read up search the internet and make an informed decision because its not cheap from anyone.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Reload, I am not too far from you. I am just across the river in Edwardsville.

[Reload3006]

Kewl beans we should get together and do some shooting.

[DukeInFlorida]

Rob Carney, with your one initial post, I can already tell that you haven't done much reading in the swaging area of this forum.
And, it's very much like some new guys to go the easy route, and ask the same questions over and over and over again.

However, in this instance, to do so is really cheating yourself of some pretty amazing information that is generously sprinkled throughout this area of the forum.

I would URGE you to dig in, and start reading on the subject in this area. It's ALL COVERED in amazing details for you.
Subjects include:
* use of commercial jackets for swaging into bullets
* Core making
* Presses
* Dies
* Suppliers
* how to do it
* How NOT to do it
* Alternative options for raw materials

Your "quickie" questions beg VOLUMES for answers.

We certainly welcome you to the forum, and to the world of swaging.

But do some homework reading first, and then come back with secondary questions. WE have a lot of gifted people here, and we are all willing to help.
But your questions have been posed and answered a dozen or more times in the past few years.

[Rob Carney]

Thanks to all of you - very good information and I appreciate it. Also, you're right I haven't taken advantage of this site for the information I need; but, I certainly will now that I've found it. I respect your responses and appreciate your patience with a newbie. Rob

[lmfd20]

Look up BTSNIPER's 9mm to 30cal. More work but that is the route I'm going.

[Utah Shooter]

1- What kind of die-set was used to produce these bullets?
2- Can I use my conventional RCBS RockChucker press to produce them?
3- Was the copper jacket formed from some sort of copper tube and if so, how did they get the base to fold-in so nicely?
4- Can I use a spent cartridge case of approximately .30 caliber (like an .30-M1 Carbine case) to serve the same purpose as the copper jacket?
I'm eager to produce something as sophisticated as this and hope that the cost is not too prohibitive. Any advice would be appreciated.
Rob

1. There would be no easy way to tell what dies made the projectiles.
2. Yes you can but some suggest 30 cal is about the stress limit of a reloading press.
3. The jackets can be made from copper tubing. Most of them however look like J-4 jackets.
4. Yes you can use a spent cartridge to make a jacket but I do not think they will be as accurate as a copper jacket.

[BT Sniper]

Can you believe I haven't shot a commercial jacketed bullet from my Savage 112 BVSS 300WM yet! Well I can't be completely sure of that, I think I may have shot 5 Noslers a while back as a control against the brass jacketed bullets. I do need to shoot it at a paper target furter then 100yrds but I have gotten a few groups now just like this one from bullets made with FN5.7x28 brass, sure it is believed, and at the moment proven, a good J4 or Sierra jacket should produce top accuracy results but for my needs at the moment I pretty impressed with what brass jackets are capible of. I did have to fine tune this load quite a bit to get it to shoot this well.





Here is another one more recent. first two shots where in same hole, I got excited and pulled the third, then i was pissed, I was able to put the forth into the same hole as teh first and second shot. This target was at 120yrds.





Then I supprised myself with my 40-308 and 225 grain bullets made from 9mm brass that shot 1.75 at 300 yrds




point of the story..... don't count out the potential of brass jacketed bullets. I'll be testing more for sure when I get time.

BT