Casting airgun pellets

[JIMinPHX]

The pellets that I have bought always had some kind of oil like lubricant all over them, Inside & out. I think that would seem to suggest that they may have been swaged.

[Forreal]

I am trying to find someone who casts pellets in cal 22. Have been in contact with mr hollowpoint and i am wery interested in his hollowpoints but dont get any reply from him. I am interested in bying hollowpoint pellets in cal 22 between 30-40 grains. Anyone who can help me with this? Please contact me!

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Get yourself a big bore air rifle and cast for it! I was about to go down that road until I found out it took hundreds of pumps if you did not have a scuba tank.

[10 Spot Terminator]

Seems it would be faster and create better pellets if you had a way to stamp or swage them vs. casting .

[MT Chambers]

I agree with most on here, I have a Daystate "Huntsman XL" PCP in .22 cal., it's deadly with JSB brand 18.1 grain match pellets which retail for $11/500. I couldn't cast them as well or as inexpensively, however with some of the bigger cals. it prolly would work out. The .30s .303s, .35s, and bigger may bring about savings as well as diff. designs, but note that pellets are still light for their cal. as an example: the .303 pellets are only 50 or 80 grs. if I remember right.

[I'll Make Mine]

If you didn't insist on a diablo pellet form (like classic Crosman pellets, and others) but were willing to use a hollow base "ash can" form (like the old Benjamin .20 and .22 pellets), you might well be able to cast pellets that would work. Of course, trying to get a skirt thin enough to deform and grip rifling to fill out in .17, .20, or .22 size would be a bit of a learning curve, and then you'd only be able to produce the heavier pellets for caliber (i.e. lower velocity, like shooting a .45-70 compared to a .458 Win Mag in terms of pellet drop). With the right dies, you should be able to swage pellets of that sort from lead wire in two operations (bleed die to uniform the cores, then a forming die/punch with hollow base and nose form to finish) and get the skirt thin enough to act right.

For larger calibers, .30 and up, a hollow base die (like a Minie) should produce bullets that will work well and likely cost less than commercial slugs for air guns in that category.

Both will want to use soft(ish) alloy...

[JIMinPHX]

On a side note this Crosman American Classic 1377 is an awesome air pistol.

I got about 20 good years out of one like that, then the seals started to go. I can still make her work with a little tinkering.

[Boneguru]

love my 1322 (.22). had to rebuild it last year and love it all over again. not sure I could cast as well as some of the pellets I buy. think I will stick to my big bores for casting....

[Hamish]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...le-bullet-mold

[Silver Eagle]

Commercially produced pellets are made from cut lead wire (a large variety of alloys are used) and a die. Cut chunks of wire are placed in a die and the die swages them to the correct shape. As the dies age the dimensions change and they are replaced. The old dies are sometimes re-purposed to the "economy" lines or sold to other manufacturers for refurb and use. A few manufacturers punch slugs out of lead sheet and further form them in a die or multiple dies. Higher quality (match grade) pellets are made from newer more carefully tended dies and are sorted by weight and head size.
For the .22 and up bores their are a few companies that mold the pellets or "airgun bullets". Mr. Hollowpoint is one of these manufacturers. Side note: Check out his .72 (12 Gauge) airgun! Hornady is making .357 airgun bullets specifically designed for the Crosman Rogue.
A number of pellet manufacturers lube their pellets with various lubes to reduce oxidation of the lead. Graphite, oils, waxes, or paraffin are the most common. It's use also prolongs the life of the dies and assembly equipment.
I have seen reports of muzzle loaders using the larger bored airgun designed bullets with great success.