22 cal BTSimple! Affordable high quality swage dies!

[BT Sniper]

Can you put the jacket in backwards and make a full metal jacket round?

yes, ...... it would require trial and error to figure out exactly how much lead would be required to fill the jacket so no exposed lead or left over jacket is left at the base.

It works so well to make 22 cal bullets from 22lr brass the traditional way I have not seen the need to make FMJs.

BT

[BT Sniper]

any update on when you will have them back and ready for shipment to final homes?

I just shipped them all on Monday the 30th. Took me a couple extra weeks longer then anticipated, when it was all done I had machined 180 dies since Thanksgiving. They have arrived at Nitride, now it is just a matter of them processing the dies and shipping them back to me. Then a final polish and assembly of the dies. I still expect to have first orders of these new dies shipped by end of this month.

I received your payment and have posted your order to my work order list.

Thank you for your support.

Brian

[BlackoutBuilder]

It would take 22 more grains of lead It really is that simple. I only plan to offer the small molds to make 55 grains, this allows me to make them all the same and keep prices down.

BT

Ok, I wasnt sure if the dies would take a heavier core.

[BT Sniper]

They certainly could, I didn't make the bullet cavity of these dies much longer then they needed to be but 77 grain bullets should be completely possible if you had a heavy enough lead core. I have made 70 grain bullets from 22lr brass before, any heavier and the exposed lead tip gets pretty big.

BT

[BlackoutBuilder]

Sweet. Im about to start load development on my first AR, and I have no idea what weight its going to want. It's a 1:7 16" Stoner Barrel

Looking forward to those 30 cal dies. Will they be a converted brass jacket die set?

[BT Sniper]

Expect dies back soon from Nitride.

There are 5 sets spoken for, 9 sets remain available for purchase.

Should make for a great set of dies just in time for spring shooting!

I'll keep everyone posted.

BT

[BlackoutBuilder]

.....

[Dennis Eugene]

Just curious and I know your busy,but, did you ever decide whether the core mold will have just two or more cavities? Thanks D.C.

[BT Sniper]

I'm going to go for four cavities for this first lot of dies. I know there is enough room on the mold for three cavities but I'm hoping for four. I'll let you guys know for sure soon.

Brian

[BlackoutBuilder]

edited content, replied via PM

Thanks

[BT Sniper]

Working on molds. It looks like these molds will make excellent four cavity molds for my BTSimple line of dies. I have the proper depth bore all figured out to drop pure lead cores around 45.4 grains, pair that with a 9.6 grain 22lr jacket and we are good to go.

Nitride shop should have finished up with dies by now and if not already should be shipping dies to arrive this week.

I have made up some bullets at both 55 grains and some at 60 grains and plan to get out to the range soon. Will report back when I do.

Still on target and expect to be shipping first set of dies by end of month.

Here is a look at the BTSimple 45 grain 4 cavity mold


(even though two and/or four cavity molds my be shown, three cavity is now the standard offer as mentioned in post #122 on 3-11-18)








and here is a look at the mold all smoked up and ready to cast!





Still have a few sets of this first run of BTSimple die sets to offer. I have also begun necessary steps to offer a new set of BTSimple 30 cal dies.

Good shooting and swage on!

Brian

[BlackoutBuilder]

What type of jackets are the 30 cal dies going to use?

[BlackoutBuilder]

Is there enough room in the case to make a 62 grain bullet, or how does that work? Do I need .22 magnum brass? I was thinking, that I could take one of the cores, set up a cutter, and make the other 8 grain pellet to add to the core seating step for the extra weight. My gun likes 62 grain bullets better than the 55's.

EDIT. Seems like you answered that in post #7.

[BT Sniper]

My first mold went a bit heavy and casts cores at 51 grains. I made some beautiful 61 grain bullets with these dies using the heavier cores. The jacket was 100% full at the 61 grain weight. Can certainly go heavier with a slightly exposed lead tip.

I also attempted to make heavier bullets by adding small #6 lead shot, putting the lead shot below the core did not work, what you have to do is first seat the standard 45 grain core for the 55 grain bullet then add a couple lead shot pieces at a time till you get the weight you wish. I added these on top of the seated core then seated again. Each #6 shot weights about 2 grains. One could easily get larger shot and possibly only add one or two to get to the desired weight. Anything is possible.

Brian

[BlackoutBuilder]

What alloys can be used with these dies, or do they need dead soft lead? Right now, I have some 13 Brinell, and some 20.9 Brinell laying around.

[R.Ph. 380]

Pretty good bet that dead soft pure, or at most wheel weight.

Sent from here to there by me using smoke signals

[BlackoutBuilder]

I've got 26lb of the Brinell 13, so I think I'll get a 25lb sac of pure lead shot, and melt it together, that should soften it up enough.

[BT Sniper]

I typically advise my customers to use as soft of lead as possible. I tell them if they can find wheel weight alloy they should be able to find some pure lead and then mix 50-50. I'm certain the dies could withstand COWW alloy cores but I imagine a harder alloy could cause the dies to ware a bit faster.

For proper fill out of the small cavities in the mold it might benefit from an alloy that will flow or fill out a bit better then pure lead, although I get them to fill out just fine using pure.

Brian

[BT Sniper]

For those of you in need of lead I always send my customers to our vendor sponsor here, Kathie (The Captain) for her stick on wheel weight alloy. Always great service and great prices.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...Buyer-s-Choice

Swage on!

BT

[BT Sniper]

All machine work is done on molds. They turned out very well,probably better then I first planned.

Dies are on their way back from nitride, haven't arrived yet but any day now. Took them a week longer then expected but I always tell them I prefer a good job over a rushed job, same I imagine my customers would expect from me.

Things are looking very good. I'll keep you all posted.

Bt