Noob Tubing question

[500bfrman]

When making a jacket from tubing you will have an opening at the base and I guess at the tip too. My question concerns the base primarily. I guess and read it’s not a big deal. My question is could you put a gas check on the core then put that in your jacket and eliminate your opening on the base?

[MUSTANG]

It would be an interesting experiment; but I believe it could set you up for "Core" separation from the jacket. In the case of the pic below, the base is open - but the nose is closed so it would be very difficult for the core to eject through the nose unless it first hits a hard object and opens the nose.

Attachment 212353

If the base of the jacket is rolled or rounded, and then the core is swaged into the jacket, a certain level of bonding should occur. But; if the core and/or jacket is not cleaned, the bonding of lead to copper/brass will not occur under swaging pressure either, or be faulty.


Might be interesting to place a Gas Check on the bottom of the jacket and then either swage or size it onto the copper bullet base.

The copper tubing jackets I make are rounded over on one end first, then they are flattened in a 2nd step to create a full base on the jacket.

[Valornor]

On my press the hole is nearly completely closed. At any rate it’s a small enough diameter that it’s not going to affect much of anything. You could try the gas check but usually my cores are a pretty good fit to the jacket, and if I tried to check them they wouldn’t have enough clearance to fit in the jacket prior to staking.

You could punch out a copper disk and put it in the jacket and then seat the core, but in my opinion it’s more work, and expense, for no real benefit.

[Pipefitter]

The only time the opening in the base makes any difference is if you are making bonded core bullets, where you would melt the core in the jacket to solder the core to the jacket. I have a Dave Corbin Jacket making kit that uses 1/2" copper ACR (air conditioning/refrigeration) tubing to make .452 pistol jackets. The wall thickness on this tubing is .032" thick, and at +P Ruger only loads this jacket does not even begin to open up. I have a couple of these bullets (one solid point and one hollow point) that I have recovered from being shot into soaking wet phone books that except for the rifling marks on them look like brand new.

I also found one when I was shooting bowling pins about 25 yards behind where I was shooting, resulting in myself never shooting at bowling pins again. That one has a slightly deformed nose, but I probably run it back into the point forming die to "round it back out" and shoot it again.

[500bfrman]

The copper tubing jackets I make are rounded over on one end first, then they are flattened in a 2nd step to create a full base on the jacket.

You don’t have an opening on the base? And you make from tubing?

[uncle dino]

If you play with the length a bit. You can force the tubing down the ejection hole just a little bit. When you flatten the end, it will close the hole completely.. Here's a pic of a 5/8 tubing jacket for an example

[MUSTANG]

And here is a pick of a tubing jacket with the base closed. You will note a small hole where jacket is not 100% closed; but pressures push across entire base so ability for core separation under pressure is practically Zero.

Attachment 212373

[500bfrman]

Interesting. Thanks for the replies. What is 5/8 tubing used for?

[uncle dino]

I use the 5/8 for .600 nitro and limited use in shotgun slugs..d

[500bfrman]

I use the 5/8 for .600 nitro and limited use in shotgun slugs..d

Oh cool. Where you at in thumb

[uncle dino]

Croswell... Little over an hour east of you..d

[MIBULLETS]

I've done the same as uncle dino with 3/8" tubing for .358 bullets. Normally I don't worry about it and end up with maybe a 1/16" hole at the bottom. The only time the hole matters is if you want to chemically bond the core to the tubing jacket. Then you need to close it or temporarily plug it so the molten lead doesn't leak out.