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Thread: Exploding cast boolits.

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Exploding cast boolits.

    I tried this about 30 maybe 35 years ago. Using a 457122 Lyman hollow point, I driled the hollow point out to fit a 209 shot gun primer and a little over half the depth of the boolit and filled it with 4 f g black powder with just enough room to seat and compress the powder just a little with the 209 primer. I sized the boolits first though to work in my Ruger Super Blackhawk, I don't remember the powder charge so it would have to be figured out. I went out to test them and comparing them with the plain sized boolits. I shot them into a soft dirt bank at about 50 yards and the treated boolits kicked up about 4 times as much dirt as the untreated boolits. There is not much difference in these boolits and cannon balls used in olden times except for the size. It was fun, I didn't shoot for accuracy just effect. I don't know if this is illegal or not but it was just something I had to try.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    kens's Avatar
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    Kind of like taking .58 minie ball and drill hollow point for a .22 blank.........

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    A 'friend of mine' did the same thing with a .357 and smokeless powder. It worked but the results (on rotting tree stumps) weren't spectacular, just a little more interesting than normal bullets.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  4. #4
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    I've got a story to tell you.
    I tried that one time many years ago.
    I drilled out some deep hollow points, sized to a press fit for Large Pistol Primers, into the nose of some Lyman 429421 bullets, poured in some Bullseye then pressed primers into the cavity until flush with the bullet meplate.
    I don't remember what the powder charge in the 44 Special cases was but it was fairly stiff. I fired them into the end grain of some very dry and hard oak stove wood stack at a distance of about 25 yards.
    In my ignorance, I originally thought that, by shooting into the end of the logs along the grain, it would be a really fun way to split firewood.
    I was shooting while standing next to my parked tractor trailer rig, hooked up to a nice new Transport America van trailer.
    While emptying a couple of cylinders from the Colt into the logs, I was vaguely aware of what I thought was an occasional acorn falling onto the top of the trailer and nothing much seemed to be happening to the logs.
    I got out my splitting maul and split a few of the logs along the bullet path, just to see just how much damage the "exploding bullets" had caused.
    Each log that I split showed the path of the bullet into the log about 4 or 5 inches, ending in a very small and smoky cavity but NO BULLET!!!
    I puzzled over that for a few minutes before it dawned on me that those were not acorns hitting the roof of that brand new van, IT WAS THE BULLETS that had been fired from an oaken barrel by a pistol primer and about 4 grains of Bullseye.
    Sure enough, I located 4 or 5 small lead colored dents in the side of the van, within about a 6 foot radius around where I was standing.
    I never figured out where the rest of bullets ended up but I considered myself, on that day, as being very dumb and very lucky.
    And that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
    Respectfully,
    Tom Myers
    Precision Shooting Software


  5. #5
    Boolit Master


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    Yes, it's illegal but I guess we've all played at it one time or another. A .45/70 (single loaded mind you) with a .22 BP blank and a little Bullseye "sweetner" under the blank in a modified 457122 will make larger than normal cavities and move more dirt at 100 yards. If you're scavenging lead and who isn't, be sure one don't get in the pot by mistake as they all don't detonate on impact./beagle
    diplomacy is being able to say, "nice doggie" until you find a big rock.....

  6. #6
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    yup get caught with one and your going up in front of the federal judge! With todays school shooting/terrorist mindset it sure wouldn't be worth risking getting busted to me to fool with them. If you want to kick up dirt buy some tanerite stick it in the dirt and shoot it.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Thumbcocker's Avatar
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    The original mold for the Gould hp was designed for a .22 blank to be put in the nose if desired. Frank Marshall wrote a good story about shooting them into chunks of ice floating on a river when he was a kid in the 1920's.
    Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    It was a one time thing, it really took up too much time to prepare and it wasn't very spectacular so just gave it up. I kind of thought it might be aginst the law so that was another reason to stay away from it. I also could not see a practical purpose for it.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    Don't know the rest of you guys thoughts on this. I for one, would like to see tanerite (All exploding targets) banned. Too many low I.Q. folks causing general havoc with then. There's a MAJOR fire burning as I type this over in Haily Id. destroying a lot of public and private property. People's homes are threatened and evacuations are ongoing. You guessed it, "Tards shooting exploding targets in hot dry summer time conditions. Time to get past the delinquent teenage thrill of "Blowin things up" before the BLM and FS step in and ban target shooting on public lands. Gp

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    Banning things because SOME PEOPLE are idiots, is how we got so much gun control.

    Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    Unfortunately that's the way it works. There isn't a problem until someone creates one.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  12. #12
    Boolit Bub
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    I, for one, would love to see novelty exploding bullets like the OP is talking about unregulated.

    Along with suppressors, full auto, forward grips, short barrels, and just about everything else that makes shooting more fun.

    I have considered playing around with something similar in the past but I have not been able to bring myself to try. Maybe some day, when I find all my firearms that have sank in a boating accident, I may experiment.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by sureYnot View Post
    Banning things because SOME PEOPLE are idiots, is how we got so much gun control.
    I agree

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy Ateam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NyFirefighter357 View Post
    I agree
    I also agree. Knee jerk, emotional response to a problem is how the statists have advanced so many probationary measures against us. Keep that little fascist inside you on a short leash.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master pls1911's Avatar
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    Gpidaho,
    LBJ National Grasslands (BLM?) Northwest of Ft Worth Texas was closed to shooting anything but shotguns in season years ago.

    Parcels are scattered all around the area, interspersed with private holdings. a couple of parcels makeing up maybe 10% of the total area had large natural burms and backstops and had been historically used by target shooters. Hikers, fishermen, birdwatchers etc., and equestrians utilized the rest.... until a few folks decided they wanted to ride horses everywhere, uninterrupted by gunfire.
    We lost.
    Salvaging old Marlins is not a pasttime...it's a passion

  16. #16
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    pls1911: We have the same type up here too, I think all states do. Up here it's the motorized sports devotees against the backpackers. A place should be made for all to enjoy there outdoor experiences. I'm certainly not against anyone enjoying their firearms on public ground, I do so weekly. My point being, burning down our public and private great outdoors is taking the fun a bit too far. Gp

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check