Beware Brass2Bullets

[rolltide]

I have draw dies from RCE, I tried Brass2Bullets, and I have Lee dies on order. I believe B2B dies are probably Lee dies. You can get Lee bullet standard sizing dies for 30 dollars each, or 38 dollars for a custom size. I have a few on order, and will let you know when they come. It looks like 4 steps between 9mm and 30 cal is best. The steps between sizing get smaller as the diameter gets smaller because there is a sizable chunk of solid brass building up in the case head area. If you use 38 special, you will have to get a rim shear die from David Corbin or RCE to get rid of the rim before you start to resize. I am using 57 brass to make 180 gr bullets, I do not know how much heavier you want to go. I think 57 brass will make a heavier 30 cal bullet than 9mm although I am not sure since I have not successfully gone from 9mm to 30 cal yet. (I am just judging from pics I have seen posted here.) I think you would need to trim quite a bit off a 38 special case as it would make an extremely long case if de-rimmed and reduced to 30 cal, but I am just guessing since I have never done it.

Look at pics on this thread for what is possible from 9mm brass. (thanks BTS)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ies-(draw-dies)

[clodhopper]

I'm using BTSniper draw down dies. It is a five step system. Four of the steps along the way are suitable stopping points for different calibers, 9mm(and.357,.358) .338, .323, and 308.

I do not have any point form dies, so keeping the the bullets short, 9mm makes either a 131 grain .308 of 175 grain .357.

The BT X crimp die was used before point forming on these bullets.
The .357 bullet was point formed in a modified RCBS .223 reloading die which required a final trip through a bullet size die.
The .308 bullets were formed in a BTSniper swage die.

[clodhopper]

Got so carried away getting a picture to the post, the point of it was missed.

It is a lot of work taking 9mm brass down to 30 cal jackets,

I'm using a walnut hill press, annealing, cleaning and drying the brass for each step. After a sizeable investment in tooling, a guy could get a minimum wage job, pay taxes on the income, and buy, with the proceeds, 3 or 4 times as many bullets per hour.

You have to love your press time.

[R.Ph. 380]

I have draw dies from RCE, I tried Brass2Bullets, and I have Lee dies on order. I believe B2B dies are probably Lee dies. You can get Lee bullet standard sizing dies for 30 dollars each, or 38 dollars for a custom size. I have a few on order, and will let you know when they come. It looks like 4 steps between 9mm and 30 cal is best. The steps between sizing get smaller as the diameter gets smaller because there is a sizable chunk of solid brass building up in the case head area. If you use 38 special, you will have to get a rim shear die from David Corbin or RCE to get rid of the rim before you start to resize. I am using 57 brass to make 180 gr bullets, I do not know how much heavier you want to go. I think 57 brass will make a heavier 30 cal bullet than 9mm although I am not sure since I have not successfully gone from 9mm to 30 cal yet. (I am just judging from pics I have seen posted here.) I think you would need to trim quite a bit off a 38 special case as it would make an extremely long case if de-rimmed and reduced to 30 cal, but I am just guessing since I have never done it.

Look at pics on this thread for what is possible from 9mm brass. (thanks BTS)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ies-(draw-dies)

I will be using a tool head with my Bench press simply to derim the 9mm,357,38spec so that will work easily. It also gives you a simple boat-tail that way. I have a friend with a hobby lathe who will be able to make the inside punches for me. I think I can get maybe 200grn from the 357 brass, but It will probably have a bit of exposed lead.(preliminary figuring) I do have some pinch trim dies that Tim made me a couple of years ago before he disappeared. Those should give me a good measure for length.

Bill

[dtknowles]

Got so carried away getting a picture to the post, the point of it was missed.

It is a lot of work taking 9mm brass down to 30 cal jackets,

I'm using a walnut hill press, annealing, cleaning and drying the brass for each step. After a sizeable investment in tooling, a guy could get a minimum wage job, pay taxes on the income, and buy, with the proceeds, 3 or 4 times as many bullets per hour.

You have to love your press time.

Yeah and using 5.7 brass seems like I could buy jacketed bullets for the price of 5.7 brass.

It is fun to try new things but ........


9mm brass and .223 brass are available for the price of scrap so finding a better way of using them might pan out.

Someone used to make jackets out of tubes, seems .223 brass could be turned into tubes of various diameters.

Tim

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I haven't tackled the 9mm down to .300 thing.
my only comment is, I wonder if Lee dies will hold up?
I've polished them larger and the polishing seems to go pretty fast, compared to Lyman boolit sizing dies or Star boolit sizing dies, so I question the hardness. Also, Lee push through boolit size dies have a small area where the boolit is sized, and I suspect that smaller area is more susceptible to wear, than if the die had a larger area to size the object.

OK with that said, I went a different route, when I started to swage 30 cal. I wasn't considering 9mm, I planned on using 5.7x28 brass exclusively (I have found them as cheap a 4.5¢ each). I found that a 280 rem FL size die with expander removed worked pretty good. I posted about it a few years ago.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...l=1#post938343

[rolltide]

Jon, I had the same concerns about Lee dies. I called the factory, and they assured me the steel was " file hard". We shall see. I will post after I give the Lee die a workout.

I am with you about using 57 brass, and your post was very helpful to me. I followed your lead with using the expanderon the 57 cases. I am buying brass for about the same as you. If anyone knows where I can get jackets for that price, pleas tell me where.

[brass2bullets]

I have draw dies from RCE, I tried Brass2Bullets, and I have Lee dies on order. I believe B2B dies are probably Lee dies. You can get Lee bullet standard sizing dies for 30 dollars each, or 38 dollars for a custom size. I have a few on order, and will let you know when they come. It looks like 4 steps between 9mm and 30 cal is best. The steps between sizing get smaller as the diameter gets smaller because there is a sizable chunk of solid brass building up in the case head area. If you use 38 special, you will have to get a rim shear die from David Corbin or RCE to get rid of the rim before you start to resize. I am using 57 brass to make 180 gr bullets, I do not know how much heavier you want to go. I think 57 brass will make a heavier 30 cal bullet than 9mm although I am not sure since I have not successfully gone from 9mm to 30 cal yet. (I am just judging from pics I have seen posted here.) I think you would need to trim quite a bit off a 38 special case as it would make an extremely long case if de-rimmed and reduced to 30 cal, but I am just guessing since I have never done it.

Look at pics on this thread for what is possible from 9mm brass. (thanks BTS)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ies-(draw-dies)

Thanks for commenting on my dies, FYI they are not lee dies. They are made from scrach from 4140 steel. Sizers are .360, .330, .300 +-.003. I make mine dies on a manual lathe and its not easy. I do my best and i also make mistakes.

[brass2bullets]

Rolltide I know I had a rough start with you and things didn't work out. I'm sorry I screwed up. I've fixed my design and I have now the kinks worked out. I fully refunded you with no gripes and paid for shipping back my product. You didn't loose any thing other than time. I'm learning as I go and I am now doing better at quality control. I use a manual lathe and it is tougher than a CNC lathe, I put a lot of my spare time into these dies and I do my best to make a good product. I found out the hard way that the reason people don't make there own dies is because it's a pain in the butt to get consistent tolerances thats why there + or-. I built my dies as a service to others so they could just get out to the range with out breaking the bank. My dies are not Corbin dies. They are build to get the job done and be more affordable.

[brass2bullets]

I like the idea to use more dies to make the transition easier. I curently use 3 and its tough, I'll add afew to make it easier. I know people don't want to spend all day sizing so i used 3 in mine. Ill look into that for my dies. Its a work in progress. Im now thinking it would be easier to take 5/16 copper tube and make cups from it. I think a end point form die, & end sealing die should be enough to make a good cup.

[NoAngel]

BT Sniper's stuff looks expensive as heck so you buy two or three 'cheaper sets' none of which will work well, if at all. Fight them to work, fight the seller to get a refund. Maybe it works out in the end, maybe it don't but now you're out more than BT's "expensive" stuff that he stands behind 100%......hmm, maybe his stuff ain't all that expensive when you think about it.

[JRPVT]

I might have been 9 or 10 the first time I put a knife to stone under supervision. One way or another I've been machining since then, up to and including CNC Lathes and Mills. If I want a set of dies I get them from one of the reputable die makers. These folks have put a lot into getting their machining skills where they are, and my hat is off to them. I'm not that skilled, and have no interest in getting that focused on something anymore. Tool and die makers are highly prized, and are for the most part deserving of it, it's not something any monkey can do. Dave

[shooterg]

The Corbins and Blackmon won't be around forever. BT's stuff well worth the bucks, but we're a growing bunch and I hope some of the newer makers work out too.