Steel core cast boolits

[delisle]

Has anyone ever tried to drop a steel ball bearing inside a boolit mold and then cast a bullet this way?

[troy_mclure]

what would be the point? a lighter boolit?

id think that unless you could get the ball to go to the exact same spot in the boolit every time your accuracy will be erratic.

[Jim]

Seems to me, steel being lighter than lead, that the ball would float on the lead as it's entering the mold, thus skewing the attempt.

[delisle]

Seems to me, steel being lighter than lead, that the ball would float on the lead as it's entering the mold, thus skewing the attempt.

I was thinking about that and was thinking about the employment of a magnet on the bottom of a 2 cavity boolit mold

[RugerFan]

Exactly what effect are you trying to achieve? I'm all for experimentation, just wondering what you're looking for here.

[seppos]

I tried some way way back with Lee 9mm mould.. Makes funny hollow cavity bullets with shallow and wide cavity.
Dont know the result with smaller steel balls but big ones dont stick in the lead easily.

S

[kir_kenix]

I've used steel ball bearings in the nose of HP .45 boolits. Not sure what diameter ball I used, but some HP'd 230 RN Lee boolits were the test subject. The steel ball forced the boolit to "peal and petal" like alot of HP jacketed bullets tend to do. Penetration was not greatly inhanced, and the steel ball tended to seperate from boolit even in newspaper.

Tried the same trick with a hard plastic ball (My ex wife bought a bunch from a craftstore for somethng or other). Plastic ball weighed quite a bit less then the steel, and would upset (but not some apart) on impact. This created greater expansion and considerably less penetration then either HP, Steel ball in HP, or the original RN boolit.

I put maybe 3-400 rounds downrange with the plastic insert. I decided that it was not really worth the effort, as the plain HP design opened effectivly, and the RN penetrated well.

Good luck, and I hope that you have better results then I did. I did learn alot and had some fun, so it was not a loss at all. If you are trying to pour lead around the steel, I would find a way to hold it (either with a magnet, or with the mold itself holding it), so your testing is repeatable.

[kir_kenix]

For claritys sake, I added the ball's after the casting and HP was done. At first I used glue or epoxy to hold them in, but later I just gave them a good push.

[delisle]

I've used steel ball bearings in the nose of HP .45 boolits. Not sure what diameter ball I used, but some HP'd 230 RN Lee boolits were the test subject. The steel ball forced the boolit to "peal and petal" like alot of HP jacketed bullets tend to do. Penetration was not greatly inhanced, and the steel ball tended to seperate from boolit even in newspaper.

Tried the same trick with a hard plastic ball (My ex wife bought a bunch from a craftstore for somethng or other). Plastic ball weighed quite a bit less then the steel, and would upset (but not some apart) on impact. This created greater expansion and considerably less penetration then either HP, Steel ball in HP, or the original RN boolit.

I put maybe 3-400 rounds downrange with the plastic insert. I decided that it was not really worth the effort, as the plain HP design opened effectivly, and the RN penetrated well.

Good luck, and I hope that you have better results then I did. I did learn alot and had some fun, so it was not a loss at all. If you are trying to pour lead around the steel, I would find a way to hold it (either with a magnet, or with the mold itself holding it), so your testing is repeatable.

Thank you for the information!

Sounds like to me you just saved me the trouble of experimentation. The idea I am looking at though is adding the steel ball before actually pouring lead into the mold.

My thought process is that the steel ball might provide more penetration.

[delisle]

Exactly what effect are you trying to achieve? I'm all for experimentation, just wondering what you're looking for here.

Really, I have no idea, I am guessing to say maybe more penetration.

[kir_kenix]

If you are after more penetration, a steel core (piece of steel wire, or a piece of all-thread), would be much more effective then what I attempted. Biggest problem I ran into is that the HP insert, whatever material it may be, would get forced back into the rest of the lead boolit.

If you are after penetration I say go for it. I for one would be interested in your results. Just make sure you report back here with your findings!

[delisle]

I am thinking to maybe ream the opening on my sprue plate on my little 2 cavity bullet mold and using a piece of carbon steel rod scored at the same length as the OAL of the bullet. Then stand that piece of wire up through the sprue plate, ladle cast into the mold, and with the aid of the score on the wire cut the sprue. The drop the bullet to air cool then load like normal. I think I might tackle this idea.

[deltaenterprizes]

Steel core pistol bullets are defined in federal law as "armor piercing" and are illegal ! There are 7 metals that are not allowed but I can't remember them.

[delisle]

Steel core pistol bullets are defined in federal law as "armor piercing" and are illegal !

Yea, that is what I was thinking after a little research. So even if I ever do it there will never be a how to tutorial.

[Harter66]

A fellow asked me about that just the other day.

I 1st considered a small HP drilled to accept a pin like a U-joint roller bearing. Then thinking bigger like 45 rathan 9mm ,how about a roller bearing from a real narrow wheel bearing.

Hit up 1 of those high rent goose hunters shooting Heavy Shot . Its tungstun/iron and is supposed to be heavier than lead . Last spring, I think, I saw that the shot would be made up to 1or2 buck for coyote shotgun loads. If anyone has it,it would be Balistic Products.

[Harter66]

Err .......a maybe not. The shot might still wok out in a rifle boolit?

[Bwana]

Some thirty years ago I drilled a 1/4" hole into the nose end of a Lee 230gr 45 mold and then fashioned a 1/4" dowel into a point and fit it into the mold with the point into the cavity. When poured it made a hollow point bullet and I tried various different shapes and lengths. It worked, was slow, and, until I started using a pair of tweezers to insert the dowel (when the mold was open), would result in minor burns. I wish my learning curve on the tweezers had been a litte steeper.

[no34570]

If you are after rapid expansion with a hp,try when casting putting a piece of paper between the mould blocks on the nose,(it leaves a slit in the nose of the boolit)I've done it and it has penetrated well with devastating results on goats up in Queensland last goat hunt.

Just an idea?

[nanuk]

no34570: I think it was the lyman #3 that mentions that very thing

[no34570]

no34570: I think it was the lyman #3 that mentions that very thing
Probably was,you just adjust the depth of the paper for a bigger slit or just a tiny one,but don't go past the length of the nose,well I don't.

[Calamity Jake]

I once tried a 3/8" ball bearing in a 45C button nose wad cutter mold(454309).
They made a (steel RN) wc, looked cool.
I fired them in a 45C Ruger SA at about 800 fps would blow quarter size chunks out of
concrete rip rap from about 50 yards, didn't want to get any closer!!!!

[pdawg_shooter]

A shooting buddy of mine turned so grade 8 bolts down to .298 and hardened them. (His bore was .3005.) Paper patched back up to .310 and loaded in a 30.06 P1917 they would shoot through the thick part of railroad track. Now THAT is penetration!

[kir_kenix]

A shooting buddy of mine turned so grade 8 bolts down to .298 and hardened them. (His bore was .3005.) Paper patched back up to .310 and loaded in a 30.06 P1917 they would shoot through the thick part of railroad track. Now THAT is penetration!

That sounds rediculously dangerous with no practical aplication....so of course I'm going to have to give it a try!

Seriously, I don't think I could do it to somehting I own, but that is pretty cool.

[pdawg_shooter]

Well, he shot a couple dozen through that old P17 without any harm, but it sure was a lot of work. Back then a fellow could still buy black tipped AP ammo surplus for next to nothing. Today it may be the only way to come up with AP ammo.

[firefly1957]

WARNING putting steel in a pistol bullet is illegal along with bronze and a few other things.
That said it is hard to keep them centered (it was not illegal until clinton) . The paper between mold blocks works well if alloy is not to hard My 44cal. 262 gr wheel weight bullets at 1250f/s do not open up but softer alloy will. You can also try aluminum foil, paper should be a heavy weight to keep from burning and also dry to reduce steam voids.

[RedneckAlbertan]

WARNING putting steel in a pistol bullet is illegal along with bronze and a few other things.

What is the difference between Brass and Bronze? I have always thought that they were both made from Zinc and Copper, with bronze having a larger copper content than Brass.

[deltaenterprizes]

Bronze uses tin and is a catch all name for copper alloys that are not brass, such as aluminum bronze that is used for bearings and is a hard material.

[firefly1957]

It is federal law it does not have to make sense and thanks deltaenterprizes for answering that.
Would it not be good to actually having to intend to do a crime rather than using the wrong metal to be violating a federal crime.

[1Shirt]

Kir, I have a 375 H&H 270 gr. HP, GC, with the HP large enough at the mouth to seat and swage a copper plated BB (air rifle). Makes a good looking blt. Shoots well, but see no advantage in it over the original flat nosed projectile.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[shotman]

its really not a fed law . More to some states you can buy AP rounds in some states but not all . Kind of like the tipped matches
the main deal Is the person that would sell AP ammo . dont know where it may go so to avoid a problem .most just dont sell it
They made 45acp AP used in the thompson still can fine them . But why would you want to shoot a $6 round.

[firefly1957]

It was one of clintons gifts to us that armor piercing handgun ammo can not be possessed the use of a list of materials make them illegal to put in a pistol. They are ok in rifle so you can still have "Cop Killer Bullets" as long as you do not put them in pistol.
It is really a stupid law as a bullet designed to penetrate armor is a poor stopper and many hunting rounds have enough energy to defeat armor without exotic materials.