30 cal bullets from 50 cal primers! [Archive]

BT Sniper

03-08-2011, 02:00 PM

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/latestprojects.jpg

Success!

I took a spent 50 cal primer, as is, with a 70 grain core and pushed it all into a 30 cal swage die. Pretty good looking 89 grain bullets. Friend of mine is going to test them in a 30 carbine. My next project with them is to bore out a 308 die to .312 for the 32 H&R shooters.

Swage On!

BT Sniper

Ballard

03-08-2011, 03:36 PM

Intteresting, but I think its going to lead horribly.

BT Sniper

03-08-2011, 03:53 PM

Yah I'm looking into that. I need to make sure the brass extends up to the start of the ogive. With bullets less then 85 grains in this die it should work. I'll experiment a bit more and we shall see.

BT

MIBULLETS

03-08-2011, 07:16 PM

You could probably reduce them to make some small caliber jackets too! How thick are they?

BT Sniper

03-08-2011, 08:14 PM

You could probably reduce them to make some small caliber jackets too! How thick are they?

I was actually thinking that too before I held on in my hand. Diminentions are .316 in diameter by .195 deep by .020 thick.

The challenge lays in the anvil that is lightly swaged into the primer cup. Might be able to get them to fall out from tumbling in a tumbler but if not it may be a bit of labor taking each one out with a squeze from a pair of pliers.

Anything is possible though.

Swage on!

BT

bohica2xo

03-08-2011, 08:43 PM

Should be a great 32 cal. revolver bullet.

Now quit screwing around and go make us some dies!

:kidding:

Jailer

03-08-2011, 09:46 PM

You could probably reduce them to make some small caliber jackets too! How thick are they?

Same thing I thought when I saw it. Anneal and draw down to 22 cal? I bet you could make a nice light varmint round and you'd be making it out of something that everyone throws away.

ANeat

03-08-2011, 10:04 PM

If I had a good supply I would sure start reducing them down into something useable.

If anyone has a bucket full to experiment with I wouldnt mind trying a few

frankenfab

03-08-2011, 10:11 PM

Man. I probably threw away a couple thousand of those..........:groner:

Jailer

03-08-2011, 10:28 PM

I bet you could make a nice light varmint round and you'd be making it out of something that everyone throws away.

Man. I probably threw away a couple thousand of those..........:groner:

Exactly what I was saying......

BT Sniper

03-09-2011, 01:32 AM

They are out there yet to be found by the gallon full. I have many fealers out there waiting for responds and people to ship. Had one guy that had a 10 year collection of them to offer. He said it was 12 lbs worth. Somthing like 4500 primers. I told him that was a heck of a lot of lead and powder blown into the hill side. :Fire: - - - - - - - - - - - X

MakeMineA10mm

03-09-2011, 01:45 AM

BT Sniper

03-09-2011, 04:17 AM

BT - try putting one on top as well as one on the bottom of those bullets, before shoving it up into the die. Not sure what weight you'd be at to get a fully-encapsulated bullet, but probably around 80gr-85gr final weight? Would be interesting, though. Little light for the Carbine, but with a FMJ, it wouldn't lead.

Just a thought~!

Interesting idea! I bet teh weight would end up around 70-80 grains to get a FMJ but it would sure look interesting. I'll give it a try when I can.

Still for those of you looking to try suing the primers they size quite easily but getting the anvil out of the primer cup still may be a bit of labor. Maybe teh vibrating tumler will do it. I'll see.

BT Sniper

03-09-2011, 04:46 PM

jgt

03-10-2011, 01:30 PM

":):)take your time.......you'll get a more hormonous outcome"

DukeInFlorida

03-10-2011, 09:04 PM

Brian!

You need "counseling".................. hahahahaha

Nice!! You are amazing with the stuff that you do.

MakeMineA10mm

03-10-2011, 09:33 PM

:drinks:

:mrgreen:

.

no34570

03-11-2011, 05:50 AM

Sweet!

sargenv

06-30-2011, 12:26 PM

Am curious if there has been further thoughts on this one...

BT Sniper

06-30-2011, 01:23 PM

I made a few more the other night. Have'nt shot any yet. Got a friend with a 30 carbine they should work well in.

BT

shooterg

07-01-2011, 01:05 PM

I can't see why they would lead up anymore than a regular gas checked boolit ?

DukeInFlorida

07-01-2011, 02:45 PM

These are basically "half jacket" style bullets.

No different than the .44 mag half jacket bullets I am making using my Swage-O-Matic and two boxes of Hornady half jackets I got from someone at castboolits recently.

1874Sharps

07-01-2011, 09:15 PM

I never cease to be amazed at the talent, creativity and skill possesed by those on this forum! Great job, BT!

HANDYMAN

07-01-2011, 11:15 PM

I've been using 50cal primers as gas checks for a while now. That's just as cool!

deltaenterprizes

07-02-2011, 10:22 AM

Now you need to find a use for the anvils!

sargenv

07-07-2011, 11:37 AM

I'd be interested to see if a sizer could be made for 32 cal bullets.. am thinking 32 S&W long/32 magnum.. I have the 32 S&W long in a small frame S&W.

I'm bummed that a friend who reloads the mighty 50 cal just got rid of a bunch of spent primers.. ugh.. wish I'd thought of it before..

2wheelDuke

07-07-2011, 05:23 PM

If you get them going in .312 they may have some potential for 7.62x25 as well.

Ammosmith

07-07-2011, 08:08 PM

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz112/ammosmithphotos/30caliberswagingdies003.jpg

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz112/ammosmithphotos/30caliberswagingdies002.jpg

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz112/ammosmithphotos/30caliberswagingdies001.jpg

thehouseproduct

07-08-2011, 11:53 AM

High speed 300 whisper bullets anyone? :-)

sargenv

07-08-2011, 12:08 PM

300 whisper, 30-30, 30 carbine, 308 win plinkers, etc ;)

Ammosmith

07-08-2011, 07:33 PM

Or 7.63 Mauser.

gitano

07-14-2011, 06:52 PM

Outstanding!

Paul

Cowboy T

07-14-2011, 07:56 PM

Nice work, both BT_Sniper and Ammosmith!

As for the leading, wouldn't some liquid Alox take care of that?

BT Sniper

07-16-2011, 04:42 AM

Thanks and Possibly. I was told at the FPS these bullets would most likly be subjected to in guns like the 30 carbine the velocity might not be enough to cause problems. Most important, as it was told to me, was to protect the base of the bullet from the hot gases and therefor causing leading, basic gas check theory I guess.

I still bet they would make great bullets in the small 32 cals where we can keep the lead from contacting the barrel with shorter bullets.

BT

MakeMineA10mm

07-28-2011, 08:43 AM

FMJ??? Yep it works :) Thanks for the suggestion 10mm. With a ww alloy core it came in at 80 grians. Might get a couple more from pure lead but pretty cool!

Included the primers in the pic to show the anivil removed before and after. A simple pinch from a set of pliers does the trick but x 2 for each bullet.... got to find a quicker way.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/50prmier.jpg

Swage ON!

BT Sniper

Hey Brian,
Just showed my dad your swaging die you made me in 44, and then showed him this thread as another way of doing it, and he suggested those 30-cal 80gr FMJ bullets would be perfect in his Broomhandle Mauser... Interested in sending me some for a test? 50 would be plenty.
:bigsmyl2:

kombayotch

07-28-2011, 11:27 AM

Being able to re-use parts that would normally go to the garbage bin is very cool indeed!

Now, how about .204s from LR primers? :mrgreen:

williamwaco

07-30-2011, 07:27 PM

Pretty good looking 89 grain bullets. Friend of mine is going to test them in a 30 carbine.

BT Sniper

That looks a LOT like the 100 grain .30 Carbine bullets I used to shoot by the ton. I think they were Speer but I am not sure.

I don't think leading will be a problem.

It was not a problem with the zillions of other half jacket bullets of the time. - 1960s.

BT Sniper

07-30-2011, 09:22 PM

I havn't made enough for testing yet. The fmj was a bit of work but the other half jackets are not to bad.

A 32 cal is certainly very possible.

The 204s from 22LR would be no problem IMOP as far as making them. I would be interested to here opinions on how well they would withstand 204 velocities?

BT

BT Sniper

07-30-2011, 09:23 PM

Oh wait you said LR "PRIMERS" well now that would be a challenge. :)

BT

BT Sniper

07-30-2011, 09:24 PM

Heck I have some .190 lead wire......... hum?????

kombayotch

07-31-2011, 10:46 AM

Yes, large rifle primers (0.210" diameter)... I was thinking about using them to cap air rifle pellets, but then I saw this thread. Small rifle might work for a 0.177 bullet., the are 0.175" diameter.

NSP64

07-31-2011, 01:52 PM

I used to shoot unfired srm primmers from my .177 air rifle[smilie=1:

Ervin

07-31-2011, 04:58 PM

Have you thought about just leaving the anvil in place? With enough swaging pressure the lead should flow under the anvil. Or, it would be easy to make a punch to just flatten the anvil in to the base with a hammer. Drawback would be a lighter bullet.

Have you tried to anneal the primer before tumbling? Might (?) help.
Ervin

Ervin

07-31-2011, 05:07 PM

I have always wondered if anvils would make good tumbling media, with leaving leaving the spent primer in the case.
Ervin

BT Sniper

08-01-2011, 12:10 AM

Yes swaging with anvil in place works just fine as far as the formed bullet is concerned.

BT

johndeeboy4

08-01-2011, 10:27 PM

they might load in a 7.62x25 pistol

goblism

08-03-2015, 11:41 PM

That looks a LOT like the 100 grain .30 Carbine bullets I used to shoot by the ton. I think they were Speer but I am not sure.

I don't think leading will be a problem.

It was not a problem with the zillions of other half jacket bullets of the time. - 1960s.

I know I am reviving an old thread, BTSniper referenced it recently, but I happen to have some of those old speer bullets, here is a picture for comparison
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa12/goblism/20150803_223511_zps3pd83hrq.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/goblism/media/20150803_223511_zps3pd83hrq.jpg.html)