HP drill press jig?

[dntfxr]

Just thinking I'd like to rig something up so that I could drill consistent HPs in my boolits. Anyone try this or have any good ideas on how to do this? Thanks!!

B

[JIMinPHX]

Here's my favorite option -

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=71615

[MikeS]

Jim:

Do you still have any of the jigs, or are you done? If you happen to have one setup for .452 pistol boolits, that would be great!

[firefly1957]

I have seen the RCBS case trimmer used for that purpose. If you have a lathe you can turn down the shank on any drill bit size for larger hollow points.

[JIMinPHX]

Jim:

Do you still have any of the jigs, or are you done? If you happen to have one setup for .452 pistol boolits, that would be great!

I think that I have most of the parts for a few Universal jigs still on the shelf. I still have 1 Econo jig that I use myself. I'm pretty sure that I have a .452" bushing on the shelf. I should be back in the shop on Wednesday night. I'll take a look then.

[JIMinPHX]

I have seen the RCBS case trimmer used for that purpose.

Any chance of posting a picture?

[MT Gianni]

JIM's tool is a lot more user friendly than a Forester case trimmer set up to HP.

[XWrench3]

the only trouble in hollow point drilling is getting the drill EXACTLY CENTER. if it is not, the boolit will be out of balance, and will not fly straight at all. the best way that i can think of is with a lathe fixture, where the boolit spins exactly centered, and a drill is brought to it. drilling on a drill press, unless you have a digital readout, is not very exact. been there, done that. i bought the drilling fixture for use with my forester case trimmer, it is a little better than a drill press, but you still have the same trouble. the alignment can still be off. the best set up would be a hardenred fixture, with 1/2" (or more) of "guide area" to keep the drill turning true, for a specific drill size, that is bored and honed to an exact fit for the boolit in question. then the whole thing could be hand fed into a spinning drill bit. but that would be rediculousy expensive to produce. it would be far cheaper to have your mold tooled to cast hollow point boolits.

[JIMinPHX]

A lathe set up is how I did it originally - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=29432

I then made the drill fixtures that are shown in the link I posted earlier so that people without a lathe could achieve similar results. My fixtures hold the drill bit in a tool steel bushing. They then hold the boolit in a clamp that is aligned with the drill bushing. An aluminum bushing is sometimes used around the boolit as well. The econo rig is easier to use, but it does not allow for inconsistencies in boolit diameter. If the boolit diameter is off by a few thousandths, then the hole will be off center by half that amount. The universal jig can be tuned in to achieve perfect centering on any boolit that is close to the size the boolit bushing was made for.

[kelbro]

Nice tools. Glad I got mine while Jim was feeling 'industrious' :)

[firefly1957]

JIMinPHX Not much to put a picture of The RCBS Collette will hold the bullet base when you snug it up with a drill in the pilot hole you you turn the drill until desired hole depth the lock it so it is repeatable.
A number of years ago I made a wood jig to hold 50 caliber paper patch bullets then drilled them in drill press. Patching was done after hollow pointing. The reason I did it was a article someone did about a old mold that took a 22 short rimfire cartridge to help open bullet. His results were not good and I was thinking it was because the OLD 22 shorts had no powder only primer for pushing the bullet out. So I drilled some big enough to except a yellow power load (22 designed to drive studs into cement #4 if my memory is right) my thought was that they would ignite better then 22 short. A 525 gr bullet so drilled ended up weighing 475 grs and loaded to about 1300 f/s they would shoot OK and shred the bullet even if the target was a plastic jug of water Jug was also shredded. They did not ignite from target and cardboard backer but did make a crater in sand behind it when they hit.

[JIMinPHX]

Kelly,
It's not that I don't feel industrious anymore. It's just that I received limited interest in the drill jigs, so I decided to invest my time in other projects that may have a wider following. When the drill jigs first came out, I got 6 or 8 inquires right away & then it was 1 every month or two after that. That's why that project got boxed up & put on a shelf. If there is enough interest, I'll make another batch.

In the mean time, I came up with a .410 bore Lee Loader type gizmo that I discontinued for safety reasons. I came up with a lubrisizer that goes in a single stage reloading press, which I'm refining. I'm working on an adjustable gas tube attachment for an SKS. I came out with a line of tool holders for use on a lathe. I'm in the middle of coming up with improved condenser heads for a still. & I came up with a bunch of improved sprue plates for various molds.

I managed to squeeze in a little time casting & shooting too.:cbpour::Fire:

I have been a little busy here & there.