DukeInFlorida
06-30-2011, 11:40 AM
I have been sitting here, contemplating how to make cores for the .308 bullets made from 5.7X28 brass.
Brian recently gave me a sample bag, containing some 5.7X28 brass and some cores that he produced somehow (drilled out mold?)
Was reading the thread on how big a press is needed to make wire.............
Suddenly I was hit with an idea, and just had to try it out................
I took my 9mm to .40 BT die, and removed all of the UPPER parts.
When you look inside the die, there's a .40 lower end diameter (inside), a curved ogive, going into .250" hole (where the 1/4" knock out pin goes)..........
Hmmmmmmmmmm. Wonder if I put my bottom punch in the press, and place a cast .40 bullet on top of the punch, and run it up... will the die extrude a .250" piece of wire? Does the press have enough oomphh???
Sure does!! I covered my cast lee bullets in Xlox, and started pressing, adjusting the die as I went, so that I was using maximum leverage (at the top of the cam)... Went in as far as I could, and then placed another bullet on the punch, backed off the tool, and went again. POP! The wire core actually POPPED right out of the die. Hydraulic pressure, I guess. Right at .250" diameter, and long enough for one core, plus some additional length for tweaking the weight of the final bullet.
I could produce 1/4" cores all day long. Well, to the extent that I have cast 40 bullets.
Right at the moment it pops out of the die, I could place the regular nose punch, the flat one, in, with the guide/spacer, and then the rest of the upper parts, slide the knock out pin in there, and begin pushing the slug back out the other end. Because the slug was Xloxed, it slid out easily.
I'll have to make a lead wire core cutter, but I now have my supply of cores for the .308 swaged bullets.
Brian, maybe you should start making (like you need additional projects) core extruding dies. Simple to do!
Soon as I get my camera battery charged up, I'll post pictures of the slug I removed, and the cores I made!
Now, I gotta figure out making punch extruded cores for the .224 project.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_112084e0cdb31d9164.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1340)
Brian recently gave me a sample bag, containing some 5.7X28 brass and some cores that he produced somehow (drilled out mold?)
Was reading the thread on how big a press is needed to make wire.............
Suddenly I was hit with an idea, and just had to try it out................
I took my 9mm to .40 BT die, and removed all of the UPPER parts.
When you look inside the die, there's a .40 lower end diameter (inside), a curved ogive, going into .250" hole (where the 1/4" knock out pin goes)..........
Hmmmmmmmmmm. Wonder if I put my bottom punch in the press, and place a cast .40 bullet on top of the punch, and run it up... will the die extrude a .250" piece of wire? Does the press have enough oomphh???
Sure does!! I covered my cast lee bullets in Xlox, and started pressing, adjusting the die as I went, so that I was using maximum leverage (at the top of the cam)... Went in as far as I could, and then placed another bullet on the punch, backed off the tool, and went again. POP! The wire core actually POPPED right out of the die. Hydraulic pressure, I guess. Right at .250" diameter, and long enough for one core, plus some additional length for tweaking the weight of the final bullet.
I could produce 1/4" cores all day long. Well, to the extent that I have cast 40 bullets.
Right at the moment it pops out of the die, I could place the regular nose punch, the flat one, in, with the guide/spacer, and then the rest of the upper parts, slide the knock out pin in there, and begin pushing the slug back out the other end. Because the slug was Xloxed, it slid out easily.
I'll have to make a lead wire core cutter, but I now have my supply of cores for the .308 swaged bullets.
Brian, maybe you should start making (like you need additional projects) core extruding dies. Simple to do!
Soon as I get my camera battery charged up, I'll post pictures of the slug I removed, and the cores I made!
Now, I gotta figure out making punch extruded cores for the .224 project.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_112084e0cdb31d9164.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1340)