Drilling Boolits to make HP

[Trail Finder]

I have read lots of threads on how to make a HP mould and was all ready to do so. After lots of thought I figured I would get tired of messing with the pin.

Getting to the point. Has anyone tried to drill a bullet to make it a HP? Any problems, any advice. I have a mill and plan to make a jig to allow me to change bullets and keep in the tolerances.

Any ideas or advice will be appreciated.

[hylander]

I have done it with my .45ACP 200SWC
I'm going to do some 230gr. RN
I do them after they are loaded, place in a jig cavity and set mill to preset stop depth.
Realize that when doing what ever bullet that it will lighter after drilling the HP (I.E. 230 will be about 210)
This is just what I have done and it works for me.
I do not recommend others do this with loaded ammo.

[warboar_21]

There are hollow pointing devices for this purpose.

http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/371968/forster-universal-hollow-pointer-1-8

[Lefty SRH]

I've done a bunch on a lathe at work. Its not easy to drill and get a clean cut hole, lead is very sticky/gummy. BUT if you use A LOT of aluminum specific Tap Majic cutting fluid its make sthe job a lot easier.
I used #2 and #3 center drills to a depth of .100-.150" deep IIRC.

[JeffinNZ]

Center drill in the lathe works great. Used this method on my .310 Cadet 40-1 boolits.

[nekshot]

I use the forrester tool. Take it slow and clean out bit often or use a fluid on drill bit. The bit can really suck fast in that soft lead.
nekshot

[BCB]

Forster Case Trimmer with hollow pointer…

I adapted an electric screwdriver to the trimmer…

You have to clean the bit occasionally and it is a bit slow to get a nice center hole, but they seem to work O.K.

Good-luck…BCB

[BCB]

Another pic...

BCB

[Hogdaddy]

How much trouble Vs buying a mold ??
H/D

[Doc Highwall]

The best type of hollow point is the crammer style like Mihec uses and, the inset bar that Eric uses at hollow point moulds.

http://www.hollowpointmold.com/

[DLCTEX]

I have done both and find using a hollow point mould with the pins much less hassel. Lead can be a pain to drill, requiring frequent clearing of the cuttings, which stick in the drill flutes and can be aggravating to remove. I can cast three or more HP boolits in the time it takes to drill one IME.

[GaryN]

I have and still do both. The hollow point mold is much faster and easier. The forster hollow point tool is easy it just takes a minute. It is also very accurate.

[Trail Finder]

Looks like I just need to drill my mould and finish what I started. Yes I am too cheap to buy one.

[joepb]

I have also used a center drill on a lathe. The center drill does not fill up with lead like a drill bit.

[uscra112]

Also possible to swage a hollow point. I have tools to do it to .22 rimfire cartridges, and have used them..

All those "gold dot" hollowpoints used in personal defense ammo are swaged.

Me, I have only one HP mould, and never had good success with it. The pin does not stay centered very well, so I got unbalanced boolits with it. If I ever want a hollowpoint again, I will swage it. More time spent making tools, but it will make a nice concentric boolit.

[Boolseye]

I have a Forster tool, the 1/8" version for pistol (if memory serves)
I have drilled many serviceable HPs, both with a hand drill and with a drill press. I also have a NOE HP mold which I love.
Back to the Forster–the beauty of it is that you can HP virtually any boolit. Even if you eventually get an HP mold or two, you'll like having the Forster around. You could probably rig something similar with a resourceful mind and a few odds and ends–I wouldn't recommend drilling an HP without a guide of some kind for the bit.

[reloader28]

The nice thing about the Forster is you can make ANY boolit a hollow point without getting a new mold.
Since I have zero need to be shooting HP's for plinking, I only HP a few with special alloy for certain jobs. Self defense, hunting or varminting.
Its also very nice to be able to drill it exactly how deep you want it and test it out. If you need it shallower or deeper its an easy adjustment.

[rollingblock]

I've found just drilling out the seating stem on a lyman die works great as a guide. Not suitable for a large number of rounds but is simple and cheap if you want a dozen or so for your next hunt.
Drill them out once the bullet is seated while still in the press.

[uscra112]

I've found just drilling out the seating stem on a lyman die works great as a guide. Not suitable for a large number of rounds but is simple and cheap if you want a dozen or so for your next hunt.
Drill them out once the bullet is seated while still in the press.

Clever !

[rintinglen]

I have a forster tool, I did make a few a few this way, but I have three MP HP molds now and will never screw around with the forster again. The Cramer Style molds cast nearly as fast as a conventional mold, you don't have fiddle with the pins--they stay in the mold and MP products are absolutely top tier. I find I get about 10 boolits a minute from my 4 cavity 432-640, versus 12 from my 429-421. I have a pair of RG-2 h Molds from NOE which, while a little more clunky than the Cramer types seem to be very nearly as fast. I just got my 452-200 yesterday

[Boolseye]

You don't need the case trimmer, particularly if you have a drill press. All you need is the drill bit and guide, I think they're around $16. Alright, 17.99.

[a.squibload]

Done both, seems easier to cast HPs & load 'em.
Ammo can be drilled, hard cast probably won't expand but
jaxketed bullets usually have a soft lead core.
Drilled HP has to work better than a round nose FMJ!
I like a center drill better but the conical part will
wipe out the nose if you drill too deep.

[Menner]

I am with Doc Highwall Eric makes a great mold that is slick operating and the inset bar works like a dream I just got one in 40 S&W it is a Lee 401-175-TC casts WW at about 168 I push them at 900 to 1000 fps through my FEG Hi Power clone and they work really well and it beats trying to drill hollow points and Eric had it in stock and i had it in about a week6966869669

[a.squibload]

Those look good.

[Trail Finder]

You guys really aren't making this easy. Having a HP mould sounds like the easiest way to do it. But I don't see myself casting 1000s hollow points. Being able to drill different type of bullets into hollow points sounds kind of cool also.

[ku4hx]

I tried the Forster tool circa 1964 with factory .357 Magnum lead ammunition and found it to be a PITA. Then I discovered casting and Lyman's #2 alloy. After that, I just stuck with solid cast boolits and don't feel like I lost anything. These are .44 Magnum boolits cast with #2 alloy, fired from a 7.5" Ruger Redhawk and recovered from damp sand.
69984

[Recluse]

I tried the Forster tool circa 1964 with factory .357 Magnum lead ammunition and found it to be a PITA.

I have the Forster tools and also find them to be a HUGE pain in the butt and in all honesty, not worth the effort.

I've rarely seen or encountered the need for a hollow-point cast lead boolit.

:coffee:

[a.squibload]

Well mainly they look neat-o!
Less lead per shot, and center of gravity is shifted back somewhat,
heard that's good, not sure how good.
Also read that HPs are possibly safer as they might expend most
of their energy in the intended target medium (not necessarily
for hunting).

OK, mostly they're nice & evil-lookin'. :evil:

[223Lorenzo]

I used a spring loaded punch from HF on 158gr round nose flatpoint.Use punch six times on bullet Then resize with lee sizer die.Looks good and cheep like me, without removning any lead.

[RobsTV]

I am with Doc Highwall Eric makes a great mold that is slick operating and the inset bar works like a dream I just got one in 40 S&W it is a Lee 401-175-TC casts WW at about 168 I push them at 900 to 1000 fps through my FEG Hi Power clone and they work really well and it beats trying to drill hollow points and Eric had it in stock and i had it in about a week6966869669

After seeing this thread, I took the leap and bought a mold from Erik. Same Lee 40 cal 401-175-TC #90256, but the beveled base was also removed, bringing the dropped weight down to 155gr. At .402, they are not sized in my Lyman, only lubed with CR.

I had been using the normal Lee 401-175-TC but it will now be put away. This mold from Erik casts faster, less sticking and more consistent boolits than factory Lee mold.

Here is photo of two recovered slugs (plus assorted pre-shot items) from first test shots yesterday using S&W 40 Shield. Chrono'd at 1015fps using 6.2gr WSF, and 10 BHN. Recovered in 3rd gallon of water milk jug. Boolits went from .402 to expanded size of .700. Next time I will increase hardness, as it will be cheaper for me using less tin and SOWW, and more COWW or mono.

74350

74351

[ironhead7544]

I got one of those circa 1964 to HP my factory 158 grain lead 357 Magnum rounds. The problems I had were: I couldn't hold the case in my hands securely, the process was extremely slow and I broke the drill bit. It may work for some, but even In my 18yo super human immortal and invulnerable hands I couldn't make it work on soft lead.

These are all non hollow point 44 Magnum. HP cast boolits seems to me to be a solution in search of a problem.
74358

Also wanted to HP the factory soft lead 357 Magnum loads. Would seem to be an ideal situation for a self defense load as back then not many bullet styles were available. The Forster set up in the trimmer easily hollow pointed the loaded ammo but I had a hard time getting it centered. So, gave up on the idea. If you could machine a guide that would perfectly center the bit for a specific bullet then I think it would be worthwhile. For 357 Magnum loads today with that bullet style, I would get the ones made by Rock River. Soft lead with a gas check. You would probably need only a limited amount of them for serious purposes. Buffalo Bore makes high performance 38 Special loads with that bullet.

[dudel]

I've found it easier to use a countersink (vs a drill) in my drill press and set the depth on the drill press. Less issue with the lead clearing from the hole. May not work well on smaller caliber boolits; but on 45 (GAP & ACP) it's my very own "flying ashtray".

Made an easy fixture for them. On a 1" x 1/2" x 4" stick, I drilled a partial hole appropriate for the caliber, then slit the fixture up to the hole. The partial hole gives me a consistent depth, and the slit lets me squeeze the board to grip the boolit, and then release it easily. The wood has not yet deformed the boolit.

[fredj338]

Drilling HP is far more time consuming than casting them & unless you get the hole dead bang center, the results will be less than desireable accruacy wise.

[RobsTV]

Drilling HP is far more time consuming than casting them & unless you get the hole dead bang center, the results will be less than desireable accruacy wise.

Started reading thread and the idea of a low cost part to make occasional HP's seemed like exactly what I could use, with low cost and universal being key words. But then, as you say, the time factor kicked in. I could see that it might turn into a short trial thing, rarely if ever used again. But switching to a HP mold, which resulted in faster casting, and would be a permanent everyday solution, seemed worth the extra cost for less work when it is a large quantity of boolits being used. For me, just weighed the pros and cons. How many hours to drill HP's in just 1000 40's? Plus I think you should only practice with what you would normally carry and shoot, not having something different for practice than what you normally use to protect your life.

[nicholst55]

Member Jim In Phx at least used to sell a hollow pointing drill jig, with bushings for your choice of caliber. I dunno if he still does.