Making pistol jackets from copper tubing

[Nickle]

So, I want to be able to make pistol jackets from copper tubing, and need dies to do so.

Calibers I want to be able to do this in are 9mm (.355), 38/357 (.357), 40, 44 (.429) and 45 (.452). I know 9mm and 38/357 use the same jackets.

I want to be able to use locally purchased rolled copper tubing. Dies can be for a reloading press, or better, for a Corbin S press.

I may have to make these, I have a couple of lathes and tools (1 large and 1 small). That said, I also am not against buying them either.

[Zymurgy50]

You will find that soft coiled copper tubing is better suited for plumbing projects instead of bullet jackets. I have a set of Corbin dies for 45 caliber that includes the tooling to make short .45 jackets from 1/2" type L copper tubing. The soft coiled tubing does not cut worth a damm, and trying to form them into usable jackets is an excercise in futility.
On the other hand, a 250gn .452 bullet made with 1/2" type L tubing, when launched at +/- 1200fps from my blackhawk will punch through 1/4" plate steel all day long. Just dont try to shoot bowling pins with them. (Ask if you really want to know,,,,)

[Nickle]

I know it's much easier. But, faced with the shortage we just had, this is a contingency.

[Cane_man]

Nickle, you don't want to use brass?

9mm (.355), 38/357 (.357) - i have not looked into this but i believe you can take 9mm cases, trim, and draw them from 0.380 to 0.357 or so in 3 steps...

40 - 9mm swaged is easy to do this

44 (.429) - 40sw swaged is easy to do this

45 (.452) - not completely sure but i think you can swage 40sw for this as well


I may have to make these, I have a couple of lathes and tools (1 large and 1 small).

that is the point i got to, i didn't want to wait 2 years and the money was out of reach... i already had the lathe so it was just a matter of learning the skills, which i am still learning but i really enjoy the die making part of it and i didn't expect that so it has been a huge bonus...

[Nickle]

Nope, no brass, because I reload (remanufacture) professionally, and use the brass to make ammo. Now, if it were for just me, I would.

The brass I could do, not all that hard to make jackets from them. Yeah, have to make jacket dies, but the ones needed are much like 22 derim dies.

And, I'm at the same point now. And, still have more to buy, as I plan on slowly getting away from casting bullets, and move to swaging them, jacketed and non jacketed, ie lead. Better and prettier end product, and sells easier to the public.

[Cane_man]

i can understand that if you are swaging to sell commercially how you wouldn't want a case but copper tubing instead...

do you need a license to sell your swaged bullets?

personally, i made a mistake of turning a hobby into a business with bamboo flyrod making and vowed i would avoid that mistake again with any other hobby i have in the future (if possible :) )... but i can see how homebrew swaged could be a great barter item when things get to that point in our nation and i don't think folks would care how they looked in that situation so long as they would shoot properly...

[Nickle]

Not selling swaged bullets yet, but may.

No separate license needed, as it's covered under the current Type 06 FFL (got Type 01 too). Looks like going to Type 07 in the end.

You can't sell what you don't have, and can't make it if you don't have the raw materials. I got hosed on 224 and 355 bullet availability this past winter, and it cost me dearly in lost sales. Sure, I could've sold ammo with cast bullets, but that doesn't sell as well, and in 355, there's plenty of Glocks out there. In the end, ammo with cast bullets brings a much lower profit margin with Joe Public. It's his opinion that counts, not the truth. Plus, there's wholesale sales too.

Not looking "end of the world", but rather tough times and now. We are already on the tail end of that, and I do believe it will happen again.

[Nickle]

All that said, I just went to Corbin's site, and caught a jewel of info that will help. I can get away with using a point forming die, with a different punch to start the fold, reduce size in a jacket reducing die (through die, easier to make) and then a core swage die with a different punch. That method leaves the hard part already done.

[Wolftracker]

So, what you are saying is, use a point form die as an end rounder for tubing jackets? How do you get the material out as the internal punch is very small? Perhaps a reloading die would work better (and be a whole lot cheaper to lose) for this. Has anyone tried that?

[bullet maker 57]

Depending on how many draws you make when reducing the jacket, you may need to anneal the jackets at least once.