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trochilids
08-30-2013, 02:47 AM
Spent the day at a local hillside (abandoned coal mine) where folks shoot regularly. I went mostly to look for range scrap for melting, but I also contributing to the mass of the hill with my 9 mm... It has rained here for the past several days so bullet exposure is increased on the hillsides, making picking surface finds easier. I was able to collect about 2 large McDonald's cups worth. I think I gathered more than I contributed. Plus it was fun.

Among the finds today were a couple that were really weird. As I was sorting and snipping TMJ for eventual melting / lead removal, I noticed one that felt lighter. It had a full copper shell and looked normal, but when I cut it with the snips it was a whitish/opaque rubber inside. I snipped off more of the shell and this rubber material seemed to be consistent throughout. Unfortunately I didn't keep that one out so I didn't get photos -- and I honestly didn't pay much attention to the details of size -- probably 9 mm or so. Ideas?

And I also encountered two different types of bullets that were new to me (I'm a handgun guy, and a new one at that). Can anyone identify these for me? They seemed solid metal (no lead that I could discover) and were extremely difficult to cut. I found several -- representatives are in the photo below, expanded and "original." The one in the foreground that is really smashed seems to be the same as the skinnier ones just above it, and shows a solid metal (copper?) core.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=80531&d=1377844184

I look forward to learning more about these bullets. Can anyone recommend a good photo reference to bullet types on the internet?

btroj
08-30-2013, 05:47 AM
Barnes TSX. Solid copped HP. They penetrate like no tomorrow. Great bullet.

trochilids
08-30-2013, 10:51 PM
Barnes TSX. Solid copped HP. They penetrate like no tomorrow. Great bullet.

Looks painful, too!

I'll toss those in with the copper jackets to take to the scrap yard. Probably not big volume stuff at this point but I'm a big believer in "every little bit counts" and at some point the collection will be worth taking in. Either that or I'll have to build a bigger storage shed.

I really appreciate the information shared so readily by folks on this board. This is a tremendous resource for those of us new to casting.

tomme boy
08-31-2013, 12:56 PM
Solid copper from the muzzleloader and shotgun guys. They add up fast in the copper bucket.

Magana559
09-07-2013, 03:48 PM
As mentioned above most look like Barnes solid copper. Great bullets!