Molding PLASTIC dummy bullets for practice?

[Lead Waster]

Hi guys, I want to make up some dummy bullets to practice reloading and function testing, etc.

I could use lead, but I thought for safety, it might be better to use like a brightly colored plastic or rubber or glue or whatnot.

I figured, well, heck, I have molds already, can I just pour in some resin or epoxy WITHOUT STICKING THE MOLD TOGETHER?

OK, so now that I think about that, epoxy would be a very bad idea. But there are other resins and stuff, that you would normally use a rubber mold for. Heck, some kind of strong plaster would work, but if it broke you'd have a heck of a cleaning job for your gun.

Anyone try anything like this?

Thanks!

LW

[TexasBubba]

I've heard of wax boolits and hot glue boolits.
Wax shouldn't need a release agent. If the wax gets stuck, just put the mold in the freezer for an hour or so. The wax will pop right out.
I don't know if the hot glue needs a release agent; but the freezer should work for glue too.
Don't use crayons if you're practicing indoors. Boiling water won't get all of the marks off of your wifes drapes.

[bowenrd]

How about Snap Caps?

[Zymurgy50]

What caliber are you looking for? Cornstarch can be swaged under pressure to make a type of plastic bullet, I have played with this a few years ago, but never put a powder charge behind them (shot with primers only, indoors).

[mikeym1a]

Years ago, Speer released for sale plastic, reloadable practice .38 special cartridges. It was a plastic case, into which you put a primer, then put in the plastic wadcutter, and fired away. The cartridge, and the projectile were supposed to be re-useable. Don't know it this applies.............[smilie=1:

[BNE]

The Speer plastic bullets work well. The make them in .38, .45 and .44. Probably more, but I can't remember. If you are doing this with a .45, hot glue sticks just fit into a primed case. You can cut them off with razor. They are ~accurate within the space of your garage.

[retread]

I cast using paraffin wax from the grocery store (cast in your favorite mold). Use just primers and shoot in the shop. They will go through both sides of a cardboard box and them flatten against the plywood backer. Rainy time fun. If you enlarge the flash hole slightly (on dedicated brass) you'll get a little more umph!

[xfoxofshogo]

I use airsoft pellets be for

I melt them and press them in to a mold

[Lead Waster]

Well, I meant actually dummy bullets, no primers or powder. Mostly for practicing and function testing. For instance, checking my lever action rifle loading without using live rounds. Practicing loading my moon clipped 625 revolver.

I could use an actual lead bullet, but I wanted it particularly noticeably fake, hence the plastic bullet. I guess I could spray paint the lead bullet, but I thought that some sort of plastic/wax/wood filler, etc, would work.

Hmm, I just had a thought ... epoxy putty. It's not really sticky and veggie oil probably works to release them. Ah, or maybe playdoh or clay, but they might shrink too much.

The primer only practice rounds sound like fun, but I live in a city where a slingshot is, for the purposes of certain bylaws, considered a firearm, and discharging a firearm is illegal. If I can't launch a marble with a slingshot, the glue bullet sure isn't going to fly over well if the nieghbors complain.

[Bad Water Bill]

We have a STICKY for making GLOOLITS.

There are many pages on "POWDER COATING" boolits.

I also live in a big city. Years ago I built a 12" 3 sided box and hung 6 bath towel curtains in it. Have shot many Speer plastic bullets in 38-44 and 45s into the trap in the winter (everyone has all of their doors and windows closed). Never had even one neighbor ask what the noise was.

Go here for Speer

http://www.speer-bullets.com/products/components/plastic_training_bullets.aspx

Hope that helps

[youngda9]

Just use lead, do not prime the rounds, and mark them in a discernible manner. Why must we make everything so complicated?

Why another material "for safety"....what is unsafe about a dummy round withtout powder or primer?

[koehlerrk]

I've made a bunch of dummy rounds like what you're looking for. Here's my recipe:

Start with an odd case... can be an off-name range pickup, or a case with a bad primer pocket, anything but a cracked or broken case. I don't prime it at all, and I use a red sharpie to color the base. You could color the whole case if you want. Seat one bullet and you're good to go.

An alternative is punching out a small disc of leather and seating that in the primer pocket. I put a little rubber cement on it first. Then you have your very own snap-cap. Or, you can just go buy snap caps....

[dudel]

How about boolits with powder coat or epoxy paint?

[mold maker]

For function testing, the weight of lead makes a dif in the way it works. I'd just load dummy rounds, and color them all over with sharpie.

[gray wolf]

Just use lead, do not prime the rounds, and mark them in a discernible manner. Why must we make everything so complicated?

Why another material "for safety"....what is unsafe about a dummy round withtout powder or primer?
Why take something simple and complicate it ?
After all isn't that the Gubberments job

[deltaenterprizes]

I use the Blazer aluminum cases with lead boolits and the spray them with blood red Dykem layout dye.
That dye is thin and it is easy to tell it is a dummy round.

[Shiloh]

Years ago, Speer released for sale plastic, reloadable practice .38 special cartridges. It was a plastic case, into which you put a primer, then put in the plastic wadcutter, and fired away. The cartridge, and the projectile were supposed to be re-useable. Don't know it this applies.............[smilie=1:

They still do.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/315781/speer-plastic-bullets-38-caliber-357-to-358-diameter-box-of-50

Shiloh

[Bad Water Bill]

My box of plastic stuff reads

HERTERS
WASECA MN.

There is NO mistaking this for real ammo. Those plastic hulls used to look like new brass but over time they have oxidised like their owner. Yes they have turned to a green color.:bigsmyl2:

But it still works after many trips down the length of the basement.

The box of CCI primers that sits along side of them is STILL marked $3.99. When that brick is gone it will become lots more expensive to target practice in my basement.

[Cap'n Morgan]

OK, so now that I think about that, epoxy would be a very bad idea.

Epoxy will work just fine. If you are worried about the epoxy sticking to the mold, you can use dishwasher detergent as a release agent.