Homemade pellets?

[jjsharpshooter]

Not sure if its been asked but, can pellets be cast at home, are molds available? I know pellets are reasonable in price but I like to be self sufficient especially in today's world.

[longbow]

Depends what size and type you want. Typical Diablo pellets are swaged and that can be done at home using soft lead. there is a guy in England that sells swaging kits. Only ones I have seen but then I don't look for that stuff.

Bigger balls or solid boolit of .22 cal and up can certainly be cast at home. In fact there is a group buy on for a .22 boolit for air guns but PCP's I believe.

Longbow

[MT Chambers]

Most of the existing molds or "catalogued" molds are dimensioned for PB bore sizes which usually are too big for airguns, ie: .225" for .22 pb vs. .219" for airgun, .258" for .25 pb vs .251" for .25 airgun, .310" for .30 cal. pb vs .301" for airgun .30......folks may want to contact Veral Smith of LBT as he may be able to help with the "odd" sizes.

[jjsharpshooter]

Ok thanks, have a 22 cal Webley Tomahawk, I will probably keep buying pellets, will just stock up and forget about it, thanks.

[bangerjim]

If you want shoot for free, use your spent primers in your air guns!

.177 = small primers

.22 = large primers

They fit nicely in the gun and I shoot them all the time. Relatively accurate at 50 feet.

Not sure what you are using your AG for, but these will take out pigeons well!

banger

[2wheelDuke]

If you want shoot for free, use your spent primers in your air guns!

.177 = small primers

.22 = large primers

They fit nicely in the gun and I shoot them all the time. Relatively accurate at 50 feet.

Not sure what you are using your AG for, but these will take out pigeons well!

banger

I tried this in my old Sheridan Silver Streak after I read about it. I dunno what I did wrong, but I couldn't get it loaded. I had to knock it back out with a cleaning rod.

[Finster101]

"If you want shoot for free, use your spent primers in your air guns!"

A loaded one or two every now and then is fun too. You need a hard target backer though.

[bangerjim]

"If you want shoot for free, use your spent primers in your air guns!"

A loaded one or two every now and then is fun too. You need a hard target backer though.

That is ONLY if you are trying to get a NEW primer to fire on impact. I am talking about using spent primers that I normally just throw in the garbage. If you are very lucky you can get a live new primer to go off if it hits a brick wall. But then you can have stuff flying back at you. Not a safe idea.

And a live primer will NOT go off if it hits a pigeon. It takes a lot of force in just the right way to even get a primer to fire. I've tired!

banger

[roysha]

I tried this in my old Sheridan Silver Streak after I read about it. I dunno what I did wrong, but I couldn't get it loaded. I had to knock it back out with a cleaning rod.
If I'm not mistaken the "old Sheridan Silver Streak" is .20 caliber, not .22, at least all the older Sheridans that I am aware of are .20 caliber.

[Finster101]

Jim, you will notice I said you need a hard target backer. It has been many years ago since I did any of this but I never had a problem. It's just a silly fun thing not a big deal. Besides, primers are too dang expensive now!

James

[2wheelDuke]

If I'm not mistaken the "old Sheridan Silver Streak" is .20 caliber, not .22, at least all the older Sheridans that I am aware of are .20 caliber.

The old ones were .20 caliber. Mine was newer, I bought it when I was in high school in about 1995. Mine is a .177 and it's fired thousands of pellets by now. I actually had to have my parents give me a ride and be there, since I wasn't 16 yet. This was back when Service Merchandise decided that even air guns were bad for their image, so they decided to mark them down 50%.

I tried this again with a Daisy .177 bb/pellet gun. It was tough to load the primer because it kept trying to turn sideways. Maybe that was the problem in the Sheridan.

The primers really blew through an old beer can. Sounded like they hit the driveway gravel and ricocheted on every shot.

[jjsharpshooter]

Might have to try primers, have a bunch of them in a container, thanks, John.

[Pakprotector]

umm...there is no such thing as a .177 or .22 Sheridan. lately they are just like the Benjamin 397 or 392...but those are Benjamins( same parent company: Crosman ). Sheridans are *ALL* 20 cal...which makes perfect sense that a 22 cal primer wouldn't fit
cheers,
Douglas

[Multigunner]

They used to sell gang molds for air gun pellets. Haven't seen these offered for many years. You could cast about a dozen or so pellets at a time.

[colt1960]

I think that being self sufficient is great but common sense plays a part in it also. By the time you buy a mold,lead and every thing you will need it may be a large cash lay out. Then you have to hope that they shoot well from your rifle. The best thing to do in my mind would be to buy pellets that shoot well in your rifle and stock up a few thousand rounds and store them in a ammo box till needed. The cost of a mold will most likely buy you a life time supply of pellets. Rick!

[camotes2]

was the silver streak a .20 cal 5mm? my friend has a .20, so we swage .22s down for it.
camotes2

[Coastie]

Just bought a Benjamin Marauder in .25 cal. It hasn't even made it to its new home yet, so I am a "new-guy" to an airgun. [I don't think that my old Red Ryder BB gun counts.] I bought the .25 in hope that I might be able to come up with some type of boolit that I might be able to cast. I was told that a #3 buck would work as a roundball in the Marauder, but I don't know if the "expert" that I got that information really know that or even if the roundball in the Marauder is a good idea. Any of you have a good handle on casting for airguns or if a roundball is a good idea in the Marauder?

[tacklebury]

RCBS makes a .251 diameter mold for .25 acp pistols. With some modification and a drill fixture you could likely cast them from pure lead and then run a bit into the base to lighten it slightly. It's a 50 gr. bullet, so if you removed about 20% the hollow base would help it to grab rifling and you'd probably have a pretty potent ammo. ;)

couldn't find a good picture but this is from RCBS website:
https://shop.rcbs.com/WebConnect/MainServlet?storeId=webconnect&catalogId=webconnect&langId=en_US&action=ProductDisplay&screenlabel=index&productId=3270&route=C12J059

[GhostHawk]

I have a variety of airguns including a pair of Sheridan's, the oldest one, mine is from 1977 and still shoots like gangbusters.

The only effective looking molds I've seen where by the guy in England, who was selling a mold and swaging tool.
Pricey though, have to go through a LOT of pellets to make up 70$ worth.

I have discovered by accident that some .22 pellets are small enough to chamber and fire accurately in the Sheridan with just a sharp rap on the bolt handle. But I mostly save that sort of thing for an "at need" affair. Much easier to just stock up on pellets, and I see now pellet prices are near double what they were only 3 months back.

I got 5 tins of 500, didn't pay over 8:50 for any of them now. Now the best price is over 12$ the average price is 15 and the top price is at 20$ a tin. Making mine the same as gold in the bank, and able to be shot at need.

For the price it really is hard to beat one of the little crossman 1322 pump up carbines. Basicly a pistol, that sometimes sells with a rifle stock (2 screws, quick and easy swap) I know even my wife has no problems putting 5 rounds inside a nickle at 20 feet and getting change back.

Quiet, but determined, they are for the price (under 100$) and ideal bug out gun.

[Garyshome]

Pellets are too cheap/available to bother with.

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Ghosthawk- info on the "guy" in England would be great.
I can cast a swage for most all the weapons in the house, one day it 'might' be nice to have the tools to make a .25 pellet- if it will shoot ok in the Marauder. Maybe I can talk Richard at RCE into a die set for but he would be nowhere close to $70, and it may take 3-4 die set up?? Something like is 500-600 bucks last I checked on the 223 anyway? Depending on what style nose was needed - and base too....

[GhostHawk]

http://nomad-pelletmaker.weebly.com/

There is the site.

From the research I've done he uses a mold, then a single step swaging process with a pin and a die to form the "skirt"

Yes I'd love to be able to create my own, but to get the double kit in .20 and .22 (I own airguns in both calibers) your looking at 175 GBP which I suspect will be well over 200$ investment.

That buys a LOT of pellets.

In fact after going down this road I ended up buying 2500 rounds of 5mm for the Sheridans and another 2k of .22 for the 1322's and my Chinese B3 springer.

I'd love to be able to do it at a pinch. But it is a bit harder than making say a gas check maker.

And if the brown smelly stuff ever did hit the rotating air mover badly enough I would indeed figure out a way to drill a hole into a block and punch out something close enough to use.

Hmmm wonder if Lee makes sizer's that small? Might be an easier method.

[mold maker]

Remember when 22LR was .69 box in stores everywhere, and gas was .19/gal.

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Thanks a ton!
pellets are cheap enough sure, I plan to buy up a small lot: 5-10K to rat hole , of the ones the gun likes BUT, it's just another tool in the arsenal.
I will check that out - I just shot the Maruader today for the 1st time - very cool! Cheaper than 22lr - and I am shooting in the back yard - can't do that ever with a PB!!

[MT Chambers]

I reported on some results with a .30 cal. mold from Accurate a while back, that is for use in my Daystate Wolverine, it is .301" and 80 grains, some said it couldn't be done. Accuracy was quite close to the JSB 51 gr. pellets. I finally have been able to get back to this and have been experimenting to "open" the mold up a bit to .302" and am using them "as cast", and accuracy has improved some and they are def. a usable option. Speeds are down to 750 fps from the pellet's 960 fps, accuracy is great but energy is only up about 5fpe, I have to get out and try to 100yds. and beyond. The cost of .30 cal. pellets is more of a factor then the smaller sizes so casting your own is a good option. Have fun!!

[rsterne]

I developed some rebated boattail airgun bullets, one of which is for the .300 cal FX and Wolverine barrels.... It has shown MOA accuracy from our .294" land .300 groove 26" twist airgun barrel from TJs.... They are 70 gr. and a mold is available from Accurate as # 30-070A.... Also available from Accurate is a .308 cal 79 gr. (#31-079A) and a .357 cal 124 gr. (#36-124A).... There is also a .25 cal 52 gr. mold available from LBT as # 25-52-BST.... intended for the 14" twist TJs .25 ACP barrel....

Bob

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Been wanting a .30 cal- making my own pellets would be just fine.....thanks guys. 'quiet' Airguns are fun to shoot in the back yard too....

[SSGOldfart]

Hmmm anybody got a.22cal mold for pallets?

[rondog]

Remember when 22LR was .69 box in stores everywhere, and gas was .19/gal.

Oh yeah, used to get .22's at the TG&Y store! And most every place else.

[Littleton Shot Maker]

post #22 nomad pellet maker .17-.20-.22-.25 cal.--not many wt. choice though-- single sided or double sided, not cheap, not in-expensive but how else can we do it?? I like being able to make my own projectiles- if I want - or need to. Since I have 25 and 22 springer- I like the single sided molds- not a fan of two sides, but you are only casting cores there anyway....

[Rio Grande]

I know an older gent who grew up in an eastern European communist country.
The people couldn't own firearms but could own airguns, and used them for small game.
One day the government banned pellet sales, so my friend made pellets to sell or trade.
He worked in a government machine shop, so he did a 'government job' and made punch dies.
He would melt lead and pour it in a pan to make flat sheets, then punch the cylindrical pellets out with a press, worked like a paper holer, just heavier precision punch dies.
Reportedly accurate.

[a.squibload]

I have a Blue Streak with the rocker safety.
Recently bought some 6mm Airsoft-style plastic BBs for use in powder coating.
Suppose they could be swaged to 5mm and shot in my airgun?
I assume they wouldn't carry far but might be OK for in the basement.