e-bay $12 reamer for making .224 bullets

[Forrest r]

I found these tungsten reamers on e-bay for $12 + shipping that will easily make point forming dies for .224" bullets.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SOLID-CARBIDE-CHUCKING-REAMER-218-DIAMETER-W-118-DRILL-POINT-NEW-USA-12-00-/270170252043?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ee766e30b

I tried one of them out today and it was pretty impressive. There wasn't a whole lot to lap out of the point forming die after the tungsten reamer got done. A picture of the reamer and the single brass lap I used to make a point forming die for the .224 bullets today.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/reamer_zps43a85346.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/reamer_zps43a85346.jpg.html)

I made a jacket swaging die last year and last week I made a core mold and cast some cores. I wanted to swage 65g to 75g hp's without too much effort. So I swaged some jackets and measured how long they were and cast the cores to that length. The end result was a 69g/70g hp .224 bullet. I'm trying to avoid trimming the 22lr jackets and so far I haven't made a squirt die. I just simply turned 22lr cases into jackets and then seated the cores in them flush and then ran them up in the point forming die I made today.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/pile_zps9dddeb67.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/pile_zps9dddeb67.jpg.html)

A close-up of the 69g hp's next to a hornady 55g sp.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/close_zps06520dc6.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/close_zps06520dc6.jpg.html)

The new point forming die stills needs a final lap. I just wanted to try them out 1st to make sure they shot ok, not sure if I have to make any mods to the nose of the bullet.

The hp's are 2mm wide and fairly deep, 3/8" deep. A toothpick inserted into the hp's.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/hpt-pickin_zps9ede3811.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/hpt-pickin_zps9ede3811.jpg.html)

The same bullets with the toothpick removed.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/hpt-pickout_zpsaa788771.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/hpt-pickout_zpsaa788771.jpg.html)

Anyway, figured I give everyone a heads up. That $12 reamer saved me a bunch of time on the lapping end of making the point forming die.

[muzzleblastm38]

Wife just purchase une for me as a gift

[rolltide]

Could I get your wife to talk to my wife? :smile:

[perotter]

Thanks for the heads up. I ordered one.

[alfloyd]

I got 2 also. :)

Lafaun

[muzzleblastm38]

going today to shoot some of my homemade 223,58gr,hope i can do good target

[midnight]

Looks like everyone here bought one. The guy is sold out.

Bob

[Forrest r]

Darn, to bad!!!!

These things really work slick. They cut soooooooooo much smother than a d-bit reamer.

[pacomdiver]

darn, missed out

[wonderwolf]

How are you getting uniform HP's? also good job on the work, I still need to get around to making a new set of reamers and learn lapping so I can complete the projects I have on the front burner now.

[customcutter]

Great Job, I'd like to see a pic of the die, HP punch, and ejection punch.

[Forrest r]

It will monday or tuesday before I will be back to where the nose forming die is, I'll get some pictures out.

[muzzleblastm38]

Work great

[Forrest r]

Well, finely got back and took some pics of what I use to make the .224 bullets. It's nothing fancy but it works.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/223parts_zpse85dcd02.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/223parts_zpse85dcd02.jpg.html)

The red piece on the left was a scrap piece of steel from an old lawn tractor. The bolt is adjustable and the whole thing slips over the point forming die (black 7/8-14) that has the ejector rod (grade-5 bolt with 2mm piano wire in it) sitting in it. And the bottom of the red stop slips under the top strap of the rcbs press that I use to swage the .224 bullets.

Nothing fancy, lube the jacket with the core seated in it and run it up in the press. Lower the ram and give the ejector rod a couple taps with the small rubber mallet. That makes a psp bullet. To make a hp I'll run the already swaged psp bullet back in the point forming die a 2nd time. I'll leave the ejector rod with the 2mm wire in it in the point forming die this time. Start the bullet up into the die and then grab the red stop and hold it so that the bottom is under the top strap of the rcbs press and the adjustable bolt is lined up over the ejector grade-5 bolt/2mm wire combo. Then simply run the ram on the rcbs press up all the way. The red stop will not let the grade-5 bolt/2mm wire combo go up all the way and the hp is formed by the 2mm ejector wire.

To get the red stop free I just give it a tap with the rubber mallet and then tap the swaged hp bullet out of the die and pull the bullet off of the 2mm wire. It helps to use a little lube on the wire.

Like I said ,nothing fancy but it works and the bullets/hp's are repeatable. I wanted to make a set of 224 swaging dies for the experience & to feed my plinker.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/223contender_zpsfdd33fba.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/223contender_zpsfdd33fba.jpg.html)

[aiken]

Nice work and post

[LoopSoosStroop]

So you are making bullets out of .22 LR jackets in only two steps?

1. Derim .22 case
2. Insert core and run into point forming die

Are you annealing the cases?

[Forrest r]

Yes I anneal the cases.

And yes, I just insert the core and run it up into the point forming die. If I was to make a pure jacketed bullet (no lead tip showing) I'd seat the cores.

Since the last pic's I posted I hit the point forming die 1 last time with a final lap. While I was doing the lap I made a line/groove in the point forming die that will appear in the lead tip. That's the cut line to uniform the bullets.

Instead of using a core bleed die to uniform the cores and a core seating die (core seating die ='s to keep the lead core from spinning in the 22lr case). I'm using the point forming die for both operations. My thinking is:
The lead will be swaged enough to lock it to the jacket, the tell tale is the extra lead forms the lead nose.
Some people uniform their cores but there's a difference in the jackets. Putting a cut line in the nose of the bullet will uniform all the bullets to the same size, length, shape & the bullets weight within reason. The excessive lead is cut off of the nose, hence bleed die.

So I end up de-rimming the 22lr cases (unsorted).
Anneal them and clean them.
Throw a core in the processed 22lr cases and run it up in the nose forming die.
Set the mini chop saw stop and cut the noses on the dotted line.

In the limited testing I've done so far there was no key wholeing or egg shaped holes in the targets. The bullets stayed intact and actually put a pretty good smack on a 5-gallon buck full of water. Time to work up a load.

[customcutter]

Forrest r, that's an even better idea than I first thought. It certainly helps make the process a lot less labor intensive. Have you tried feeding them through a bolt gun, or AR platform?

[LoopSoosStroop]

Thanks for the feedback Forrest r.

Where can I find some plans to make a de-rimming die and point forming die like yours? I live in South Africa and would love to try and make some of these to feed my Mini-14.

[LoopSoosStroop]

Have you shot these yet Forrest r?

Keen to see some results.

[muzzleblastm38]

Made somme hpbt in 60gr and it groupe in 1 inch.good for cayote ,but am Going to

Separet by Weight because i dont swage the core.
And you removed auto corect on acer tablet?

[Forrest r]

Sorry I haven't responded sooner, was out of town working. Between work & the weather I haven't had time to do much testing with these bullets.

I'm only using them in the contender I pictured in a earlier post. I've only shot 50 bullets so far sighting the scope in on the contender & shooting some groups @ 50yds with it. All 50 holes were round in the target/backer.

Used old pull down powder 844 with 21.5g & 22.0g loads & it delivered 1" groups @ 50yds with those bullets in 12*/15mph weather with that pistol. Planned on working up a load when the weather breaks using a 8# keg of bl-c2 i have laying around.

I don't see any issues with the way I make these bullets/no core seating. Like I said in an earlier post, if I was making bullets that are lighter like most swagers are doing (no exposed lead noses). I'd seat the cores because I couldn't see what the lead is doing. With the swaged bullets I'm making I can see/set the nose forming die so that the excessive lead can and will form a cone in the 2mm ejector hole in the top of the nose forming die.

There's only so much room with any 22lr case/core combo. The excess has to go somewhere & if I make a bullet that doesn't have any bleedout, I toss it.