Rather unusual swaging question.

[Metrobluing]

I was recently asked by a friend of mine who knows I swage ,what are the possibilities of using some of his father’s ashes to make some projectiles with. He wants to take pops shooting one last time. I realize that this isn’t a normal request here. Any thoughts?

[rmatchell]

Maybe make a hbwc and then run into a point form die

[Hickory]

If it were me, I'd have reservations about it.

[Winger Ed.]

That is a bit odd.

Maybe you could put Pop inside a hollow point and epoxy him in there.

[rmatchell]

Honestly a shotgun would be the best option

[Metrobluing]

There are companies that do this for a living. I’m going to suggest he look into that first. I do however appreciate the suggestions. All would probably work.

[Dragonheart]

Try mixing the ash with powder coating I would think it would bond without a problem. Or depositing the ash into PC after it flows, do a partial cure and then a clear coat with full cure.

[jdfoxinc]

I have a small cannon. A good friend of mine was shot out of a muzzle loading shotgun, (multiple rounds).

[Gew]

Shotgun

[rcslotcar]

Honestly a shotgun would be the best option Just don't shoot into the wind.

[6bg6ga]

I think I would pass on trying to bond some of Dad's ashes in a bullet or bullet coating or whatever. If it were me I would simply take his ashes out to his favorite range and deposit them.

[bullet maker 57]

I'm have been asked to load shotgun shells with ashes. The person hasn't brought me the ashes as of yet.

[obssd1958]

When my brother passed away a few years ago, we had already planned a family gathering/hunting trip.
I loaded 3 cartridges for each of our hunting rifles (Mom's, mine, and two remaining brothers), that included about 5 grains of my brother's ashes. I reduced the powder charge for each to the recommended starting charge for the bullet that was being loaded - sorry, they weren't cast.
On the first afternoon at hunting camp, we gave my brother a 4 gun salute and send off.

[beshears]

Mix ashes with tannerite

[country gent]

Possibly mix the ashes into a pot or 2 of lead and cast with them into the cores or bullets. Weve dine this a couple times at the club using the ashes like buffer in a shotgun shell. Took a couple rounds of trap with the 4 shooters using them. A solid slug will be harder to get the ashes bonded into.

Most areas now have regulations concerning scattering human ashes remains.

[M.A.D]

Well it could be done in a Jacketed Rifle Projectile, Rather easy, but depends on how much you want in each projectile, I did some dried pigs blood cores in 308 projectiles for the PNP years ago.. They shot very well out to 500 meters .

[obssd1958]

Ashes won't "mix" into molten lead.
As with all of the other carbon based items we put in (as Flux), they will end up on the top as dross.

[rockrat]

Guess you could take a q-tip and run some ashes in the inside of the jacket, then seat the core and form the bullet. Or take a shorter core and seat it in the jacket, then in the empty space left, add some ashes , then form the point, to make a hollow point.

[akajun]

The easy button is speer shot capsules. Either load them exclusively with ashes, or fill them with shot and use the ashes to fill the space between the pellets like buffered shot loads.

[Dapaki]

Odd request, meet odd solution:

Under the spout of a bottom pour casting pot, use an air nozzle and blow molten lead droplets into a fire retardant box a few feet away to make "powdered" lead (really its tiny lead needles) and use that in combination with the ash to swage a core.

Use that core as you normally would in a jacket and load according to the finished weight.

I have made sintered bullets for some time using this method and made some 45-70 bullets with a family members ashes successfully. I had to play with the mix a bit but it did work at lower velocities.

[Metrobluing]

Odd request, meet odd solution:

Under the spout of a bottom pour casting pot, use an air nozzle and blow molten lead droplets into a fire retardant box a few feet away to make "powdered" lead (really its tiny lead needles) and use that in combination with the ash to swage a core.

Use that core as you normally would in a jacket and load according to the finished weight.

I have made sintered bullets for some time using this method and made some 45-70 bullets with a family members ashes successfully. I had to play with the mix a bit but it did work at lower velocities.

You certainly didn`t disappoint with that solution.

[Dapaki]

You certainly didn`t disappoint with that solution.

Glad to hear! Please let us know how it went?

[Huvius]

Well, that IS quite a solution!
I was about to suggest that the ashes be mixed or painted onto a clay pigeon (if he were a shotgunner)
Just two weeks ago I attended the funeral and cremation service for my dad's best friend.
I've never been to a service where you actually watch the decedent enter the crematory...
Luckily, he was a accomplished ceramics artist so integrating his ashes into some aspect of his work will be quite easy if the family so chooses.
His widow appropriately made a comment about his body being placed in a kiln...

[gwpercle]

Honestly a shotgun would be the best option

That's what I was thinking ...ashes might be used as shot buffer ?

[nccaster77]

I was recently asked by a friend of mine who knows I swage ,what are the possibilities of using some of his father’s ashes to make some projectiles with. He wants to take pops shooting one last time. I realize that this isn’t a normal request here. Any thoughts?

Sprinkle some ashes in the case or jacket prior to seating the core? 🤷🏼*♂️ Maybe? Possibly a new way to bond the core? idk The larger the projectile you swage the faster Dad gets down range. But......that’s a lot of swaging to do. RIP

[Metroxfi]

Easy, measure a small amount of ashes, pour them into the bottom of a jacket, then place a 1/3 weight jacket on top of the ashes and run into the core swage die. Think of the small core as a cork that will expand and hold it all in place. Depending on what weight of bullet you want and how much ash you want in each round you'll have to play around with it. Once you get a good deal with a small core you can always add a second core to round out the weight.

That's the best I can come up with, fully compressed and sealed inside a jacket. You could always mix it with a bit of melted wax or an oil so it doesn't puff out everywhere.

[Metroxfi]

Corbins website mentions using cornstarch in a similar manner. Put a measure of cornstarch into a core seat die (no bleed hole) and it compresses to a plastic like material. I don't know how ashes would act, try some wood ashes first.

[MUSTANG]

One could do this for .30's if they swage .30's and .224's. :

For each bullet you will need:

(2) 22LR cases that have been derimmed and annealed for .224 jackets. Each jacket weighs about 10 grains.
(2) cores for the .224's (say 40 grains each) I would swage each of the two cores into it's own jacket made from 22LR. (50 gr each)
(1) .308 jacket (commercial or fabricated from 5/16 copper tubing or ...) My jackets made from 5/16 copper tubing weigh ~ 70 grains.

In the .308 jacket I would insert (1) of the swaged 22LR jacket/cores. I would then place a volume of ashes about 50% of the length of a .224 jacket/core. I would then place the 2nd 22LR jacket/core on top of the ashes. I would then seat the entire column of jacket/core's and ashes using the .308 Core Swage die. This process will place the ashes near the center of the formed bullet. My thoughts are this will keep the bullet center of gravity near the same as a traditional all lead jacket. It also provides a lead core/jacket inside the .308 jacket that can have the nose formed.

Another option would be to put the ashes in the nose of the swaged .308 bullet on top of the lead core - where one has reduced the length of the lead core (and weight) so that there is sufficient empty space for the ashes - would have to adjust the volume of ashes so the nose can be formed over the encapsulated ashes at the top.