Brass / aluminum top punch

[Bazoo]

If I make a top punch from brass or aluminum, and make it such that it's just a 1/4" shaft with a fitted nose, would it be satisfactory? Where talking for normal pressures and not bumpin up bullets or sizing super hard. Would it end up mushrooming in the ram and getting stuck without having a collar to spread the pressure?

[NikA]

Brass should be hard enough. I think most grades of aluminum would be too soft and would deform over time.

[Walks]

I have several OLD Ohaus TP's that are aluminum.
Thousands of sized bullets without a problem.

[ReloaderFred]

I've got one made for my Star machines turned from brass that works well. I doubt you'll have any problems using brass. I can't speak to aluminum, though.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Bazoo]

That does help, thanks all.

[dimaprok]

NOE makes top punches from aluminum but I ended up damaging one because I forgot and used different nose bullet. It will work as intended but in general its too fragile, I would prefer steel or brass.

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[Mk42gunner]

Brass or bronze should work, don't know about aluminum. If it does swell and get stuck, it isn't that hard to remove the ram from a 450 or LAM to drill it out.

My most used top punch is just a one inch long ¼" steel rod. Granted, most of my boolits have a flat point, but it doesn't deform the round nose on my ACWW Lee 312-185 going from as cast .3127" to .311" while installing gas checks.

Robert

[1hole]

I have several nose punches made from aluminum bar stock because I have a lot of it but brass or steel would also work. Mine function great because the cups are custom molded to each bullet type. I've used both hot glue and epoxy putty to fill the cup in what was effectively a semi-wadcutter type cavity.

Whatever metal you work with, make the basic punch(s). Then coat both the punch and bullet nose you're working with in some type of release agent; I like to use hot candle wax. Fill the punch cavity with either hot glue or epoxy putty and press the bullet straight in. When the filler hardens, just pop the bullet out, clean the exterior of the punch and you'll have a perfect match that won't deform under pressure. And, if you ever want to reform it to something else, it's easy to pop the filler material out and start over.