Printed Bullets ?

[Johnch]

My Lady bought a AnyCubic 3D printer ( Not sure of the model )
I figured , maybe I need to buy her a spool of Filament

So I have some German plastic training ammo
It also has a almost completely plastic case
No plans on printing cases ... :mrgreen:
Yeat LOL

So I was thinking
Could I print some plinking bullets for the 300 Blackout and 308 Win ?
Maybe make it GC shank to protect the base

If I do it , what would be the proper filament to use ?

Anyone done it ?


Thanks
John

[rancher1913]

I have heard that you can get a metallic thread for some. I would be Leary of having the plastic melt in the barrel, but as long as you kept the fps down it might work.

[Johnch]

The German plastic "Training Ammo" is going 4500 FPS +
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUFIhwyf9_E

I use those rounds in my FAL
But I turn off the gas , Grenade setting

So I was hoping to be able to make some of my own plastic bullets
I am sure I will have to use a faster powder
But I am hoping to get 2000 FPS
I would have to do some research
But MAYBE Unique

John

[GregLaROCHE]

I have already commented that I thought printed bullets would be a good idea for “mouse fart” loads. The different plastic filaments have different melting temperatures. Gas checks may help, but maybe part of the object is to keep things as economical as possible.

I think if there was any residue left in the barrel, a couple of full charge lead loads will clean it out. If things turn out really bad, maybe a couple of jacketed bullets could be used.

If you try it, us know what happens. I for one will be ready interested.

PS: Make sure you keep your filament completely free from humidity when not being used, unless you live in a desert environment.

[MUSTANG]

For 10 or so years I had thought about experimenting with getting into Plastic Injection Molding to make "Ballistic Tips" for use in swaging .223, .308, and 50BMG bullets. Never got that "Round Tu-it". I played with swaging plastic balls in the nose of my swaged .223's made from 22LR and 17HMR brass. Was never thrilled with the results as the noses still remained some what rounded.

Maybe a 3D printer would work for that application. I guess another "Round Tu-it" put on the shelf to possibly be taken down during the winter.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Nylon would be a good filament to try, I'd think?

[HollowPoint]

I think a guy could get away with printing both the bullets and the cases of a specific cartridge and just make it a Primer-Firing-Only type of setup.

The bullets could be printed as one would expect but the case would have to be printed with the given outside dimensions of the chosen case while being solid with a central column left hollow for the hot primer gasses to flow through.

I might just try that. If I do try it I think I'll make the center-hollow large enough in diameter to slip a corresponding diameter brass or aluminum tube into it just to keep the hot primer gasses from quickly gumming up the works.

Well OK; I think I might have just come up with another 3D print project. I'll get on it after I finish up my airgun pellet molds and my 9mm bullet mold projects. They should be done in one or two weeks; depending on the weather.

Last week it was to hot and right now it's raining. I do my casting outside due to the fumes so I have to wait for things to fall into place in order to move forward with these projects.


HollowPoint

[bangerjim]

Why not just cast them with hot melt glue? I do it all the time. 3D printing would take forever! ( I have a printer and it is slower than molasses in January doing anything!)

HMG cast boolits rain out of your STANDARD molds just like lead.

There are many threads on here about HMG casting and making them. Do a search.

banger

[HollowPoint]

Why not just cast them with hot melt glue? I do it all the time. 3D printing would take forever! ( I have a printer and it is slower than molasses in January doing anything!)

HMG cast boolits rain out of your STANDARD molds just like lead.

There are many threads on here about HMG casting and making them. Do a search.

banger

You're right about the hot melt glue thing. I've actually done that. I cast some with my 22 caliber mold so I could shoot them out of my break barrel air gun; just to see if they'd shoot. They did shoot but there was no accuracy to speak of. In fact, those hot melt projectiles never made it to the target I had set up about twenty yards away.

I don't know if they disintegrated in flight or if there was such a lack in stabilization that they veered hopelessly away from where I was aiming. I had an even bigger backstop, in the form of a slump block fence behind my initial backstop and I detected no impacts so I'm thinking they just disintegrated. I do know that I chronographed those 22 caliber hot melt glue bullets and they were really moving. Over fifteen hundred feet per second. I was shooting them in my back yard and it sounded like I was shooting a 22 rimfire.

I was thinking of trying to print a 22 rimfire case and using small pistol primers underneath a 3D printed projectile. A 3D printed bullet might hold up better if shot out of a short barreled 22 caliber pistol. We shall see.

HollowPoint

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsUFQMThp-_/

[Daekar]

I will be very curious to hear about the results of this experiment. I imagine that it would be best to print them solid rather than with the usual 15% fill, and the charges will be light... even if you get them perfectly round (my printer has never managed that) and have a good bore fit, it's going to take a little bit of nothing to get them moving pretty fast.

Too bad they'd melt at PC temperatures!

[Bwana John]

How about making sabots or shot capsule?

[HollowPoint]

I will be very curious to hear about the results of this experiment. I imagine that it would be best to print them solid rather than with the usual 15% fill, and the charges will be light... even if you get them perfectly round (my printer has never managed that) and have a good bore fit, it's going to take a little bit of nothing to get them moving pretty fast.

Too bad they'd melt at PC temperatures!

I'm afraid I've inadvertently hijacked an otherwise very interesting original post so I'll stop after this reply.

I took some measurements of a 22 rimfire case that I'd initially thought I could use for such a project and I found that it was way to small of a diameter for me to be able to use a small pistol primer as my power source. I guess that means I'll have to print a 9mm case and bullet.

Incidentally I'll be printing them with a resin printer rather than a filament printer. I'll just have to make sure to use the correct types of resin for the cases and for the bullets. Resin printers tend to print with much better accuracy than filament printers; generally speaking.

HollowPoint.

[Mr_Sheesh]

With either FDM or Resin printers you'll have to compensate for shrinkage by calibrating your printer, of course :)