Cost and Productivity of producing .224 bullets at lowest cost

[dverna]

Would those of you who use . 22 LR cases to produce .224 jacketed bullets be willing to share real world data? The objective is to establish expected production with the lowest cost option....therefore using a standard press like the RC.

Time needed to cast cores and the number of cavities.
Time to clean and de-rim .22 cases.
Time to produce the bullet.
What dies you are using. No need to share cost of dies as I can do that.

Lastly, the average of five 5 shot groups or your best 10 shot group.

I am planning to purchase 12k bullets and wonder if making my own makes sense.

Thanks

[Sasquatch-1]

First, I don't do .22 cal bullets.

But swaging of any caliber is both expensive and very time consuming. I swage .44 using .40 S&W brass. I believe the steps are going to be similar except I do not have to de-rim.

1. I have to cut to the size I want. (Not 100% necessary but I like a soft point.
2. Anneal. I do this with a torch, so it is very time consuming.
3. I cast my cores using a rifle bullet mold. (You could use lead wire)
4. Form core cylinder
5. Seat core in brass
6. Point form
7. Clean finished bullets.
8. Finally load rounds.

Cost of equipment would greatly outweigh the cost of the purchased bullets. So, if you are looking at saving money, the answer to your last question is NO. If you are looking for a new hole to through money down, by all means, take up swaging.

[DAVE A]

I live in the UK and finding components is getting more and more difficult , because of this I am going to get back into swaging in the hope of being able to make an accurate bullet that I can make whenever I want and not have to rely on random stock supplies at ever increasing prices.
I enjoy swaging but if I could find and afford 12k suitable bullets I would buy them today.

[dverna]

I live in the UK and finding components is getting more and more difficult , because of this I am going to get back into swaging in the hope of being able to make an accurate bullet that I can make whenever I want and not have to rely on random stock supplies at ever increasing prices.
I enjoy swaging but if I could find and afford 12k suitable bullets I would buy them today.

Here is what I can get:

https://www.armorally.com/shop/hornady-22-caliber-55gr-spire-point/

12k 55 gr SP Hornady bullets for $1060.

I am 71. Added to what I have, it would be a lifetime supply.

Corbin offers a kit for $975 that uses .22 cases for the jackets. But that offers no savings.

[Red River Rick]

Save yourself the aggravation and buy the bullets.
By the time you factor all the steps involved in making your own bullets, plus the costs for tooling, the 12K bullets you intend on buying would be a deal. The time saved by not swaging will be better spent shooting the factory bullets.

[deltaenterprizes]

The press and dies will hold their value and possibly increase!
It will be a long time before you can if ever produce the quality of commercial bullets.
I did not sort cases or use a core squirt die for my 223 bullets and they are similar to FMJs in accuracy.
Sorting cases and uniform cores takes time, but you get out what you put in.
I bought my Corbin dies for $250 in 1992, I can double or triple my money!

[pertnear]

The press and dies will hold their value and possibly increase!
It will be a long time before you can if ever produce the quality of commercial bullets.
I did not sort cases or use a core squirt die for my 223 bullets and they are similar to FMJs in accuracy.
Sorting cases and uniform cores takes time, but you get out what you put in.
I bought my Corbin dies for $250 in 1992, I can double or triple my money!

++1 I agree with deltaenterprizes 100%

As to your questions about bullets from .22 hull production times & cost, it all depends on what process you adapt to swaging bullets. For instance, some boil the empty cases, others ultrasonic, others pin tumble & some do nothing. You can cast cores or use lead wire. Cutting lead wire is faster & easier than casting, but more expensive. Uniforming cores is time consuming & I've heard that some don't bother with that step even(?) Then as to accuracy, that's all a a matter of your Quality Control. You need to sort hulls, weigh cores, weigh bullets & check your finished product carefully bullet-by-bullet. You sort out the rejects to be just plinkers, but they still shoot surprisingly well. As others have said the dies/punches are an investment that hold their value. I do recommend that you buy a press specific for swaging.

IMHO, swaging .22 hulls into bullets is a great add-on/extension to your reloading hobby. For what you spend on setting up to swage you can probably buy a life-time of quality bullets instead. Where's the fun in that?

[gc45]

Red river Rick has it right. I used to make my own 22 bullets from 22 cases years ago but after about 2000 I quit, sold the dies and just bought bullets..These home made bullets did shoot well in several guns but just to much work for me but if having the time it is a good hobby.

Back when Bullet Seconds were available and cheap, I bought three boxes containing 5000 each of 40 grain Win spitzers, also 5000 once fired LC 223 cases that came in a white bucket and both turned out to be great for my varmint guns at the time. In the 90's I switched to shooting sub caliber rifles, mostly 17's but still have lots of those 223 cases and Win bullets..Glad I saved them too.

[dverna]

Thanks for the replies and opinions.

There is not enough reward for the work involved.

[MUSTANG]

Bought my Corbin .224 dies and press in the late 1980's. It was in storage for several years as I was deployed a lot at the time in the USMC. When I retired from my 1st career as a Marine; got it out and started making swaged .224 bullets. The Dies and Press had doubled in value.

Today; I project I have made at least 30,000 .224's of various weights using .22LR, 17HMR, and 22WMR brass. I could have bought bullets along the way - cost would have been higher currently a pound of lead can still be acquired for ~$1.00 if one is patient and shops well. That translates to 120 jacketed 60 Grain .224 bullets (actually more because of a 50 grain core weight) - or about 8.6 cents each. Just looked on MidSouth Shooters web site and a 62 grain .224 is about 15 cents each. So a little less than twice the cost of making them myself.

Question is if it's "Worth it"? In my experience:

Employed - my last employment was valued at $92.00 per hour by my Employer for Managing very complex and highly regulated programs. Available recreational time and salary/time analysis; it was not worth my spare time to make .224 bullets.

UnEmployed (Also called retired the 3d time) - my income was $0.00 for may labor. Ability to do something I enjoyed (and enjoy) made making the .224's very "Profitable". Particularly when with the 60 Grain .224's I made/make were shooting as well or slightly better than those I bought.

Is it worth it - all depends on where and when the question is asked in one's life.


Oh by the way. The Corbin Press and Dies - all still in great shape - have increase 600% in value since I bought them compared to buy-in a new replacement today.

You pays your money and makes your choice.

[dverna]

Good post Mustang.

I am 71. My son is woke. I have no one to leave my “junk” to.

When I was 20 years younger, I was too busy to even cast pistol bullets. I was buying 15-20k bullets a year.

But your point is valid. Different folks at different times in their lives have different circumstances.

Swagging is not for me, but others can learn from this thread. One size does not fit all.

[bigjake]

I do both! I make .223 bullets from lr casings and buy 1000's of hornady projectiles! Ha!

[dale2242]

When I was actively shooting sage rats, I was shooting thousands of rounds a year.
Bullet cost was the big factor.
I stumbled on a deal from a good friend that was selling out the estate of an avid shooter/reloader.
I bought 120# of 50 gr 22 caliber HPs made from 22 LR cases.
That pencils to over 15,000 JUNK YARD bullets as I called them.
I sorted them by visually looking for folded jackets and other imperfections and by weight.
I probably culled out 10% and sold them.
They were shot in a Ruger M77 223.
I was using a medium load of 4895.
They would hold MOA at 100 yds.
Nothing special but not far off what the rifle was capable of.
I had a lot of fun and cheap shooting with these bullets.
The bullets were very explosive on sage rats at approximately 3000 FPS
As an afterthought, these bullets seemed to be easier on a barrel than bullets with typical gilding metal jackets.
Would I spend the time and money to make them myself? No thanks.

[Brassmonkey]

Projects like these you don't wanna start just to save money, you have to want to do it and enjoy it, those savings rarely make up for the time & tooling required.

[Ajax111]

I started about two years ago because we could not find bullets. In the PNW you couldn't beg, borrow, or steal a .224 bullet.

I saw the WW2 swaging set up available on e-bay and decided to try it. It makes good bullets, but it is slow.
My club had plenty of 22rf cases in the scrap barrels. I bought a 5 gallon bucket full.

It's a lot cheaper to buy bullets. IF you can. But if you don't like the idea of being without because of others, then swaging is an option.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Good post Mustang.

I am 71. My son is woke. I have no one to leave my “junk” to.

When I was 20 years younger, I was too busy to even cast pistol bullets. I was buying 15-20k bullets a year.

But your point is valid. Different folks at different times in their lives have different circumstances.

Swagging is not for me, but others can learn from this thread. One size does not fit all.
I guess it's been discussed and decided, but I'd like to add, that since the 22LR shortage, FREE spent 22LR cases are not common anymore. Obviously the cases are still out there, but if your source thinks the cases have some value, you'll be paying for them. And just like anything else in swaging (and reloading) consistency is key, so it's best to use the same manufacturer for best results...try finding someone to sell you a flat rate box full of 22LR spent cases that have matching HS ;) You'll surely be paying more than scrap brass value.

[tiger762]

Let's cut to the chase. There is no way to make this a profitable work-from-home business :) The cost of extruded lead wire is $3/pound. Once RCE stopped making jackets, the prices are outrageous. The cost of finished bullets. So one could cast cores and use cartridge brass. Yep, and do 25-50 bullets an hour after it's all said and done. I bought all the 30cal and 45cal jackets I'll ever need from RCE in 2015, but I prefer to use cartridge brass where possible because I cannot replace the jackets I have. Yes, Center X Bullets. We all know of that. Premium price. No thank you.

[gc45]

For me it was just to time consuming and it ain't that profitable even for ones self. I could make many, many times more money working than making 224 bullets. It is a good hobby though for those who have time on their hands. Many of us older guys had this same discussion long ago, before computers came along. I still have a friend who spends cold winters in Montana making them saying, he has little to do when its cold. He then has plenty of bullets for summer gopher shooting so in his case it's worth it...

[BadgerShooter]

I never viewed swaging as a way to make cheap bullets. With top notch jackets like J4 and high quality lead wire, you can make excellent, high precision bullets tailored to your specific needs. They aren't cheap, but I got started in swaging for performance. When I started, there were virtually no low drag bullets available so I started making them for other competitive shooters for 600 and 1000 yard competition and long range hunting. Now there are lots of excellent (and not so great) low drag bullets to choose from. I still have a couple of designs I make for myself and a few other people, as well as swaging paper patch slugs for a few calibers but they are not cheap.

Home swaging will never be as fast or cheap as casting, but you have the opportunity to make bullets that can use far more potential of your weapons.

I think a lot of people try to compare casting and swaging, but that is a serious apples and oranges comparison. Swaging with good equipment, components and care can make high precision bullets that can use every bit of performance out of a bottle necked center fire rifle. Cast bullets can never compete in that realm. You can shoot them, but they are a compromise at best except for some straight walled rifle and pistol cartridges, where they work very well.

[BT Sniper]

A good question and certainly the right place to ask here from the OP. One that has been debated since ...... well a long time I'm sure.

I'll attempt to offer a bit of the pro swaging side without being bias :)

A lot of info buried here to answer all questions but might take a while to find. As for the accuracy of bullets made from 22lr brass, or any brass case for that matter, I have always been surprised at the accuracy I have obtained. We had a postal shoot many years ago where we all posted two 5 shot group sizes with these 22 cal bullets. Seems most were able to achieve 1/2MOA and some even better some not. I have shot many different caliber bullets made from various scrap brass into very small groups, I have posted many pics of these groups and will find a few to post here for those interested.

As for cost of swaging vs. buying commercial..... many have already posted but not many have mentioned how it felt to shoot their own vs. store bought, or knowing you will always be able to make more no matter the market. I find a lot of pride in shooting bullets I have made myself and I show these bullets to my friends every chance I can when I'm out shooting. The only caliber of commercial bullets/ammo I buy now is 22lr (when I can) and you know what!!!!!! I can shoot 223 rem 55 grain for 12 cents a pop (cost of primmer and powder @ pre 2020 prices). I know recently 22lr ammo was going for more then that and may still be?

Anyway.... swaging, like reloading your own ammo, is a hobby, if we wanted to save money at our shooting sport we would probably do neither, there are certainly worse things people spend their money on.

Making a lot of bullets from 22lr somewhat quickly is possible, anything is possible and I have said that many times, I have even posted my results in reducing the steps involved in turning 22lr brass into bullets. I think I cut the typical process in half and still achieved very good and accurate bullets, more on this in a moment. This thread reminds me of a saying, I think I may even have heard it here, I'm sure many of you have heard it.... actually I think it might have been an auto mechanic saying..... "if you want something cheap it won't be fast, and if you want something fast it won't be cheap." It applies to a lot of things in life I'm sure and it certainly applies to swaging bullets or reloading ammo.

If I wanted to make a lot of 22lr bullets from 22lr brass I know I could and this is what I would do. Let's use 12,000 bullets for the number. Keep in mind we are not making these to sell, we are making them to shoot ourself so we are going to make what works best for time allowed....... I can hear your thoughts...... "what about accuracy?" these bullets shot for me, very tight groups. In this instance I made 69 grain bullets and I'll tell you why 69 grains was chosen in a moment.

1. hook up pneumatic air to a press for the deriming step. I can easily do 600 cases an hour with zero fatigue but it requires an air compressor and ability to rig something up yourself or $$$$ to buy a set up. I figure I can do about 4 hours at a time in front of this machine, so about 5 sittings in front of this press. Should be able to nock it out in 4 or 5 days (less if your young). Hydrologics works even better but is a lot more money.

1a. start with cleaned 22lr brass, use RCBS case lube to derim then rise clean, rotary tumbler works best with stainless steel pins. Let clean brass jackets dry.

2. custom 11 cavity mold that drops cores at around 58 grains. In a two day weekend casting session one could easily cast ???????? 50-100 lbs of lead in this mold, 100 lbs of lead would be roughly 12,000 cores. Average weight variance should be able to maintain +/- 1.5 grains, possibly better, one shouldn't worry too much about exact core weights if they want to make a LOT of bullets in less time, we all know the 22lr brass can vary +/- a grain.

3. Skip the core bleed! Skip cleaning the cores. Skip annealing. Skip the cleaning and drying required after annealing! (Skipping these steps will cut out a LOT of time) Go straight to seating the core in the jacket. You should easily be able seat 600 cores an hour, that is only 10 per minute or one every six seconds So just like deriming figure atleast 5 four hour sessions to seat 12,000 cores

4. Form point of bullet. Again I use 600 strokes of the press per hour as an average so another 5 four hour seasons. This step should and will go even faster as you don't have to seat a core in the jacket, simply grab the jacket with seated core and push into die, done! When done with all bullets grab beach towel and pore a good number of jackets on to it, grab like a hammock and tumble bullets back and forth a few times to clean off excess lube. You are good to go!

[BT Sniper]

OK..... I can hear you say again.... "WHAT, YOU DON'T ANNEAL THE 22LR JACKET IN THIS PROCESS!"

Nope! The 22lr when used as a jacket is, as far as I know, is the thinnest jacket out there on a 22 cal bullet, so it doesn't require a lot of pressure to form into a bullet. What the annealing and softening the jacket dose do is allow use to form the 55 grain bullets without the nose of the bullet folding over on it's self. You see, the top of the jacket above the lighter 45 grain seated lead core is unsupported initially in the point forming step and if it is not annealed it will fold. BUT!!!!! when we seat a 58-59 grain lead core it nearly fills the entire jacket supporting it all the way to the tip. The jacket cannot fold in on it's self because the heavier lead core is preventing it. You do wind up with a lead tipped SP with a weight of 69 grains but who cares!! We made them quickly and results where perfect and they shoot very well for me.

For those of you that have seen what a 55 grain bullet made from this jacket will do to a sage rat at 3000fps.......... you should see what a soft lead tipped 69 grain bullet at the same FPS will do to them in this thin jacket. It is even better!

I posted all this info with pics a few years ago. I'll see if I can find it here and post a link.....


So..... Can one make enough bullets to recover the initial investment of the equipment, most definitely! Can one make bullets quickly and cheaply....... maybe..... refer back to previous saying in last post regarding fast vs cheap. Can one ever recover the hours of labor it takes to make your own vs. the money spent to buy commercial..... that depends on how much money you got vs. how much time you have and how expensive commercial bullets get. Can one turn a profit selling swaged bullets........Hum?????? depends on demand I guess. If current political factors continue on same course, one might be able to trade bullets for ...........!!!! We haven't even mentioned the bullets that are "really easy" to make yet expensive commercially. Priced a .500 cal 350 grain XTP bullet lately? $1 a piece! I can make them for the cost of a scrap 45 ACP case and a 255 grain 45 cal cast boolits! Or the 40 cal from 9mm, the 44 from 40s&w, and on and on and on :)

As it has been said above, swaging can be a challenge, an investment, and can take a lot of time vs buying commercial bullets, but some of us enjoy the challenge and satisfaction. Some of us chose not to invest in another AR-15 or March scope to go with the rest of the gun in the safe (I bet anyone that has ever got sticker shock at the cost of a set of swage dies as a gun in the safe that costs more), and instead invest in a set of swage dies.

Anyway..... let me see if I can find some pics and threads to back all this up :)

I say good shooting and swage on!

Anything is possible!

BT

[BT Sniper]

Don't miss the video link at bottom of thread!

Pic of the 69 grain bullet made from the process described above.......
https://i.imgur.com/rpi2wBal.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/W2uPARK.jpg

Got a target, maybe a pic here somewhere of these bullets with 5 shot group at or under 1/2MOA


Small pile of 53 grain bullets from 22lr brass....

https://i.imgur.com/nKodWDKl.jpg?1


Small pile of cores and mold......

https://i.imgur.com/YvSqMFTl.jpg



2 liter pop bottle full of derimed 22lr brass and what looks like a two or three gallon bag full. I figured about 3,000 jackets in the 2 liter bottle. Bottle is placed on top of die while you derim each case pases through die into bottle. When bottle is full replace cap to keep clean till ready to use. Simple!

https://i.imgur.com/PZ3XlNxl.jpg


Some of my groups, I got a lot more pics on the computer and scattered throughout the forums here. These are just what I could quickly find of bullets made from 22lr brass...

BTSimple dies 22 cal bullets

https://i.imgur.com/kx67Tc3l.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/Pae1TNjl.jpg?1




BTSniper premium dies 22 cal bullets. This 5 shot group was shot with max load of H335 @3500FPS in 12 twist barrel. A proof of accuracy group and FPS testing. Wouldn't be a load I would shoot all day in ground squirrel field but accurate none the less!

https://i.imgur.com/FA9nlCul.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/7Q87cm9l.jpg





20 cal bullet group at 200 yrds!

https://i.imgur.com/H7b8aqkl.jpg




22lr bullet accuracy threads and pics....

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?302886-bullets-from-22lr-accuracy&highlight=

post #142 for pics of targets in the first postal shoot thread with bullets from rim jackets...

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?173617-Swaged-bullet-postal-shoot-Everyone-welcome/page8


post number 180 with pics of targets from 2nd postal shoot with bullets made from rimmed cases

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?223779-2nd-annual-swaged-bullet-postal-shoot!-Everyone-welocme!/page9


Video of 22 cal bullets vs. sage rats. 55 grains at 3300FPS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50qH4CdSHQU&ab_channel=BTSniper1911

[dverna]

BT

Thanks for your posts on this thread. Very informative.

Making the 69 gr bullet becomes an attractive option as there are no "cheap" bullets in that weight range and it is an easier process. I am going to "put numbers to paper" later as I have to leave shortly for an appointment shortly.

[Ajax111]

I went out tonight and made a handful of bullets according to BT'S suggestions.
Lot faster than I normally take, and the bullets looks good.

[BT Sniper]

Cool! Glad I could be of help.

69 grains?

Post a pick if you can there Ajax of your bullets.


I only tried this technique at 69-70 grains, but it might work for a lighter bullet too. I know at a certain weight, maybe about 60-65 grains the lead tip is pretty small and may not be able to support the force of ejecting from the die without deforming the lead tip. I don't know at what weight the jacket will not be supported enough and fold in on itself either, I just know that 69 grains was good to go. I found that at 69 grains there was enough lead at the tip that it didn't deform. One could certainly use a slightly harder alloy lead (if they cast their cores) to allow the lead tip to support itself from ejection from the die. Or if one has a lead tip die of course.

I read a commit once that you don't want too much lead at the tip. It was mentioned the lead tip could possibly "droop" in flight? I don't know the validity or background of the one that mentioned it and I can't confirm this but ...... I know darn well that these 69 grain bullets I made where very accurate on paper at 125 yrds when I tested them and scored a LOT of hits on ground squirrels pout to 300 yrds and more.

I shoot these from a 12 twist 223rem with no problems in accuracy or stability. I thought the slower twist may have stability issues but nope! Certainly a 69 grain bullet should shoot well or better in a typical 9 twist.

There is one additional possible advantage, not just in saving time but possible increase in accuracy too. Since we didn't anneal these jackets they are all exactly the same hardness, as in uniform, all the same as they came from manufacture. It can be a challenge to get a perfect anneal of every single case unless you have a good oven and consistent technique. Skipping the anneal step may just eliminate a variable.

I do know that annealing jackets too much creates a lot of challenges. Long ago I cooked over 1,000 perfect 6mm jackets made from 22 mag brass that got too soft. I used open flame in a gutted BBQ grill and cooked them way too much. These jackets are way too soft and hard to make proper bullets with. It is my opinion after that, that a jacket is better to be a little on the hard side then soft. I now only use my gas cooking oven (set on self cleaning so it reaches 800 degrees) to anneal my jackets made from rim cases. I get very good results annealing this way now.

Swage on!

BT

[Ajax111]

Good morning BT,
Yes it was 69 gr. I normally make and shoot 62 gr.(1in7twist) If they are not annealed, I have roll over.
So, there might be a middle ground of 65 or 66 that would work.
About the picture, I'm just smart enough to pull a trigger. I have no clue about a camera :)

[BT Sniper]

No problem with a pic, I understand, me too. :) Just glad to hear it worked well for you. Skipping the annealing step alone can save a lot of time.

Swage on!

BT

[Ajax111]

I played with some lower weight bullets. 68gr is about as low as I can make this way.
The 69 looks better. I'm going to load a batch and try them.
Thank you for showing a faster way.
I'm really new at this, others may have better luck.

[sukivel]

BT,

Are you doing this entire process with just your BTsimple 3 die set?

I really like those 69 grainers…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[firefly1957]

Don Verna I am 65 years old and also in Northern Michigan I have a old set of swage dies of unknown make They are made to work in a Pacific press a newer reloading press needs the ram modified .
A few years ago I ran A test of 500 bullets I sent a guy to experiment with and if I did not count wasted time like time in the oven (650 degrees) or time cleaning I ended up with about an hour per hundred bullets . That included the time to form the .185" lead wire, cut the wire to size, Clean the cases after baking, and form the bullets . I bake the cases in a very hot toaster oven for an hour at 650* this softens them and ignites the unspent priming compound ,Believe it or not not all the priming ignites when the case fires. I do get some folded points they shoot well enough for my three guns and are heck on vermin.

Generally I have a three grain variance in weight just cutting the cores I have found it best to keep brass types separate and Federal cases seem to work the best. I do not know if you have looked closely but not all .22 rimfire cases are the same length . I have made bullets from 35 to 70 grains Experimenting with 40 grains accuracy seems to drop around 3500 f/s from a 1-12 twist barrel on the other hand the same bullets put in sabots shot very well when loaded over 4000 f/s in a 30-06.

[bigjake]

Can you use wheel weight lead for the cores? I have hundreds of lbs. it.

[firefly1957]

Can you use wheel weight lead for the cores? I have hundreds of lbs. it.

My first tests where with wheel weight alloy the bullets tended to fragment more then soft lead cores . They did shoot well and form well some say a hard lead can crack dies I have seen nothing like that I have even ran some copper wire in the die without an issue . There was not enough force to fully form the copper .

I also have Pacific dies made for forming half jacket pistol bullets that work fine with wheel weight alloy in .452" & .357". The 38 caliber nose forming die was damaged by a hard alloy . These dies do work well without the half jackets I often powder coat and bake the cores then swage then to size . I have found even a cast .30 caliber bullet can be swaged to .452" if the coating is applied properly.

[BT Sniper]

BT,

Are you doing this entire process with just your BTsimple 3 die set?

I really like those 69 grainers…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The BTSimple set of dies would certainly work in the process I described. They work on same principle anyway with no core swage. All one needs is a mold to drop cores at around 58-59 grains then no anneal is necessary no matter which set of dies one uses.

I was using my premium dies but the large meplat of the BTSimple dies would work even better to keep the lead tip from deforming.

BT

[BT Sniper]

Can you use wheel weight lead for the cores? I have hundreds of lbs. it.

Sure, in smaller calibers.

As a manufacture I recommend mixing 50-50 with pure and wheel weights but I have used straight wheel weight alloy in past with just as good accuracy. When it comes to making lead tipped bullets a harder alloy makes better lead tips anyways.

[Sasquatch-1]

My first tests where with wheel weight alloy the bullets tended to fragment more then soft lead cores . They did shoot well and form well some say a hard lead can crack dies I have seen nothing like that I have even ran some copper wire in the die without an issue . There was not enough force to fully form the copper .



I have broken a die while reforming a .357 diameter bullet from a semi wadcutter to a wadcutter using harder lead. That was about 10 years ago and the lesson cost me about $120.00. I can do it, but I don't try to do it in one stroke of the handle.

[firefly1957]

I have broken a die while reforming a .357 diameter bullet from a semi wadcutter to a wadcutter using harder lead. That was about 10 years ago and the lesson cost me about $120.00. I can do it, but I don't try to do it in one stroke of the handle.

You are not the first one I have seen say the same it is normally from improper heat treatment of the die they can be as brittle as glass in such a case.

[ETG]

Hello BT.
It’s been a long time since I have been on here. One thing about making your own bullies is you do not have to be at the mercy of supply or bans or anything else that makes the supply dry up. At least here, there is an endless supply of 22LR to pick up in the desert :-) Many years ago I posted how to make a lead wire extruded using a Harbor Freight 20 ton press. Squirting the lead out and slicing into cores is a heck of a lot faster and more accurate than casting them. I,m pretty sure Larry Blackmon isn’t selling his press and die kits anymore. It was about a year wait back in 06 and he said then he was getting out of the die business. One thing I have not read here velocity limits on the bullets. I have never seen the damage a bullet made from 22s will do at 3000 fps. That is because the ones I have made vaporize in a puff of smoke once you get much above 2700-2800 fps. I guess I didn’t use the right cases. You can go pretty fast with Blackmon dies and press. If you could lay your hands on a setup from him I would grab it. Hard to put a price on the satisfaction of making your own. The old saying I remember is: fast, cheap, quality - pick any two.

[Sasquatch-1]

You are not the first one I have seen say the same it is normally from improper heat treatment of the die they can be as brittle as glass in such a case.

The die cracked right at the bleed holes. I was using range scrap from an outdoor range and the lead was in the 18 to 22 bhn range. As soon as I started pulling the handle, I knew I made a mistake. Now when reforming I will pull the handle down in steps and release two to three times.

[Ajax111]

ETG,
Where would I find the thread on the wire making equipment?

[firefly1957]

ETG,
Where would I find the thread on the wire making equipment?

I looked though swaging and even did a search and came up blank here on castboolits a switch to search engine Start page gave me this result I am reply #8 this is my equipment :


I find cutting cores up to 5?16" works well above that they do not cut with constant weight!

Image would not post???

[Tyshania]

Hey mate there is a couple of threads,. I found this one the most helpful
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?73664-Wire-extruding-with-log-splitter!!/page2&highlight=lead%20wire

Also have a dig through it looking for a link to an old article In a gun mag,
Cheers
Chris