Forensic autopsy of boolit

[Dutchman]

You guys ever do this to see inside? Its very telling...

https://images34.fotki.com/v1690/photos/4/28344/9895637/bullet1-vi.jpg (https://public.fotki.com/dutchman/firearms/bullet1.html)

[john.k]

Void is caused by not keeping the sprue full ..........rest of the details,I just shoot em..........if they look bad enough ,back in the pot.

[M-Tecs]

Is that your pic? If it is how did you cut it?

It looks more like it was cast in half not cut?

[Barry54]

Is that your pic? If it is how did you cut it?

It looks more like it was cast in half not cut?

I was thinking the same thing. I suppose one could put a piece of aluminum foil between the mold halves, and cast a split boolit.

[Dusty Bannister]

A slip of paper fitted between the blocks in the area of the nose makes an interesting bullet. That is very old school. The deeper the slit, the worse the body will separate on impact.

[HWooldridge]

Also two different samples; not two halves of the same bullet.

Wire EDM doesn't leave much in the way of tool marks - wonder if that method was used?

[M-Tecs]

Also two different samples; not two halves of the same bullet.

Wire EDM doesn't leave much in the way of tool marks - wonder if that method was used?

The rounding on the edges indicates that it was not cut. Same for the surface finish.

My guess is it was cast with a divider or cast on its side with only half a mold.

[HWooldridge]

The rounded edges could have come from handling damage but I agree the lack of lay lines or other tool marks points to the divided mold theory.

[Dutchman]

Pretty sure I used a business card between the mold halves. Same bullet both halves.
Bottom pour Lee 20 lb pot.

Dutch

[charlie b]

I agree that those look cast as halves.

There is a specific method for cutting metals in order to look at grain boundaries. Cutting is only the first step. Then you need some grinding/polishing. Method depends on how hard the material is as well.

[405grain]

All those possible hidden internal defects are why it's a good idea to weight sort the bullets that are going to be used for important stuff like target shooting or hunting. For plinking and general shooting practice bullets with minor cosmetic or internal flaws are usually "good enough".

[M-Tecs]

It's also possible that having a cold divider between the mold halves can create issues that would not normally be there? Weight sorting finds problems without creating any.

[35 Rem]

It's also possible that having a cold divider between the mold halves can create issues that would not normally be there? Weight sorting finds problems without creating any.

That's what I was thinking too. You can't just put a piece of paper between the mold halves and read the results as if it were a true representation of a sectioned whole bullet.

My thinking on voids is to shoot your non-weight sorted bullets to see if you get an acceptable level of accuracy for your needs. If not, then sort by weight to eliminate voids. I've never sorted myself as my longest range cast bullet need is deer loads in lever action rifles where 175 yards is the very longest shot I would ever consider taking and most are around 100 yards. A simple visual inspection gives plenty of accuracy for that.

[Woodtroll]

I wouldn't think that inspecting a bullet divided by a piece of paper or tinfoil when cast would tell you much about a fully formed, properly cast bullet. The division and cold surface are going to cause venting and fill-out issues at best.

[country gent]

This type of testing can show a lot and it can hide also. Cutting in half shows only one plane of the bullet theres still two full haves where voids can be hiding, to do this at its best you need to take thin slices thru the bullet.

I sectioned a few pistol bullets to make a bullet board for a local shop. these were sectioned just over 1/2 thick to show the various hollow points and constructions. A clamp block was made and I could cut then sand polish down to size. I used a very fine hacksaw blade ground down to .010 thick. When done you could see the bullets section Jacket, and ridges or thinning, the hollow point, posts, and such.

There was a machine that tested this electrically with out cutting it would measure resistance from side to side and voids showed.

[popper]

'possible hidden internal defects' -- not. Only forensics I care about are of the 'target'. Original pics are surface flaws of the poured bullets. Internal flaws detected by weighing bullets? Proved impossible yrs ago Goodsteel vs Popper. Yes you can have internal voids, difficult though. Probably from impurities that outgass/bubble when poured.

[john.k]

If I want to cut bullets in half ,i shoot em 50yds offhand at an axe .....splits em neatly in half.