Homebrewed Frangibles

[Dannix]

Any of you guys making your own frangibles?

I've only given swagging a cursory look so far as I'm still working on getting together a basic reloading setup, but I was contemplating earlier today whether compressed saw dust, talcum power, etc. could be used (with brass/copper FMJ).

What do ya think?

Thanks,
Dannix

[trevj]

Corn starch has been done, and one of the Corbins sells powdered tin, IIRC. Small birdshot has been tried, too.

I don't see the draw, myself, given the explosion I get from a thin jacketed hollow point or open tip bullet at reasonable velocities, on gophers.

I wonder if sugar would work.... :D


Cheers
Trev

[Dannix]

I'm interested for very close steel plate shooting.


I wonder if sugar would work.... :D
It might be a problem if it caramelizes upon firing. :D

[sagacious]

I have made frangible bullets using powdered lead as a core material. Works fine. Also, a powdered lead rear core and a PVC plastic front core to keep velocity high and ensure complete fragmentation. There are many options, you can tailor the design to the caliber you're using.

[Dannix]

Also, a powdered lead rear core and a PVC plastic front core to keep velocity high and ensure complete fragmentation. There are many options, you can tailor the design to the caliber you're using.
Cool. I would have thought the plastic tip would be prone to ricocheting back to the shooter, but apparently the lead powder stops that? You using some sort of pvc ball -- what's your PVC source?

[sagacious]

Cool. I would have thought the plastic tip would be prone to ricocheting back to the shooter, but apparently the lead powder stops that? You using some sort of pvc ball -- what's your PVC source?

The plastic is not a ricochet hazard. It gets smashed into tiny shreds upon contact with any hard surface. The 1/2 plastic core bullets I mentioned were designed to be used for various firearm drills on a 15-yard range with steel backstop. They fragment into dust.

The plastic half of the core can be almost anything that fits into the jacket. I have used plastic rod from TAP Plastics or my local hobby shop-- you just cut it into short sections, seat the lead core and then put in the plastic and point form (thus no extra steps needed). The tip will be flat or slightly rounded, but you don't need pointy bullets for close range target use anyway. The plastic air-soft balls work great for some calibers. I've even used hard rubber wire insulation (minus the wire)-- cut into short lengths and used as the front core. The hole in the center swages closed, and leaves a hard rubber point on the bullet. For some calibers I have used plastic discs (scrap) punched out of thick sheet by a local manufacturer. Stack a couple discs in the front of the jacket and point form, that's all there is to it.

If it's made of something that can be swaged, and it fits into a bullet jacket, and I can cut/measure it into uniform, consistent lengths to keep accuracy levels high, I've probably tried to use it as a core material. This is one of those areas where the main limiting factor is one's imagination and ingenuity.

Hope this helps, good luck! :drinks: