Hickory
02-24-2010, 09:41 AM
I first discovered swaged bullet back in 1979, when a guy I worked with gave me 100 to try.
After sighting in my rifle, I began to kill groundhogs that summer and they worked very well. I decided to get my own outfit. So, I began to save money. It was the type used for a reloading press. Our own mroliver77 has it now. After a year I came into possession of Corbin Might-Mite press and a set of dies, and everything needed to make .224 caliber bullets.
This is the procedure I use for making these bullets.
I start by first sorting the fired 22 rimfire cases by head stamp. After I get about 1200-1500 cases, I then wash the .22 cases in the sink for a good 20 minutes, swishing them around in hot soapy water. (No picture for this. You’ll have to create your own mental picture for some of this stuff.) This helps remove primer mix and grit from the fired .22 cases. I shake off the excess water and put them on a cookie sheet(s) and put them in the oven at 250 degrees for about 1― hrs. to dry. I use to put them in the oven and run them through the oven cleaning cycle to anneal them, but this creates a lot of problems. You want the shank of the bullet hard, or else it will collapse and wrinkle when the nose of the bullet is being formed.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock020.jpg
The next step is to remove the rim from the .22 rimfire case to make your “copper” jacket. I put a small dap of Corbin swaging lube on my finger and thumb and transfer it to the .22 case before running it into the jacket making die.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock010.jpg
Inspect the jacket when they come from the die to insure it is of good quality. Discard any that are not to your standards.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock009.jpg
The next step is to anneal the mouth of the jacket, and this area only. To get a uniform annealing, I place a brass rod with a hole drilled in the end in a hand drill and turn the jacket in front of the flame of a propane torch. I have found out that this method is best for annealing the jacket. Do it just long enough to see a change in the color of the brass and no more.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket011-1.jpg
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock001.jpg
After completing the “batch” I tumble them for several hours. If you feel this is unnecessary then skip this step.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket002.jpg
[While the jackets are in the tumbler I now take this opportunity to make the lead cores. Years ago I came into the possession of (4) 50lb spools of lead wire .178” in diameter. I cut the cores about 5 grs. over the finished core weight. For a 55 gr. Bullet you need a 45 gr. core, because the jacket produced from a .22 long rifle case weighs about 10 grs.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket007.jpg
Now that I have my 1200-1500 lead cores I run them through the core swaging die to produce uniform cores, both in size and weight.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket011.jpg
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket015.jpg
After sighting in my rifle, I began to kill groundhogs that summer and they worked very well. I decided to get my own outfit. So, I began to save money. It was the type used for a reloading press. Our own mroliver77 has it now. After a year I came into possession of Corbin Might-Mite press and a set of dies, and everything needed to make .224 caliber bullets.
This is the procedure I use for making these bullets.
I start by first sorting the fired 22 rimfire cases by head stamp. After I get about 1200-1500 cases, I then wash the .22 cases in the sink for a good 20 minutes, swishing them around in hot soapy water. (No picture for this. You’ll have to create your own mental picture for some of this stuff.) This helps remove primer mix and grit from the fired .22 cases. I shake off the excess water and put them on a cookie sheet(s) and put them in the oven at 250 degrees for about 1― hrs. to dry. I use to put them in the oven and run them through the oven cleaning cycle to anneal them, but this creates a lot of problems. You want the shank of the bullet hard, or else it will collapse and wrinkle when the nose of the bullet is being formed.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock020.jpg
The next step is to remove the rim from the .22 rimfire case to make your “copper” jacket. I put a small dap of Corbin swaging lube on my finger and thumb and transfer it to the .22 case before running it into the jacket making die.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock010.jpg
Inspect the jacket when they come from the die to insure it is of good quality. Discard any that are not to your standards.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock009.jpg
The next step is to anneal the mouth of the jacket, and this area only. To get a uniform annealing, I place a brass rod with a hole drilled in the end in a hand drill and turn the jacket in front of the flame of a propane torch. I have found out that this method is best for annealing the jacket. Do it just long enough to see a change in the color of the brass and no more.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket011-1.jpg
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/Bullets/Gunstock001.jpg
After completing the “batch” I tumble them for several hours. If you feel this is unnecessary then skip this step.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket002.jpg
[While the jackets are in the tumbler I now take this opportunity to make the lead cores. Years ago I came into the possession of (4) 50lb spools of lead wire .178” in diameter. I cut the cores about 5 grs. over the finished core weight. For a 55 gr. Bullet you need a 45 gr. core, because the jacket produced from a .22 long rifle case weighs about 10 grs.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket007.jpg
Now that I have my 1200-1500 lead cores I run them through the core swaging die to produce uniform cores, both in size and weight.
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket011.jpg
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/hickory_01/photobucket015.jpg