45 JRFB sniper bullet

[BT Sniper]

Well guys I finally spent a night working on one of my personal die sets and played around a bit with the 45 dies and the 40 S&W brass. What I came up with was a rebated flat based 45 cal bullet. It takes a lot of pressure to get the rim to expand to .450ish and I just did not feel like appling that much pressure multipal times so I started tinkering with the base punch. First I tried a boat tail but didn't like it then I started reaming it out a bit at a time a little deeper and wider with the idea that the rim of a standard 40 S&W would sit inside the base punch while the rest of the bullet swaged up to .451. This was a little tricky but I made it work. The walls of the base punch is about .012 thick and about .75 deep. The 40 S&W rim sits in the base punch and is in turn centered durning the core seating and bumping up to .450ish. It worked supprisly well.

What I have here is a 295 grain .451 jacketed rebated flat base sniper bullet or the 45 JRFB. The rim is .425, the baring surface of the bullet is .451 and with the cannalure grove applied it buldged the area just around the grove to .452. That should solve any of the issues as to which bullet to use .451 or .452.

So what do you guys think? Ideas on what will happen at the base of the bullet when it is pushed down the barrel? I can't imagine it much different then a standard BT in regard to forces applied to it from the expanding gases but we shall see I guess. Looks pretty good to me. I would shoot it if I had a 45. I'll have to make a new internial punch for the core seat die so I can make the bullet a bit lighter and get the jacket to the tip of the bullet. Anything less then 250 grains is still going to require triming of the case or another step of some sort to roll the tip of the bullet in on it's self.

Here they are next to a standard 40 S&W case. I used the CH dies with my stronger internial custom parts. It did take a bit of pressure to get these to bump up in size but without trying to bump the rim up it was a bit easier and less pressure.
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1030103.jpg

Here is the base punch with tooth pick.
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1030108.jpg

Here is the base punch with the standard 40 S&W placed inside. Can you believe I got this to work by reaming out that base punch chucked up in a drill press and a dremmil !!??
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1030106-1.jpg

Now to find some time to shoot or even make some bullets or someone with a gun that is hungry for a bullet like this. What pistol would shoot such a large 45?

Good shooting,

BT

[Southern Son]

They would go great in a .450 Marlin or 45/70.

[sagacious]

Looks good. I think the 45/70 would be happier with .458" jacketed bullets.
295grs and .451- .452" is perfectly fine for a Ruger-level 45Colt reload, or a 454.

[DukeInFlorida]

Brian, perhaps you should refrain from referring to these bullets as "sniper" bullets, and call them BT Swaged bullets. The public in general gets "nervous" with the term sniper being used these days in any other context than Military/ SWAT team activities. Most of us aren't that.

Just my opinion.

[rockrat]

They would work great in a 450Bushmaster in the AR platform.

[Intel6]

In .458 they woudl be great in my .458 SOCOM.

Neal in AZ

[BT Sniper]

I have felt the same way about referning to these as "sniper bullets" Have had a few referr to them as the original cartoon bullet. We'll come up with somthing. BT bullets I guess.

I will be in the works of making this exact bullet in .458 form very soon. If I can make it work you all will hear about it. Also going to try a .416 as well.

For the .451-452 bullet I will make these in a 260ish grain version as it looks like there is some load data for it. I'll have to trim some too and then it can be anything between 180 on up.

[nicholst55]

Anything up to 325 grains or a bit more should work out just fine in a .45 Colt revolver or carbine. You could shoot anything up to 400 grains or more in a .454 Casull.

[runfiverun]

with your hollow point and an oal of standard colt length they would be a very formidable levergun hunting round, especially with some core bonding.

[Sarg]

Ok ... I have been reading these forums for a while now but since getting into swaging recently I have to say that I love what your doing .... Awesome Job!!!

I shoot a .452 250g bullet out of my 450 Bushmaster. They group at 1.5" at 100 yards fairly easily .... this bullet looks like it would be a fine candidate. I also have a nice Rock Island 45 ACP that this could double with I bet.

Keep up the good work.

Sarg

[buck1]

:shock: Now to find some time to shoot or even make some bullets or someone with a gun that is hungry for a bullet like this. What pistol would shoot such a large 45?
8-)
That would be a full size ruger .45 lc
Just send me enugh to start low and work up to some good test loads to report on. We will see what they can do! If you like. Let me know and I can get some brass ready to load. :drinks: Buck

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have felt the same way about referning to these as "sniper bullets" Have had a few referr to them as the original cartoon bullet. We'll come up with somthing. BT bullets I guess.


I was out searching for WW lead and pure Lead yesterday.
I brought a handfull of "sniper bullets" to show the
tire shop/auto repair shop/junk yard managers.

To people how probably never seen anything like these,
I refer to them as Brass jacketed bullets made by cold swaging them in a press.
I think in our inner circle here, we can call them what we like.
but to newbies, there is no sense in confusing them.

btw, showing them the bullets, and "NOT" asking for free lead
was the way to go, I think I got more lead at what I think was a better
price, because these were being recycled into Ammunition
and not into cash for beer.
(I was actually turned away from two tire shops when I
asked for free lead, I never even got a chance to offer
to pay for it...I'll wait a year or so before I try those places again)

Oh, I also made a couple of connections
for Ammo customers, not that I would sell it, I might trade some though.
Jon

[Daywalker]

my problem around here, if you say what your making with the lead they say no sorry. I tell them that I am a hobbiest fishermen and make sinkers and jig's with them. They are more than friendly to give me wheel weights then....

[Sarg]

my problem around here, if you say what your making with the lead they say no sorry. I tell them that I am a hobbiest fishermen and make sinkers and jig's with them. They are more than friendly to give me wheel weights then....

They probably turn you away if you tell them you are making bullets because they don't want the liability. In these days of the crazy courts ... someone loads a bullet goes nutso shoots someone. That someone finds out the bullets were made with "Joe's Tire Shop" wheel weights and all the sudden Joe is drawn into the law suit for providing the material that injured the person.

Never figured how they get that way .... like the whole McDz thing.

Sarg

[Daywalker]

True very true....

[Grapeshot]

You're doing a great job. I have been making .45 bullets out of 9mm and .40 S&W Brass for the last 15 years. Mine shoot great out of my Colt Anaconda and New Service.

I've bee forced to shoot jacketed ammo since the range went lead free/encapsulated bullets only. As long as the ammo is TMJ, JSP or JHP and not traditional FMJ you can shoot it.

[BT Sniper]

Here is the latest work I have done on the 45 cals from 40 S&W brass.

THese were made from a customers complete set on a rockchucker with custom solid swaging ram, auto ejector, and my improved CH dies.

Left to right 250, 270 and 290 grian .451s from unaltered 40 S&W brass
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1030282.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/BTSniper/P1030283.jpg

Good shooting, Swage On!

BT

[buck1]

looking good!

[Got-R-Did]

Since I typically shoot 300 gr. Hornady XTP Mag bullets in my Freedom Arms .454, I would certainly like to try a sample for comparison. They look even better than the .44 cal bullets I got from you! Keep up the good work.
Got-R-Did