Fireforming

[CANADIAN BACON]

Iam in the process of building a bullet trap for fireforming brass.
It's filled with sand and has a removable plywood front. After I finish forming the brass I remove the sand and recover the lead.
I would prefer not to use lead but it,s a good way to use up left over bullets that are culled. I just give them a light coat of Liquid Alox.
Any way. Do you/all use something else like cream of wheat etc.?
What kind of plug do you use.?
THANKS:smile:

[DLCTEX]

I haven't done much fire forming in a long time, but I always used a fast powder and a filler, no bullet. For some shapes/calibers it took full loads to get complete fillout (sharp corners). Depending on the end use of the case, bench rest, hunting, accuracy testing, etc., complete fillout may not be necessary to achieve until end use does it. I've used everything from toilet paper to wax for fire forming, just plug the end to hold the powder in. Check for bore obstructions after firing, just to be sure.

[Kraschenbirn]

When I first began fireforming, I used COW as an over-powder filler topped by a compressed wad of toilet paper and it got the job done. As I went along though, I discovered that, most of the time, I could get the same results by firing the rough-formed case with a normal load.

In the winter, though...when I can't get to the range...I regularly fireform indoors, using CBs over just enough Herco or 2400 to get the job done. (My boolit trap has an angled 1/2" T-1 steel back-plate set in a 4"x4" frame and will handle full-house .44 Mag JBs.)

Bill

[runfiverun]

i use straight up full loads to fire form.
a neck do=nut to help keep the case aligned in the chamber helps.
if i have to really stretch brass like for my 7x57 icl i go to a lighter full load and use the boolit in the lands plus the neck do=nut to keep things tight.

[leadman]

I fireform with cream of wheat and a wax plug in the case mouth to keep it from spilling.

If I am at the range I have to fire downrange, but if in the desert I point the barrel straight up and the cases seem to form better.

[JeffinNZ]

Hornady are now making hydraulic forming dies.

[stubshaft]

COW with a toilet paper wad also. Point up and let her rip.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi and welcome to the forum. When fireforming it is often recommended to anneal first the necks to cut down the incidence of neck and shoulder splits. Without that some or none may occur. For powder usually a fast powder like Red Dot will work, but others have been used successfully. I have often used 7-10 grains. For plug I have used wadded up Kleenex or bathroom tissue tightly stuffed; its slower to pack it in than the Cream of Wheat and is a lot messier...but it gets the job done. With the COW you'll need some sort of plug to keep it from spilling out; wax or a wad of some sort will work. LLS

[largom]

C B Welcome aboard! Like you I use culled boolits. I seat them long to engage the lands and use a normal charge of powder. I also shoot at a target and you would be surprised at how well some of those "culled" boolits really shoot.

Larry