Frangible cores

[Ammosmith]

OK. I am working with my CSP-2 press making .224" *s bullets and I have a question. When making cores from lead shot do you experience a stiff extraction of the core? I am using the core swage die and bleeding off about 1-2grains of lead.

What are some of the core material you've used? I am using a soft lead alloy to cast cores and chilled #9 shot for frangible cores.

[deltaenterprizes]

Glaser blue bullets are made with #12 shot.

[sagacious]

I have used lead powder. You can buy it at golf stores for weighting clubs.

[Jim_Fleming]

I have a small quantity of lead dust, also... However I have a question for you Sagacious... If you don't mind?

How do you keep the dust together until you either swage it into a core, or seat the dust into a jacket as a core? I know it seems to be a stupid question, as far as I'm concerned, but it *IS* a serious question... I just can't figure out how to hold the dust together... ugh!

Mixing petroleum jelly into it seems as feasible as anything else, but doing that would seem to require dealing with a hullava mess... Plus the fact that weight of the P.J. has to be accounted for. Then if the ammo gets the slightest bit warm the dang stuff would be oozing out all over the place! UGH! :idea:



I have used lead powder. You can buy it at golf stores for weighting clubs.

[pathfinder]

I had the same question

[sagacious]

How do you keep the dust together until you either swage it into a core, or seat the dust into a jacket as a core?
Jim,
I weigh-out the lead powder (granules about the size of table salt) for the core and pour it into the jacket. All the powder may not fit at once, so you may have to tamp it down with a .190" steel rod or whatever fits into your jackets, and then pour in any remaining powder.

Then run the jacket+powder into the core-seating die. The lead powder will compress into what will look like a solid core. Point form as usual.

Hope this helps. If you have more questions, just ask! Good luck.

[Jim_Fleming]

Sagacious, it does help!

I was bustin' my dumb haid to figure out how to get the material in the jacket, without the dust spilling out.

Simple... You're tamping it down a bit! And to boot with weighing the dust there's no need for core swaging. Just frangible core seating... Interesting as all heck!

Thanks, Sir!

[Jim_Fleming]

Can you imagine...?

.22 RF Jackets are frangible as all get out in the first place... I've seen them blow up within 5-10 feet a rifle barrel more than once... Now add a powdered lead core...?

That should be even more explosive than the so-called Varmint Grenades...

Interesting, fo' sho'!

[sagacious]

Jim,
Yup, you got it! Since the 'core' can be easily pre-weighed accurately, no need for core swaging. Good luck.

[Jim_Fleming]

For that matter the normal variations in empty case/jacket weights can be compensated for! We both/all .22 RF jacket makers know that the cases vary, now with weighing the dust each and every bullet will in fact be capable of weighing the same so closely that it would be able to approach bench rest tolerances! (in weight, that is...)

I realize that variations in wall thickness, heat treatment, jacket length, and even the alloy itself, etc., very likely would rule out using the lead dust cored, brass jacketed, "Blue Pills" in anything but the crudest squirrel guns... lol! Kidding!



Jim,
Yup, you got it! Since the 'core' can be easily pre-weighed accurately, no need for core swaging. Good luck.