Cartridge case jacket accuracy tests

I have been experimenting with handgun bullets using cartridge cases. I find that there is so much weight variation in (even) same brand cases that I can't believe any accuracy potential is there. Have mostly been experimenting with 9mm cases swaged up to 10mm and .40S&W drawn down to 10mm. I've trimmed cases to +- .001 by both trimming the mouth or the rim or both to arrive at a length suitable for 165 grn bullets. Out of a batch of 50 (or so) cases I am getting a weight variation of over 6 grns. Haven't loaded or shot any as yet and am somewhat hesitant to waste time swaging bullets with so much variation. My interests lie in punching holes in paper - not in plinking cans or dirt clods. Anyone out there done any serious experimentation with cartridge brass jackets; if so what were the results? I'm using a PCC in 10 mm which is capable of 30 yard groups not much over an inch with gilding jackets of which I still have a modest supply.

Nip a speck off of the lead core to make up the difference. then go out and squeeze off a few rounds.

Cold and snowy here and not into wasting time which is why I ASKED a question; wasn't soliciting advice.

"Haven't loaded or shot any as yet", Wait till you shoot some, be sure and load some commercial bullets to shoot on the same day, then get back to us :) You will be supprised!

Yes there are those of us, many of us, here that have and are shooting 40 bullets from 9mm brass, variation in final weights doesn't matter as much as you think. Our data goes back 10 years here....

I have shot these from my EAA witness 40 S&W, 40-308 from a savage action, hi point 40 S&W carbine and a 40-300WM. All have shot excellent to incredible accuracy and I did not worry about +/- 6 grains of variation. Matter of fact shot a 1.75" group at 300 yards from the 40-308 with 225 grain bullets made from 9mm jackets. With the carbine I could get 10 rounds touching at 40yrds.

Got pics posted here and still stored in computer.

Heck I even shot IDPA with my pistol and 185 grain bullets made from 9mm brass, finished very well on accuracy.

Shoot them! Do not worry about weight differences, as long as you got a good die and use good technique they will shoot as well as commercial.

BT

https://i.imgur.com/v444Qw3l.jpg

10 rounds 40 yrds, hi point carbine, 185ish grain bullets made from 9mm brass!

50 yrds shooting at the dots on target with 225 grain bullets from 9mm shot from 40-308

https://i.imgur.com/h8KupGHl.jpg

300 yrds, 225 grains from 40-308, 2"outside to outside measured group, that's close to 1.6" center to center!

https://i.imgur.com/juDtxeyl.jpg

100 yrd group from 40-308

https://i.imgur.com/lFX6udGl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pw3Fx6gl.jpg

Recovered bullets

Rest of my pics would take a while to get but again we have been shooting both the 40 from 9mm and 44 from 40 S&W with excellent results.

Try it, or don't..... but many of us shoot these bullets with results that we are quite happy with.

Swage on!

BT

Or, sort cases by weight/headstamp. Then adjust core as needed. Surprisingly, even 8-10 gr difference between bullets makes very little difference on the target.

Mostly I use .40sw cases to make .44mag/ .444marlin rounds. Loaded with moderate doses of Red Dot.

I have learned to use my lee .444m sizing die as a size sorter. Anything that falls through gets set aside to be reloaded. Minor push goes into the .44mag pile, hard push go into the .45acp pile.

I mostly use .38/.357 cast boolits for cores. As I have molds for 125 gr, 158 gr, 200 gr. Lets me choose how heavy a bullet I want to shoot.

Geez Brian, you still shooting that 40-08?

Still pruning trees with the 40-300?

The Coast Guard uses our range for qualifications and I ended up with a lot of their FC 10 headstamped .40 S&W brass. It varies in weight something like 1 to 2 grains, so I use it for swaging .41 and .44 bullets.

I have no clue how Federal held that kind of consistency, but I'm taking full advantage of it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bohica2xo

Geez Brian, you still shooting that 40-08?

Still pruning trees with the 40-300?

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Not as much as I would like to, actually have dreams of shooting the 40-308 in benchrest for score :)

Haven't shot it since I turned the barrel down a little and had it nitride processed.

Good to hear from you B.

Swage on

BT

.458” made from 45ACP
Unweighed and unsorted brand brass all shot pretty much the same and I know there was +/- 10gr variance but in a heavy boolit, I can accept that.
I have not tried to get more precise in sorting brass and making more perfect boolits just because I’m using old reloading dies to make these rather than purpose made swaging dies which we know can make very consistent projectiles.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...BF220856AC.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...8EBB635D14.jpg