Copper jackets

[fatelk]

I bought a bunch of nice looking copper rifle bullet jackets from an estate, several calibers. I've half-heartedly considered swaging for years, but never got serious about it. I bought these on the off chance that it would be something I'd use some day, or resell if I decided not to.

After looking at some of the tooling required, and the cost, I see it's not something I'd be able to get into anytime in the foreseeable future. Is there much market for these jackets; any ideas on how to identify who made them? One box is labeled Hodgdon, but the other boxes aren't labeled.

[Sasquatch-1]

I would post some pictures of packaging and jackets and check their outer dimensions.

[475AR]

Yes there is a market for them, it would be hard to identify the manufacturer if not labeled on the container. But if you can measure them for diameter and length you can post them in the selling fourm. I am looking for any 30 caliber and 22 caliber jackets all the time.

[fatelk]

Thanks, I’ll get some photos after work tonight. As I recall there’s about 1k .223, 500 .243, 500 .270, and 2.5k .30 cal.

It looks like an interesting endeavor, but well out of my price range at this time.

[ReloaderFred]

Once listed in Swappin & Sellin, they will most likely sell fast. Sources for bullet jackets aren't as numerous as in the past.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[fatelk]

This isn't intended to be a sale thread, but I'll let you guys see what I have, then I have to try to figure out a fair price before listing them on the trader. I'm not fishing for offers, I just honestly don't know yet.

Fred, I'll be driving through your neck of the woods next month. I don't know if you remember, we met once to trade some dies for some brass. It's been a while; the baby in the car back then now has a car of her own. Crazy how fast the years go by.

1. 224 jackets.
About 1k by weight (I calculated 995 by dividing net weight by individual weight)
14.2gr each
Diameter .223", wall thickness .013", length .710"

2. 243 jackets
About 1k by weight (I calculated 990)
22.5gr each
Diameter .241", wall thickness .014", length .882"
Some of these have some discoloration

3. 270 jackets
About 480 pcs by weight
39.5-40gr each
Diameter .276", wall thickness .012"-.014" at the top (tapers), length 1.00"
These have an internal taper

4. 30 jackets
About 1,580 by weight
49gr each
Diameter .304", wall thickness .022"-.024", length 1.085"-1.090"

5. 30 jackets
About 970 by weight
41.7gr each
Diameter .304", wall thickness .011" at the top (tapers), 1.100" length
These jackets measure and weigh very consistent, seem to be higher quality. The thickness tapers thicker towards the base.

[ReloaderFred]

Wow, that's been a long time!

If you email Hodgdon and ask them how long ago they provided swaging jackets, you might get an answer. I gave JB Hodgdon some old stuff for their small museum several years ago at the SHOT Show and he emailed his thanks when he got back from the show. What I gave him was some plastic swaging jackets that had the Hodgdon name on them. He told me they used to have friends who would come up with ideas and ask them if they could sell the items for them. They used to do a lot of that back in the early years, and he laughed at the plastic swaging jackets. He said they quickly found out they melted when driven hard, so they dropped them from the line. He was happy to get the original box and a few of the jackets, and said he'd add them to his display.

Fred

PS: It's spring break, and the traffic on the Coast Highway reminds me that summer isn't far away.......

[fatelk]

I just posted them on Swapping and Selling. I really don't know how to price things like this, so I just looked at a couple places online and discounted a bit. I hope I'm not too far off base. If they sit there for more than a few days, I'll be open to offers. Please don't beat me up too bad if I'm way off base.

PS: It's spring break, and the traffic on the Coast Highway reminds me that summer isn't far away.......

I understand. It seems like after all this Covid stuff, everyone wants to get out there, even at the crazy high fuel prices. I'm very familiar with that coast highway, having driven it many, many times. I drove it twice a week for a couple years, long ago. I love the Florence area, beautiful country.

[Gew]

1964 is what i found for a year on plastic half jackets. I have a couple boxes of them.

[ReloaderFred]

1964 is what i found for a year on plastic half jackets. I have a couple boxes of them.

That was when JB Hodgdon said they had quite a few people come to them with ideas. They finally had to stop taking other people's "stuff" and selling it under their label and just concentrate on powders.