Soft coiled copper for bullet jackets??

[*MALICE*]

I've seen people post every now and then that they have had luck with making jackets from coiled soft copper. I know that typically you would use 'hard' copper tubing (sticks).

With the soft copper coiled tubing being so much softer, what is the trick to getting suitable results with it? From what I understand, the hard part is closing the end and drawing it when it's really soft.

If you had success with closing the end and drawing it, would you probably have to anneal it at that point or would it still be softer than hard copper tubing would be at that point?

thanks in advance

[BT Sniper]

I don't know but I do plan to try it all some day real soon I hope. I'll be paying attention. Yes there has be info posted and is out there. I would be interested to see just how cheaply we can find copper tubing.

BT

[elk hunter]

I made some bullets for the 45-70 out of soft 7/16" copper tubing years ago. The hardest part was getting it straightened out enough to use. I ended up rolling short pieces, about 6" long between two boards, that worked OK, but was slow. The biggest mistake I made was not annealing it before I made bullets out of it. They shot great, but would sometimes tear apart when I shot an elk with them. Some worked quite well, mushrooming and holding together. I tried using a short section of 3/8" tubing in the base to reinforce that part. That worked better, I didn't bond the core and it would almost always separate. I still have a few of those laying around to remind me of how little I knew about bullet making 30 some years ago, or for that matter today.

[MIBULLETS]

I have made some .358 bullets from 3/8" soft "L" water tubing, .030" thick. It works quite well. As others have stated it can be harder to get straight before cutting but I just unrolled a little cut some and unrolled more. I didn't have many issues. As for rolling the base over and flattening it, it was done with less effort than the hard pipe and no issues. I have made them without the annealing step and they are fine for shooting, but for hunting bullets I would not skip it. When annealed they may expand a little quicker than jackets made from hard pipe but not much.

If you are looking at using thiner walled tubing you may run into issues with it collapsing, but as long as your die and punch tolerances are tight you probably won't.

[jaguarxk120]

I have a box of original Barnes bullets in 338 they were made from copper tubing.

[deerslayer]

Plumbers trick for straightening soft copper. Hook one end to stationary object and other end to your truck on one end or both put a kink in it when you tie or hook it. Pull with truck and copper will break at kink or unhook if you pull to hard. You lose a foot or two on each end but it makes a fifty foot roll nice and straight real quick.

I forgot to mention you want to halfway unroll it first just unroll it the best you can.

After you straighten it before you try to move it to much cut into appropriate lengths for your storage capabilities and store straight.

Hope that helps

[Nose Dive]

Yep...DEERSLAYER is right...stretch it out a bit and it starts acting like stright pieces of tubing. PU Truck is abit strong. We unrool it...make a little loop on each end. Secure one end to a pole via rope and knots...then on other end, same rope and loop arranagment, but we just hooked it up to a 'puller' and stretched it out..that way,,you are incontrol of the tubing and you don't have to pull it in 1/2...As DEERSLAYER says...wack of the ends where the loops are and bingo...you got straight, good behaving tubing...simple tubing cutters do the job...

[Red River Rick]

The problem with "Dead Soft" coiled copper tubing is the fact that it will leave more copper fouling in your barrel as opposed to the "Half Hard" or "Rigid Tubing".

The "Half Hard" copper tubing hasn't been annealed after being drawn, so it's "Work" hardened to a degree. Being even slightly harder than the coiled tubing, sure makes a difference.

Same when seating your cores, the copper tubing jackets don't spring back, like gilding copper jackets do. So when ejecting the bullet from the die, you'll notice some drag.

Not that using soft copper tubing won't work, rigid copper just makes it easier.

RRR