Wax bullets as a practice method?

[CountryGent]

So, I finished an older (1968) book on handgun shooting entitled The Handbook of Handgunning: New Concepts in Pistol and Revolver Shooting, by Paul B. Weston. In said text, on more than one occasion, the author recommends the usage of wax bullets propelled by a primer as a training tool, and states that most sporting good stores carry them. In one section he even recommends practicing in front of a mirror and shooting said object with the aforementioned paraffin projectiles.

Out of curiosity, was this a common training tool back in that era? Anyone so use such methodology? Just wondering; thanks!

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[Alexx1401]

I had forgotten about those things until I read this. Seems like someone came out with some kind of hard plastic or such ammo for this a good while back. Easy to load in a primed shell with the same idea, indoor practice. I was interested for while but was warned that (at least back then) primers also had lead? So some were saying they were concerned about lead contamination in the home using these. Been a good long time now so can't remember what all was being said and I never got around to trying some. Of course now days with the price of primers?

 

[RVTECH]

Seems like someone came out with some kind of hard plastic or such ammo for this a good while back.

Speer plastic training bullets.

 

[ma96782]

An Official Journal Of The NRA | How to Make and Reload Wax Bullets

Wax bullets provide safe and inexpensive indoor target practice.

www.americanrifleman.org

Wax bullet - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Be careful with them.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Alexx1401]

Speer plastic training bullets.

Thanks, I could not remember who it was offering them. Still seems like it might be kind of fun to play with when primers are no longer like hens teeth.

 

[RVTECH]

Still seems like it might be kind of fun to play with when primers are no longer like hens teeth.

See my thread on them!

So While Kind Of Straightening Up My Reloading Desk today...

I discovered one piece of 9mm primed brass. Well, never having done it with 9mm I took a Speer plastic bullet and stuck it in, chambered it and went out to my shop and had a cardboard box with some empty heavy duty plastic protein canisters in it and moved about 25' away, took aim at a letter...

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[ilikegunspdx]

So, I finished an older (1968) book on handgun shooting entitled The Handbook of Handgunning: New Concepts in Pistol and Revolver Shooting, by Paul B. Weston. In said text, on more than one occasion, the author recommends the usage of wax bullets propelled by a primer as a training tool, and states that most sporting good stores carry them. In one section he even recommends practicing in front of a mirror and shooting said object with the aforementioned paraffin projectiles.

Out of curiosity, was this a common training tool back in that era? Anyone so use such methodology? Just wondering; thanks!

I remember seeing a mirror target where most of the mirror was covered by a silhouette and the gun hand area had a circle cut out. Can't remember it's purpose but I seem to recall it being part of a core training for police or? Seems like it was earlier than the 60's though. I'll see if I can find it.

Re wax bullets, will they cycle a semi auto? Not sure I see the benefit. If one users laser or dry fire practice there is no noise so u can do it on your house or wherever. If you use wax bullets it will have noise just like regular ammo so why not use regular ammo? Must be for lead dust or cost of lead or not having an adequate bullet trap?

 

[41mag]

I used to know a couple fast draw 6 gun guys that said they used to train with wax plugs driven by primers. Balloon targets @ 10' or so. Impressive times.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I remember seeing a mirror target where most of the mirror was covered by a silhouette and the gun hand area had a circle cut out. Can't remember it's purpose but I seem to recall it being part of a core training for police or? Seems like it was earlier than the 60's though. I'll see if I can find it.

Re wax bullets, will they cycle a semi auto? Not sure I see the benefit. If one users laser or dry fire practice there is no noise so u can do it on your house or wherever. If you use wax bullets it will have noise just like regular ammo so why not use regular ammo? Must be for lead dust or cost of lead or not having an adequate bullet trap?

Here is the image I had in my head. Not sure if the mirror training method was from this Jelly Bryce fellow or Mike Conti but I assume it was Bryce. No idea if it involved wax bullets or not.

 

[tinhorn]

I recall shooting primer-fired rubber bullets in the early 80s. Nowadays I user laser cartridges (.45 Colt) or just dryfire my .22.

 

[OldBroad44]

Cartridges where a wax or plastic bullet is powered by the primer only aren't going to have recoil. And presumably they don't cycle a semiautomatic action. And don't shoot to the same point of aim as real ammo. Anything they might accomplish can be done better now with laser devices, I would think.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I don't see much on the mirror training method. This 60's fbi film shows it at the 12:10 mark and it appears to be in reference to hip shooting DA revolvers and possibly loading and unloading. Dryfire only in the video fwiw.

Edit: from this article it appears Bryce used the mirror training for draw practice. Perhaps the wax on mirror is a way to practice hip shooting and to figure out where your shots hit (maybe on a moving target ie yourself in the mirror?). Just WAGS.

Delf A. 'Jelly' Bryce was possibly the fastest gunfighter ever

Law enforcement legend survived 19 gunfights and trained an entire generation to survive their own

www.police1.com

Funny I was looking for almost the same thing, timing my draw and figuring out where I hit with a laser "round" (but not "hip" or point shooting). The $30ish Itarget app you can have ur phone use anything as a target and it times your draw and shows you a picture of where you hit. Maybe it can be pointed at a mirror for a target. Seems like it should work. Have to try it someday.

 

[RVTECH]

Anything they might accomplish can be done better now with laser devices, I would think.

Lasers don't kill mice and small rodents but the Speer plastic bullets do!

BUT the herds of feral cats around my place take care of these so all I can do is bounce cans or shoot targets with them (which lasers can't do either).

 

[Capn Jack]

I had, for years, used the Speer plastic bullets and wax bullets in my, "Garage Shoot outs", but now the cost of primers has forced me into pellet and Air-Soft replicas for my garage training.

*Note: Firing primers without proper ventilation could prove harmful to your health.

 

[DirectDrive]

Cartridges where a wax or plastic bullet is powered by the primer only aren't going to have recoil. And presumably they don't cycle a semiautomatic action. And don't shoot to the same point of aim as real ammo. Anything they might accomplish can be done better now with laser devices, I would think.

I launched an ol' tomcat once with a Speer plastic bullet to the rump.
He went straight up about 3 feet and hit the ground going full throttle.
You can't do that with a laser.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

...You can't do that with a laser.

Ah, but could you use the laser to
lure them to their doom, that's the question...

FullSizeRender.mov

• ilikegunspdx
• May 30, 2022

FullSizeRender.mov

• ilikegunspdx
• May 30, 2022

...and the answer is "Nope, won't work" apparently.

 

[Capn Jack]

Racoons on the porch, Stray dogs crapping on your new lawn, the list is endless.
I even hit an early morning mocking bird in the head with a wax bullet out of my 45/70.
Broke its neck and I had a heck of a time getting it down before my mother saw it.

 

[CountryGent]

Here is the image I had in my head. Not sure if the mirror training method was from this Jelly Bryce fellow or Mike Conti but I assume it was Bryce. No idea if it involved wax bullets or not.

View attachment 1211086
View attachment 1211087

The picture above did appear in this book.



On the following page it says "In shooting wax bullets at a mirrored reflection, the results are scored by looking for the visual impact and wax smudge .... Clean off the wax smudges on the mirror with solvent and a rag."

 

[66PonyCar]

Primers are way too pricey these days to use this way!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

The picture above did appear in this book.

View attachment 1211109

On the following page it says "In shooting wax bullets at a mirrored reflection, the results are scored by looking for the visual impact and wax smudge .... Clean off the wax smudges on the mirror with solvent and a rag."

Ah that makes sense. Hip shooting before lasers. Good info!

Fwiw I keep a laser round in one gun most all the time at home just for fun to practice point shooting. Kind of fun and you can get pretty good at at (as long as you don't stop practicing cuz it takes a bit to re-learn if you do). Even laying down you can hit most anything pretty close without ever seeing the sites. Not sure I would want to try it in a stressful situation though. But it does help in sort of "intuitively" knowing where the gun is aiming (I think Rob Leatham would call it the natural point of aim). Fe when doing a fast draw and putting 2 fast shots on target.