What's Your Favorite Method To Make Projectiles From Cases?

[arakboss]

How have you made projectiles from spent cases? What kind results have you had?

Here are some methods others have used.

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[DizzyJ]

Damn.

I just usually convert $$ into Bullets. It's a fairly easy conversion most of the time

 

[umrek]

I made a cutoff jig for someone back east that makes 9mm cases into bullet jackets. He was making SWC's with them.

9mm Cutoff Jig with Vacuum Chute

This was a custom request to make a cutoff jig that cuts 9mm brass down to around 0.55" safely. This cutoff jig with vacuum chute pairs with the Harbor Freight mini saw and a 1 1/4" dia ShopVac. Can b

rumble.com

 

[Nosferatu]

Interesting, but holy hell, you must have completed EVERY single other task conceivable in life to even consider taking this one on.

 

[No_Regerts]

I've thrown them at people. Does that make them a projectile?

 

[DizzyJ]

I've thrown them at people. Does that make them a projectile?

Damned straight!

Projectile - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Member 66298]

Around 10 years ago I made 357 mag bullets from .380 auto brass just for fun. I used an old set of CH swage dies and a lee push through sizer. I only made a handful. It was time consuming and they had mediocre performance at best. I have not made any since, but it was a fun project.

 

[EHJ]

I came for foundry, casting and lathe tips...

But this looks too busy...

 

[ditchtiger]

When shooting a CETME the spent case is a secondary projectile. I saw one fellow bust his windshield from the empties hitting it. Another time I was shooting in a wooded area and I wanted to save my brass so a friend held up a 5 gallon bucket to catch the empties as they came out. He started screaming! " stop, stop stop" The cases cracked the bucket and were going through the bottom of the bucket.
Funniest thing I've read of the CETME is that it throws brass like a monkey flings poo.

 

[arakboss]

I was reading up on using pistol bullets as 410 slugs in smoothbore shotgun. A number of reloaders indicated they got pretty good accuracy with hollow base wad cutters. The hbwc projectiles have a similiar weight distribution as 410 slugs. The suggestion is that the projectile acts like a birdie. They used 38cal hbwc in 148gr weight tucked inside a wad.

I was thinking that a 40 S&W case could be stuffed with a 40cal projectile seated to the bottom of the case. Then run the case through a 410 lee sizer. That would give you a pretty healty weight slug that would have that nose heavy weight distribution desired for slugs. The only thing I would need to buy is a Lee 410 sizing bushing.

Breech Lock Bullet Sizer And Punch Kit 0.410 Inch Diameter

Breech Lock Bullet Sizer And Punch Kit 0.410 Inch Diameter by LEE PRECISION Product Overview: Lee Breech Lock Bullet Sizer & Punch sizes cast bullets while also seating and crimping gas checks. Fits any Breech Lock enabled reloading press. For cast bullets, you generally want to...

www.midsouthshooterssupply.com

 

[RX-79G]

Amateurs! Paper patching is where it's at.

 

[RVTECH]

Interesting, but holy hell, you must have completed EVERY single other task conceivable in life to even consider taking this one on.

I agree and there is a much easier method - just cast your own bullets.

Even starting from scratch it is easier than this.

Also I can't even fathom the idea of sending brass cases down any barrel of mine as a 'jacket'.

 

[gmerkt]

Both Speer and Hornady in early years made .22 Hornet and .222 Rem bullets using fired .22 LR cases as jacket material. I've bought some home-made bullets of this type at a gun show years ago. So substitute materials can be used, you're only limited by your imagination and the laws of physics.

In years gone by, more people created their own bullets from scratch. I think the old CH company (in Wisc.) was the main provider of materials and equipment. These days, I think Corbin (down Oregon way) is the place to go for such things but you don't enter into that world with the thought of saving money.

Okay, re. firing .410 solid projectiles through a .410 bore shotgun raises the issue of choke diameter. Most inexpensive .410 shotguns I've seen come with a full choke, which is a restriction of +/-.398 in. You wouldn't want to fire a .410 brass projectile through that.

Other .410 bore choke sizes +/-:
Cylinder bore .410
Skeet .404
Imp. cyl. .406
Modified .402

I've never personally seen a Cylinder Bore .410 but no doubt they exist.

The reason you can safely fire lead Foster slugs through a choked .410 bore is because the lead slug is grooved; the grooves compress going through the choke.

Down through the years, bullet swaging supplies and tools have come into my hands. But I always wound up moving them along to another, more ambitious reloader.

 

[arakboss]

Both Speer and Hornady in early years made .22 Hornet and .222 Rem bullets using fired .22 LR cases as jacket material. I've bought some home-made bullets of this type at a gun show years ago. So substitute materials can be used, you're only limited by your imagination and the laws of physics.

In years gone by, more people created their own bullets from scratch. I think the old CH company (in Wisc.) was the main provider of materials and equipment. These days, I think Corbin (down Oregon way) is the place to go for such things but you don't enter into that world with the thought of saving money.

Okay, re. firing .410 solid projectiles through a .410 bore shotgun raises the issue of choke diameter. Most inexpensive .410 shotguns I've seen come with a full choke, which is a restriction of +/-.398 in. You wouldn't want to fire a .410 brass projectile through that.

Other .410 bore choke sizes +/-:
Cylinder bore .410
Skeet .404
Imp. cyl. .406
Modified .402

I've never personally seen a Cylinder Bore .410 but no doubt they exist.

The reason you can safely fire lead Foster slugs through a choked .410 bore is because the lead slug is grooved; the grooves compress going through the choke.

Down through the years, bullet swaging supplies and tools have come into my hands. But I always wound up moving them along to another, more ambitious reloader.

I am going to drill out or cut the choke restriction off the barrel. So I should be left with a .410 hole at the muzzle.

 

[arakboss]

I agree and there is a much easier method - just cast your own bullets.

Even starting from scratch it is easier than this.

Also I can't even fathom the idea of sending brass cases down any barrel of mine as a 'jacket'.

The brass should be softer than the barrel steel. If you priced heavy 410 slugs lately, you might be more likely to appreciate the process I am suggesting. It's possible stuffing the bullet in the case and sizing the case could be done in one step with the Lee sizer bushing. The bullet will likely slide into the case easier than the case will slide through the sizer bushing. If a 40 punch was used with the 410 sizer bushing, it would likely push the bullet into the case before the case was forced through the sizer bushing. The 40 cases measure about .424 in diameter, so they will need to be squeezed down about .014. I am not sure how much force that would require but hopefully it could be done in one sizing step.

As an alternative a 9mm case could be used in the same way without sizing if it was placed in a wad. That would result in a lighter projectile but heavier than a commercial 410 slug and it would eliminate concerns about brass wear on barrel steel.

Thug Slug .410 127-grain (25/pak) - ballisticproducts.com

x

www.ballisticproducts.com

 

[RVTECH]

It's possible stuffing the bullet in the case and sizing the case could be done in one step with the Lee sizer bushing.

How about this ? Size the case first and then pour molten lead into the case ?
It seems this would result in a more uniform projectile overall than messing with 'stuffing' a cast bullet into it.

 

[arakboss]

How about this ? Size the case first and then pour molten lead into the case ?
It seems this would result in a more uniform projectile overall than messing with 'stuffing' a cast bullet into it.

It would produce better results but I have an aversion to firing up my melting pot which is why I tend to shy away from casting my own bullets.

 

[red442joe]

I've thrown them at people. Does that make them a projectile?

Only if you use 230 grain 45ACP.....otherwise it's just stripper glitter.

Joe

 

[gmerkt]

The 40 cases measure about .424 in diameter, so they will need to be squeezed down about .014. I am not sure how much force that would require but hopefully it could be done in one sizing step.

Use lots of lube. When .330 bullets were scarce, I've resized .338's in one pass without much strain.

Also I can't even fathom the idea of sending brass cases down any barrel of mine as a 'jacket'.

There are many bullets made with brass jackets. In fact, think of the many that are made with steel jackets. I think here the issue is thickness. Traditional jacketed bullet construction includes a soft lead core. So the jacket material is thin and compresses fairly easily. The thickness of the brass projectile that arakboss proposes would be much greater on the bearing surface.

Having said that, I've fired solid zinc bullets with no problems. Zinc of course is harder than copper or brass (alloy of copper and zinc). Zinc is lighter than copper or brass, has to be cast heavier (meaning longer to gain weight). But they hit like a hammer with minimal distortion. I didn't cast my own zinc; they were surplus sold by Mid South Shooters Supply from a discontinued ammo product. I had both 10mm auto and .41 Mag zinc bullets.

The brass should be softer than the barrel steel.

Yes, it is.

As an alternative a 9mm case could be used in the same way without sizing if it was placed in a wad.

Which is getting into the area of creating a sabot. Which works if done right. Those that are sold commercially use components that are designed for purpose. When I was loading Foster slugs for my 28 gauge, Ballistic Products sold the makings which was a wad, not sabot shells. They worked well enough at closer ranges, like 25 to 50 yards. And considering the sight system on shotguns.

Loading shotgun shells is a somewhat different science than centerfire. When it comes to creating loads using alternative payload materials, you get into a lot of tinkering. Because loading conventional shells with published loads involves specific formulae. The mechanics of loading shot shells involves different considerations to ensure success.

 

[gmerkt]

Re. when I was loading solid projectiles for 28 gauge, my last post, #19. Ballistic Products also sold round ball load materials for shotgun. I still have some of these that I loaded. My 28 is a tight Modified choke, I used a .535 round lead ball with no problem, When the lead ball left my 28 ga. bbl., it was like a .53 rifle. The wad was of special construction with no petals. They were surprisingly accurate at 25-50 yards. Using this means, it's possible to convert your shotgun to a musket.