A lot of you guys don't get over to GD much and I really don't want this post lost again. So im cross posting this here, in the proper spot. And let me add. I DO NOT HAVE A 06 FFL so I cannot sell you ANY no matter how much you beg. I thought Id include that since my IM box blew up..
Repost starts here.................................


Hey all. Figure its about time to redo the old post I did many years ago. Where the images got lost into the bin bucket.

So what we are going to do is make a bullet out of a 22Lr case. You are thinking WOW Fat are you high? not at the moment but maybe soon. Ok lets get going and I have lots of pretty pic for the reading is for suckers!


Ok on the left we have a spent 22 case next is a cup (a case with the rim pressed out) followed by a 65 Gr lead tip and a 60 Gr FMJ



So to roll the rim out you need to use a punch and drawdown die.


Here is the brass going into the the die.


All the way in.


Ok next we need a chunk of lead. So we use a core cutter to shear off a piece thats with in 2 grains of the weight we want.


This is what it looks like out of the cutter.


So we weigh the core and the jacket, and we are close. But since im using a cup base on the final produce I need to shave a bit off and get the core compressed to a universal size.


So we break out the Core sizing die. its a shore die with 3 small ports around the outside of it to bleed off excess lead weight.


Close enough!


Ok next we insert the core into a jacket, both have been washed and dried to remove all swaging lube. light lube is applied to outside of jacket.


this is inserted into the core seating die its sized at .223 in dia. thats .001 under sized. Using a punch that sized to fill the inside completely it squishes the core in place.



here the core is fully seated.


Next we need to form the point, for that we use a point forming die. So we toss the bullet in open end first and press it into the forming die. I like using a cupped base it helps seal better then a flat bases round. To do that we use a cupped punch. Also we get poped out to our final dia of .224.


Here is the punch.


Ogive is starting to form!


Looks good, but the ejection pin is smashing the tip!


So we use a lead tip forming die to clean up the end.


the next few pics are the final thing.



and from start to finish!


and final weight.


At this point your are thinking HOLY SHIT FAT THATS THE NEATEST THING IVE EVER SEEN! How much is it to do this!

ok a 10 lb spool will give ya about 7000 cores. thats 35 bucks
22 cases are free

Here is the painful part. to do this with a reloading press its about $900. with what im using a swaging press and die set its about $2k
you are thinking holy crap I can buy a lot of bulk bullets for $2k and you are right. But where swaging shines you can make any weight of bullet and any design you can think of. the FMJ at the first is off the same die sets I just flipped it during the point forming stage.
final product is usually with in +-.2 grains of weight. and they shoot just as good as factory.

and if you are an owner of a range I take 22lr brass donations.

ETA! ok I forgot a step! After the cases get the crimp rolled out. they need to get cleaned and then thrown into the oven for a self clean cycle to anneal them. Other wise they will fold when point formed. And your wife will love you because the oven will be cleaned all the time!

so much want

I wish I had the time and the ability to do this.

I saw something similar to this but with .40 S&W being used to make 45ACP bullets...I will never look at a 22LR case the same again...Even if I don't have the gear.

Where to buy the lead wire?

And have you priced it lately?

I'll take 1000............
 

There was a fellow in Montana some years ago who did that.I believe the club sold him a few 5 gal buckets of fired .22 cases.

i get it from Corbin locally. Just checked it and its $45 a spool..

You can always make a core mold and cast your own cores too..

How accurate are these bullets?

Soon.  Very, very soon  My dies are being made now...

If you do your part and keep everything even. they shoot really good. Out of a 22-250 my bro in law has we were getting 5 rnd .30 ish size groups at 100 yards.

Also added a note in my first post, since my inbox exploded with can I get sums. I currently do not have a 06 FFL, which is what you need to sell bullets that you make. So NO I cannot sell you any, I cannot trade, ETC. Any of the above is breaking federal law and ITAR. Which I will not do.

So sorry guys..

Corbin or BTSniper?

How did you do the FMJ ones and what set-up do you have?

seat the core in the point forming die, flip and bump to start edge to roll then flip again and roll the base closed. they are really fast to make.

Corbin has all the set-up stuff don't they?
Last time I looked- they did- but that was a long time ago...........

Yup Daves got most of it in stock. If not its a long wait. hes talking a 1.5 year back log right now.

sooooo much work.

At this point I'm thinking HOLY SHIT FAT THATS THE NEATEST THING IVE EVER SEEN!

BT Sniper.

Exactly what I'm thinking!

If this works with a reloading press, why get a swage press?

It seems like you would need multiple stations set up (progressive press) to not go insane with the effort required to create a bullet.

Is the fouling from these worse/different than guilding metal jackets?

How long would it take to produce a 1000 of these? I

cool evil eds got the pics hosted on the arfserver, so Ill get to editing the post so they don't disappear again.

about 250 an hr is normal.

the brass has a tendency to burnish the barrel actually making it easier to clean. and fouling is on par with a copper jacketed bullet, maybe a bit less.

swaging press the tolerances are a bit more on and also the ram has a bushing to cut down slop. change over between steps is maybe 10 mins.

can you use copper tubing or something with a lower failure rate than the 22 lr cases?

so much epic fucking win

yup or jackets made from strip.

You say they shoot as good as factory production, the guy I know that swages his own does so because he can make better bullets than he can buy.  I am not sure what presses he uses or components

Wat about the .22 casings from Ramsets? They are crimped, would that be problematic?

I must be confused, again. Not the first or last time I've been or will be confused but this is the first time I've heard of needing an FFL for manufacturing bullets for re-sale

Regards,


dc.

Yep you do, have to pay the excise tax on it also.

Nevermind, checked Corbins website and he says you need an 06.

Better get my application off, its around here someplace and finger prints are done.

dc.


eta, bet my friend was talking about hanging onto an 01, 07 or 10 maybe. Who knows.

I hope he has that on ATF letter head. And If so Id love to see it. Everything Ive read, points to having to pull a 06 for swaged or cast bullet sales. As well as paying the ITAR fee.

Link and If he's got a document that would be great and save me some bucks..

OH! an 10 can make and sell.

I have a 01 for going on 22 years now and have to pull the 06 as well..

This. We may HAVE to if our elected officials get their way



 

250/hr seems like a pretty fast pace isnt it?

Fat, It's because of you I now pick up spent 22's at the range and I don't even have a swage press.....yet.

I want to see him make some from (pre 1982) pennies. Then you'll have something

Ok the 250 that I did for the xmas give away, including screwing around to get the dies just right. and 3 potty breaks and 2 wife intruptions was about 2.5 hrs. if you bust ass and have a core loader 250 in an hr is no prob. I usually measure my time in Archer episodes, while im working out there. It was about 5 of them IIRC.

I would like a system like this.  Who do you think has the best system to use in an RCBS and does anyone know approx wait times to get the system?

For a regular press..

go here

I had figured 200 an hour would be easy so fats at 250 is do-able, if you want to work that hard. Swaging lead alone on a Corbin press yields 400 an hour.

Regards,


dc.

I can imagine this blowing up in the future if they get something passed to make ammo prices sky rocket. Im going to start saving all the 22lr cases in case a cheap system ever gets put together

its been blowing up since 08. Die prices have doubled. Just think this is how RCBS and Speer started..

?  I"ve usually gotten that hard fouling 2/3 down the barrel that is a beast to clean, like Corbin talked about in "ReDiscovering Swaging."  Have you ever experienced this phenomenon?

I tried different makes of brass, cleaned the bullets prior to loading - a few things other than moly coating.  That was going to me my next step when I used to swage these bullets.  As much as factory bullets cost anymore, I might get back into it.

I havnet see any of that. After bullets are finished, Im tossing them in the tumbler with corncob media and a bit of liquid car wax. Gets them shiny, and a slick feeling to them. I hate to look like im pushing corbins stuff, but he has a sapphire polish thats also a bore cleaner. just use a little of it and it will strip ANY THING out of the bore easily. We use it for really bad barrels here at the shop.

what kind of speeds you pushing on them? Also what make is the barrel?

Also how Barnes was restarted, in a basement.

I'm planning on making my own dies on the lathe.  I've made Lee-style cast bullet sizing dies before, which in theory shouldn't be much different from the .22 derimming die.  I have some ideas for the core seating and point forming dies but I need to take pencil to paper and sketch it out.
 

start about .002 under sized then lap to final dia.

Look up AL Floyd on castboolits, he makes all but the point form.