View Full Version : do you make your own bullets?
I been looking into it and not sure if I would want to for rifles but pistols would be do-able
I been looking into it and not sure if I would want to for rifles but pistols would be do-able
Yes I make my own bullets, cast them out of lead, size and lube them and send them down range.
What is it you are wanting to know?
maybe a diy manual I can get, I am new to this and was thinking about doing it been looking at a 1000.00 magma caster, maybe need to learn basics if it is worth doing
Did you guys ever see that system to swage spent cases into brass jacketed bullets? It was on ARFtard a few years back.
I forget who or what company was running this ponzi scheme...
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb201/trixiebud/40from9_zps595d77eb.jpg
As... Questionable as I find it, I know there's going to be some Sunday afternoon this summer when i would be bored enough to try that.
michael word
05-11-13, 11:28
Did you guys ever see that system to swage spent cases into brass jacketed bullets? It was on ARFtard a few years back.
I forget who or what company was running this ponzi scheme...
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb201/trixiebud/40from9_zps595d77eb.jpg
That is not old news, lots of reloading companies started by using .22 long rifle cases into varmint bullets. Worked very well, from what I hear.
That is not old news, lots of reloading companies started by using .22 long rifle cases into varmint bullets. Worked very well, from what I hear.
There were guys doing that on ARF too. bullets were piss poor for accuracy though.
If things continue as is, 2 years from now I might be interested in turning anything into primers. :lol:
I'd imagine they are still in business but years back CORBIN made a neat swager set up for turning spent .22 RF cases into reasonably accurate .224" bullets. They also sold lead wire, tubing, etc to make about ANYthing one wanted, caliber and weight wise.
Anyway a friend tried it and gave me a few hundred. They worked fine on our little pocket gophers in my .222 Rem. As I recall accuracy was about 90% of what I was getting from early 1970's Sierra and Speer .224" bullets.
Casting is pretty simply but doubt that I'd START with a magma machine right off.
I'd also suggest the CastBoolits forums. Good Luck.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?110213-From-Ingot-to-Target-A-Cast-Bullet-Guide-for-Handgunners
FN in MT
Maineshooter
05-11-13, 17:30
For casting bullets the castboolits forum is one of the best. Get a Lyman cast bullet manual - it has a lot of good information. I have heard the Lee manual is not bad but I have not personally used it.
m1a_scoutguy
05-11-13, 19:02
I been looking into it and not sure if I would want to for rifles but pistols would be do-able
maybe a diy manual I can get, I am new to this and was thinking about doing it been looking at a 1000.00 magma caster, maybe need to learn basics if it is worth doing
If ya have the $$$ and the place to do it,,you are jumping in with both feet for sure !! I have 2 buddies that have these machines and they cast a ton of bullets,,(really tons,,LOL ),,and they are top notch !!! Just remember,,the machine itself is $1K,,I think the dies "per" caliber are around $100 bucks,,plus molds !! Not trying to talk ya out of it,,but be ready to spend some coin,,LOL,,then ya need Lead/antimony,,etc !! Buying metal isn't very cost effective,,if ya can find wheel weights,,(getting scarce) your good,,scrap lead,,etc ! I would do some research on metal 1st,,see what ya can get free/cheap,,etc & then go from there !!! My buddies that do it,,clean out our indoor range a couple times a year,,,they just got about 1200 LBS of metal,,so they are good for a while,,but they still supplement with bought metal,,scrap & wheel wights !! Bottom line its a LOT of work,,but in the end,,its well worth it,,they sell a ton of bullets to feed there hobby,,but they also have more than enough to feed themselves !!! I have been buying 1K of any caliber (pistol) for $60 bucks for years from them & I love them !! Anyways,,keep us posted on what ya end up doing,,in the long run,,once you get the initial investment your gonna be good to go !!!
OkieOutlaw
05-11-13, 19:20
Currently the only calibers that I cast bullets for are the 44 mag/spc. and also for the 45 acp.
About 3 years ago I passed up a deal in a Washington Arms Collectors monthly flyer for a Corbin bullet swaging setup in 308 with an oven for making bonded bullets and related accessories and raw materials for about 1200-1400 bucks. Still kicking myself in the butt.
I'm still interested in the process. A friend has a set up in .224 and uses the 22 lr cases as jackets. He prefers the CCI Stinger cases since they are a tad bit longer and can make heavier bullets up to 62 or 69 grains.
The problem for me is the lead time for making the dies ect. Otherwise I'd probably already have one. My friend says the quality is there since you control all the QC. The problem is the time involved to put out 100 quality bullets and the cost of materials. You really don't save anything in the long run as with casting your own.
Corbin appears to be in business and I'd imagine in VERY high demand right now. The dies are rather pricey but it gets more tempting every day, especially if one thinks that perhaps this current crisis could get even worse. I'm kicking myself yet again for having passed on bullet molds when they were plentiful as now they're hard to find too.
Been cast my own bullets for years - for every caliber I shoot! Was looking into producing swagged bullets for my AR's but the cost was to much. I'm more then happy with my current cast loads for the AR's.:D
There a real nice 70gr cast bullet out right now I would love to try but they want almost $100 for the custom mold! And unfortunately the guys that have them now will not share- sell any!:rolleyes:
If ya have the $$$ and the place to do it,,you are jumping in with both feet for sure !! I have 2 buddies that have these machines and they cast a ton of bullets,,(really tons,,LOL ),,and they are top notch !!! Just remember,,the machine itself is $1K,,I think the dies "per" caliber are around $100 bucks,,plus molds !! Not trying to talk ya out of it,,but be ready to spend some coin,,LOL,,then ya need Lead/antimony,,etc !! Buying metal isn't very cost effective,,if ya can find wheel weights,,(getting scarce) your good,,scrap lead,,etc ! I would do some research on metal 1st,,see what ya can get free/cheap,,etc & then go from there !!! My buddies that do it,,clean out our indoor range a couple times a year,,,they just got about 1200 LBS of metal,,so they are good for a while,,but they still supplement with bought metal,,scrap & wheel wights !! Bottom line its a LOT of work,,but in the end,,its well worth it,,they sell a ton of bullets to feed there hobby,,but they also have more than enough to feed themselves !!! I have been buying 1K of any caliber (pistol) for $60 bucks for years from them & I love them !! Anyways,,keep us posted on what ya end up doing,,in the long run,,once you get the initial investment your gonna be good to go !!!
decided to order a magma now waiting for them to be in stock, again.
have been doing some reading and going to see the local junk yard about lead
m1a_scoutguy
05-12-13, 16:23
decided to order a magma now waiting for them to be in stock, again.
have been doing some reading and going to see the local junk yard about lead
Not a bad ideal !! My buddy that does all the casting & I went to a scrap yard last fall to turn in a bunch of brass rifle casings (berdan primed :() and a bunch of other scrap,,we made a haul,,got lots of $$$ !! :D:D Anyways,,my bud asked if they "sold" lead and they do,,so they sold him a bunch of chunks,,they were Lead with 7% Antimoney,,they are used to hold Medical "Radioactive" meds,,:eek:yea,,weird I know,,but the half life on the stuff is only hours,,so they are safe to own/hold/etc !! Each one was 20+LBS,,he got 10 or so I think !! For some reason he wouldn't sell the soft/pure lead,,don't know why. :confused: Anyways,,sounds like your going about it right,,,,get your lead/metal lined up first,,& get alot,,LOL,,then ya should be off to a good start !! Ya can always check here also,http://www.rotometals.com/ gonna cost ya,,but mite be a place to get started,,,look for deals/free shipping,,etc,,they have them at times !! Good luck and I'm sure ya know this ,do it in a well ventilated area,,etc,,my bud has a flex pipe over the top of the cast pot and has the blower/fan going out the window of his garage,,plus the garage is very open also !!! Its alot of work,,but once ya start making your own bullets,,you will never turn back,,even with the craze that's going on,,I got enough handgun bullets/ammo to last for years !!!!!! :D:D Keep us posted !!
Maineshooter
05-14-13, 21:40
I forgot to mention that members get good deals on lead on the castboolits forum. I have seen wheel weight lead (all clean and poured into ingots) for as little as a buck a pound delivered. At those prices it's hard to justify smelting down scrap lead.
Very doubtful if I ever will. I have 2 small kids and a wife who would lop my balls off if she found out. Not worth it.
I casted my own 9mm bullets for a little while. It was nice to be "almost" free of the pricing and availability restrictions on the market, but I decided that I liked having more free time. Casting definately eats up more of your day, and I'd say it took me 3-4x as long to produce ammo through casting than just buying my own bullets. Not to mention, my wife and I have our first baby on the way(a son), and I'd like to keep my garage free of lead as much as possible.
I have looked at it two or three times but it always came down to the dreaded bottom line. Of course the time involved to learn and do it right is not real minimal either. I know that the jackets are not easy to find at times.
I don't think I , personally, have the long term commitment to start in making bullets. I admire the guys that do but for me I guess I'll always look toward Berger or Sierra to fill 80% of my needs.
Greg
I swage my own custom 118gr 30 cal benchrest bullets. Imo the hardest part of swaging rifle bullets for accuracy is finding good jackets. I buy mine from sierra and they only do a few runs a years in the size that I need. I have steel dies and waited almost 2 years to get those. If I wasnt already heavily invested in swaging my own I would rather buy them from a custom bullet maker. Its a labor intesive process, moreso than reloading.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.