Copper swaging

[Bandmiller2]

Has anyone here tried swaging soft copper into small cal. bullets,.14,.17 est.?I think due to the small size a heavy toggle over reloading press would handle the job.Think of it, pieces of scrap copper wire into sub cal bullets.They may be a little slack on the expansion end of it but could be hollow pointed.Frank C.

[ray h]

Frank sometime back I saw that question asked on a metal working site.The guy worked in the field and did the math. It takes a LOT of pressure to form annealed copper into a bullet shape and then you'd have to drill out the nose to get some kind of expansion from them. Most of our reloading presses are "cast" iron or Al today so don't think they'd take that kind of pressure. I'm sure someone Varmint Al could do a stress analysis to show the force needed.

[trotterlg]

The area of a 14 cal is under .018 square inches so if your press can stand 500 pounds of load on the dies that makes about 27,000 psi on the copper in the die. I think it would probably end up any shape the die was. Larry

[trotterlg]

OK, I think I will make up a swaging die for a solid copper bullet, think I will go for a 10 cal because there are barrels out there and I have never seen any bullets. What diameter should a 10 cal bullet be when it is finished in a solid? Larry

[MIBULLETS]

I have seen were the wire was cut, then pressed into a cylinder of just less than finished diameter. Then drill the hollow point hole, this will make the point forming operation much easier.

[trotterlg]

If someone will give me the measurments I will make up some crude dies and see if they can be formed by that method. If it works then some young person may be able to make some dies up to do some bullet making. Larry

[The Old Redneck]

Sir the .10 caliber is .103 in diameter. PM me you address and I'll send you a few. Corbin said the problem is getting the bullet back out of the die. I used a mini lathe, made a cutting tool that looked like 1/2 a bullet. Did a plunge cut against a steady rest. Never could do a good hollow point.

[ray h]

Larry, hoping the die works out for you. Lacking the math background I bought into the high pressure needed after seeing his calulations. To make a hollow point could you drill the hole( maybe a tapered hole) in the wire first and then form the nose. That may make it easier to make and reduce the pressure even more. Good luck

[Bandmiller2]

Of course if small diameter copper tube was used it would ease the forming and make hollow pointing a snap,only problem would be sealing the base. Frank C.

[trotterlg]

Thanks for the offers of bullets, I will just make up a die with a bullet shape to try to see if it will work. I am thinking I will make a two piece die for removal of the bullet after forming. I am still thinking things through. Larry

[Bandmiller2]

Larry,what if you made the die upside down,nose forming on the bottom ram top could have a flat removable piece and bullet could be pushed through like a Lee cast bullet sizing die. Frank C.

[trotterlg]

Not a bad plan at all, I will see what I can do with it. Larry

[trotterlg]

Got the reamer made up for the die, no wonder people don't like making 10's, this thing is really small! Guess I will take great care when reaming the hole with this one. Larry

http://www.22-250.com/rea_1.jpg

[Bandmiller2]

Larry, your a man of action even in this heat.That must be the size of a #6 lead birdshot,don't know how anyone can ream and rifle a barrel that small.I've had good luck with half reamers,what sux is you have to harden them in the round then grind to half outerwise they'll warp quenching.Made one to legnthen a 16ga shotgun chamber scads of grinding.Frank C.

[trotterlg]

It's hot where you are because all our heat went some place else, this is the coolest summer we have had here in many years. Larry

[Oleman]

Larry you're not going to make a 10/30-06 are you?

[trotterlg]

I may pass on that one, the 20-06 taught me a lesson. Larry

[Bandmiller2]

I was just reading that when Ackley developed the 17 cal he swaged the bullets with a die he made and an arbor press.He used annealed copper wire. Frank C.

[reed1911]

That had to be one big a** press. I just can't see doing it in an arbor press that one would use for re-loading, I can't see using it in any hand operated press for that matter.

[reed1911]

How are you coming on the die and bullets?