Making Bullet Cores

[stephen perry 1]

For those that make bullets from scratch like good biscuts making cores is tedious but needs to done right. Some basics and we can start. Core wire comes in 25 lb, 50lb, and 100 lb rolls I assume. My rolls are all 25 lb. We discussed this before, 1/2 % antimony added to pure lead is a good combination others might use more antimony.

My next step is to cut your wire to length, I cut mine 20". Depending how many cores I want determines how many lengths of wire I cut. I usually cut extra lengths so I can make extra cores. My next step is to take a couple paper towels and spray them heavy with siicone spray. Now I pull each length of wire through the silicone changing towels several times. Reason I do this is to clean the wire and leave a small amount of silicone to help in the core swaging.

The next step is to cut rough cores. My cut is set up for a 3 grn extra squirt. When I cut cores I drop them into empty J4 buckets stacked 4 high. The top bucket has several pieces of paper towels in the bucket stop the bounce the core will do and probably end up on the floor. After I cut my rough cores I get ready to run the rough cores through the core die.

I use a Rock Chucker press to make cores. I have a round ball on the handle. I like this as an hour or so on the press handle can be fatiguing using a standard handle. Keep your area clean during all the operations. I use styrofoam bowls to store each core I make. After I make cores I throw the bowl away. With the leverage of my press squirting goes fast and easy. If your die starts to dry out you will feel it spray your rough cores with a light spray of silicone and mix them up. You shouldn't have to do this often.

Now I have several bowls of finished cores. Weigh a couple cores they should weigh within .1 grn of each. Weigh your core and jacket this will your finished bullet weight. Record what you weigh.

Next step is to clean cores. Mos have their own method doing this. My way is to take all my cores put them into a collander funnel. Next I run a bottle of rubbing alcohol over the cores. This removes the loose particles of lead that core foming makes. Drain and throw away the alcohol full of lead slivers. Next I fill a 2 qt pot half full with water and warm up adding a cup of vinegar. Mix as you add the cores. Leave cores in 20 minutes move them around several times. Now take your funnel and add the cores flushing with water, keep flushing for 5-10 minutes. This slows down the oxidation process the vinegar is doing to the cores. The cores will look grey after the vinegar and the desired etching will show after drying.

Dry cores on a large towel either indoors or outdoors. Store clean cores in dry plastic containers with lids. Any questions send me a PM or use the Forum.

Stephen Perry

[Mntngoat]

I find it easier to call Charlie Hood and order what I need. I detest core squirting!

ML

[stephen perry 1]

next person please

[aaronraad]

Pretty much the same process but I'm bleeding the cut cores(+2 to +3gr overweight) with swaging lubricant instead of silicone.

Trying to hold core weight to +/-0.06gr or +/0.05gr depending on the jacket average weight. Don't think I could get to +/-0.03gr in a reasonable timeframe without using a hydraulic press instead of a hand press?

Cleaning the cores with 'Carby' cleaner, hopefully tetrachlorethylene free but starting to try methylated spirits.

Similar vinegar etching process focusing on just enough to get a consistent surface funish across the entire batch.

[Mntngoat]

Charlie hoods core are as accurate as i can squirt no point in going elsewhere or making my own... There a reason so many people use them. But When i used to make them though I tumbled the 2-3 grain oversize cut wire in swaging lube before squirting

ML

[george ulrich]

Michael, I would get away from bullet lube leave cores lighter and use a lite oil. george

[Utah Shooter]

Michael, I would get away from bullet lube leave cores lighter and use a lite oil. george

So stay away from Swage lube for this step? Interesting I would have never thought to use Silicon.

[Al Nyhus]

I find Marvel Mystery Oil to be perfect for my core squirting. I've used different types of light machine oil with success...the only thing I won't use anymore for core squirting is Kroil.

Good shootin'. -Al

[Randy Robinett]

So stay away from Swage lube for this step? Interesting I would have never thought to use Silicon.

For core forming, unless you have access to chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent(s), I'd avoid lubricants formulated with silicone.:( I must confess, I like DRY cores, as opposed to "wet" cores. :D

I agree with George, Al, and Mtngoat: use light oil, or better yet, support Charlie and Cheryl Hood - you simply cannot squirt more uniform cores than those from Hood Custom Products! :eek: RG

[aaronraad]

Any thoughts/experiance on how paraffin oil might/does perform?

I think I've heard of extra-light virgin olive oil used for jacket drawing.

[george ulrich]

I find Marvel Mystery Oil to be perfect for my core squirting. I've used different types of light machine oil with success...the only thing I won't use anymore for core squirting is Kroil.

Good shootin'. -Al

that's the stuff george p.s. no silicone products don't know how you could get it off cores

[Mntngoat]

thanks George I will. Randy nailed it that why I use Charlie hood's cores wherever possible

[stephen perry 1]

Several methods in making cores. I gave one works for me but there seems to be some concern about whether to lube cores or not and whether silicone spray is acceptable. The reason I use the silicone spray is because I found trying to run dry cores my core die started to bind up. Randy says he runs dry rough cores through his core die fine for him but most bullet makers lube dry rough cores with something. After I clean squirted cores with an alcohol and vinegar wash they become finished cores. Other ways of cleaning cores are using acetone, paint thinner, white gas, tri sodium phosphate (TSP) as a boil, and some others.

As far as puchasing already made cores such as Hood do what you want, Charlie has them to sell. One thing to remember you still need to clean those store bought cores.

Overall the core making discussion is a good one. Thanks for the comments guys.

Stephen Perry

[Utah Shooter]

So is everyone etching the cores? I have always debated this part of the process.

[george ulrich]

Stephen, the only thing I don't care for with silicone is almost nothing removes it.even etching it still will be in cores. Utah, theres some different thoughts on clean and ie etched vs some lube left on cores or cleaned and relubed. I have actually tested this and I found that dry cores were further down in jacket AFTER pointing up then the cores with lube left on or cleaned and relubed.sooo this tells me core is moving forward more during point up with lube on cores, not what I would call a great bond with jacket. george

[BangPop]

I've use plain old 3 in 1 oil for the last 35 or so years for core slug lube. About 10 drops per 1000 slugs seems to do a good job. I clean it off with acetone or mek. I've never seen a reason to change.

[stephen perry 1]

You used the terms dry core and wet core. Please explain.

[stephen perry 1]

Thanks for adding your comment. I like your use of 3 in1 oil as a core lubricant. One question, you say you use MEK to clean. You know it can be harmful to ones health if proper ventilation is not used. How do you do your cleaning with MEK?

Stephen Perry

[stephen perry 1]

I like your test for wet and dry cores. I would like to send you some of my cores for your test. I feel my cores fit in the dry category after I clean them. I don't hold stock in a silicone company so am not promoting it's use for profit, I use silicone because it works in the core making process I use.

Besides so far light oil, Marvel oil, paraffin wax, 3 in 1 oil and others have been suggested as lubricant for swaging cores. What proof is there that when cores are cleaned that some of their residue is still not attached. Show me a test that silicone stays on a core after a cleaning like I use. I think George that silicone spray is gettng a bad rap here, it serves a good purpose in lubricating cores for the swaging operation.

[BangPop]

Thanks for adding your comment. I like your use of 3 in1 oil as a core lubricant. One question, you say you use MEK to clean. You know it can be harmful to ones health if proper ventilation is not used. How do you do your cleaning with MEK?

Stephen Perry
I light a match and ..........:eek: No, I simply put the 1k formed cores in a 1 gallon glass jar and cover with MEK, swirl around for a minute or so and then decant off the MEK. Pour the cores on a clean towel and allow to dry. I do this procedure outdoors.

[Al Nyhus]

To clean cores, I put 'em a glass jar with acetone and swish 'em around for a minute or two. After air drying for 10-15 minutes, they go into a boiling mixture of 3 qts water and 1/2 cup Cascade powdered dishwasing detergent per 1000 cores. Simple Green Concentrate also does a nice job cleaning cores. After boiling for 10 minutes, they're rinsed in a collander under hot water and laid on a big towel to dry or dry outside in the sun if it's a warm day.

I feel it's important to not have the cores directly in contact with the bottom of the 'pot', so I use this folding leaf collander gizmo from a cooking store. It has several stand offs on the bottom to let the water circulate under the cores:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/tenxal/c3.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tenxal/media/c3.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/tenxal/c2.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tenxal/media/c2.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/tenxal/c4.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tenxal/media/c4.jpg.html)

I'm not a fan of heavy etching of the cores...just get 'em clean. I favor the maximum contact possible between the wall of the jacket and the o.d. of the core.

[Kiwishooter]

To clean cores, I put 'em a glass jar with acetone and swish 'em around for a minute or two. After air drying for 10-15 minutes, they go into a boiling mixture of 3 qts water and 1/2 cup Cascade powdered dishwasing detergent per 1000 cores. Simple Green Concentrate also does a nice job cleaning cores. After boiling for 10 minutes, they're rinsed in a collander under hot water and laid on a big towel to dry or dry outside in the sun if it's a warm day.

I feel it's important to not have the cores directly in contact with the bottom of the 'pot', so I use this folding leaf collander gizmo from a cooking store. It has several stand offs on the bottom to let the water circulate under the cores:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/tenxal/c3.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tenxal/media/c3.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/tenxal/c2.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tenxal/media/c2.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/tenxal/c4.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tenxal/media/c4.jpg.html)

I'm not a fan of heavy etching of the cores...just get 'em clean. I favor the maximum contact possible between the wall of the jacket and the o.d. of the core.

Al, I've looked just about everywhere for one of those but haven't been able to find one..........where did you get yours?......Kiwi

[TinMan]

FYI, in the States, they can be found at fancy cooking stores, like Williams Sonoma. They probably do mail order, since it shouldn't be an export control item.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/oxo-vegetable-steamer/?pkey=e%7Coxo%2Bvegetable%2Bsteamer%7C2%7Cbest%7C0 %7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-

[Utah Shooter]

Kiwi I am unsure where you are located but I actually just saw one of these today at my local grocery store.

[Kiwishooter]

Kiwi I am unsure where you are located but I actually just saw one of these today at my local grocery store.

Utah Shooter, I'm in Dunedin about 3/4 of the way down the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand..........where is your local grocery store?


Tinman thanks just bought one of them, NZ$19.50 shipping by DHL to New Zealand..........Kiwi

[stephen perry 1]

Kiwi
The funnel collander I use gets the job with no fuss or muss. Found mine in a used store. I like mine better and I have a handle on mine. My collander is probably a 2qt model.

Stephen Perry