Has anyone played with turning bullets out of copper?

I can give you zero info on the machining part, but make sure you take into consideration that a solid copper bullet is going to be significantly harder than a copper-jacketed lead bullet and so I ASSUME would generate higher chamber pressures given the same load. I have never loaded or even used solids, so I don't know if they are normally loaded lighter, made to a smaller diameter with gas checks, or if it's just not significant. Just make sure YOU know the answer to that before you try firing any.

lathe like say

mold for lead

know what alloy

handle, has anyone

...

...

The Winchester Failsafe bullets are machined copper and have a lead core backed by a swaged in steel plate to give them proper weight. They are also coated with a low friction coating.

Might be fun to play with but the big boys have already figured out optimal ballistic coefficients. What cartridge are you working? Don't plan on any breakthroughs or magic. It's pretty straight forward to turn solids and any alloy you use won't matter much. Watch your seating depth with the lighter projectile, pressure could go through the roof...or your face. To make a mold you need to make a "cherry" cutting tool.

lathe like say

what alloy

has anyone

Why don't you just cut them from *billet* copper-jacketed lead, Wes?

P.S: I'd imagine that pure copper (or copper alloy) bullets would be far too expensive in any quantity.

-- You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

This is a game I've never gotten into (I've never done any reloading at all), but making your own bullets is a well-established hobby. See

a lot of information on the standard processes (from somebody who sells supplies for it -- I've got no association with the company, I'm not even a customer).

Note that turning the bullets on a lathe doesn't seem to be a common approach...

lathe like say

what alloy

has anyone

Just as a side note: Any tree you happen to embed a copper bullet into will die. The copper will poison the tree.

Somebody (I am sure I know whom it was) assassinated a tree on my property line once by hammering a copper nail into it. Apparently this is an old farmer's trick. Dave

Lead in all forms will be illegal to own because it's so highly toxic...if some people have their way. Look at all the liberals that dined on paint chips all their lives.

I think the big guys turn solids on a screw machine.

nc lathe like say

m mold for lead

one know what alloy

handle, has anyone

I've seen an article about a guy that was making .50 BMG bullets from Oilite bar on a CNC, left nice little smoky tracer trails when fired. The Varmint Grenades are made from a copper/tin alloy, I've used these, they don't foul as badly as an all-copper bullet would. The French used a bronze alloy for Balle D. Gilding metal would probably be ideal if you're wanting a solid, where you could get it, I have no idea, unless you're set up to cast bars yourself. Watch the bearing area and it might be a good thing if you could get some kind of chamber pressure measuring rig.

I've not had a yen to do this myself, there's few elephants around here and the buffalo they've got fenced off aren't hunted. So no real need for solids. Varmint Grenades take care of the small stuff, conventional jackets for the rest.

Stan

I would certainly think the FMJ and AP bullet cores are done on screw machines. I went to the corbin site mentioned in this thread. Lot of stuff there about copper sleeves and copper strips. Looks like you can home make bullets (like on the OPs Sherline) and use this to get the copper cover. I would think the big manufacture's plate copper on the bullets. This home made route looks labor intensive.

Karl

Varmint-rifle fanatics, like I used to be, swage their bullets from lead wire, often swaging them inside of a copper/gilding metal jacket. Those of us who shot .22 centerfires also used a little tool made by some guy in PA that would trim a rimfire .22 LR case to use as a jacket. I have shot hundreds of these. They're pretty good, although I think the purpose-made gilding metal jackets were better.

This was 40+ years ago but I believe the tools are still available.

I think the copper jackets of FMJ bullets are probably press formed in a progressive deep drawing die using rolls of copper sheeting as feed stock. The final jackets are then secured to the bullet cores by crimping. That is the little band of crimping lines you see on the bullet. The .223 round famously shatters at this crimp line upon entering a human target and spashes splinters and fragments as it tumbles through the target.

Press forming would allow for more precise final diameter control then plating. Not completely sure how .22 LR bullets are copper coated however. This doesn't appear to be a stamped jacket. Dave

Wes wrote in news:lZMmp.2153$ snipped-for-privacy@en-nntp-09.dc.easynews.com:

mentions copper zinc alloy.

Doug White

I'm not sure what the applications are for solids. I know the object is penetration not expansion. While lead is still legal it's the best material. (Jackets are for sissies) How about DU?

Jackets are rather a requirement for high velocity cartridges since the spin RPM is so high the lead won't hold together without a jacket.

I was born and raised in Utah, where I had the good fortune to get to know P.O. Ackley on a personal basis.

In talking to him about making bullets, he commented that there's nothing any better than copper tubing for forming a jacket----so it's obvious to me that pure copper would work. The big problem, aside from its lack of weight, is the cost.

Harold

The metal recyclers would have kittens about the swarf, wot?

-- From the Book of Aussie Bush Etiquette:

Never tow another car using pantyhose and duct tape.

According to Joe the Real Machinist, the recycler here will take swarf, at about 5 to 10% the price of clean scrap.

Cheers! Rich

Yes, no, maybe. I don't know of any cartridge that can't be worked with a lead projectile. But, I'm not that versed in rifles and only know a tiny amount about pistols. I have heard of lead rifle bullets just disintegrating midair.