Cast And Plate

[Highpower]

Paul, do you size them first, or plate them first? Do you always hang the slugs individually or just for test batches? How many can you do at once?

By the way, those look like some nice power supplies too.

[Old Iron]

Willie

They are all hung individually and depending on size you can get up to 50 at once. I've got to cut up some wires the ones I was using are shot.

I size them before and after, I tried just sizing after but it was a no go bullet got lodged in the sizer.

Once I get the solution up to temp I shut the heater off and let them cook, And if would be better to do it in a garage that is well ventilated than in the house.

The power supply's are a long story, The one on the bottom and a another one came from the same seller on ebay. It and the other one wouldn't work. He sent the second one to replace the first one, And it didn't work either.

So he gave me a refund and I got the one on top from another seller. I gave one of the frist two to a friend and I haven't ask him if he has it working or not. I did get the other one working but I haven't uded it yet don't know if it will hold up or not.

The one I'm usine is a 30 volt 5 amp the other one is 5 volt at 5 amp you really don't need a lot of power to do this.

Paul

[Mayhem]

Paul/Willie - thanks for the info on the rationale for copper plating. Is that what is meant by the term full metal jacket?

[Welrod]

hello Paul,
Thank you very much for your explanations.

Michel

[Highpower]

(03-04-2014, 07:24 AM)Mayhem Wrote: Paul/Willie - thanks for the info on the rationale for copper plating. Is that what is meant by the term full metal jacket?

Not quite. Jacketed bullets have a much thicker "shell" aka: jacket.

They start off as large spools of cupro-nickel or gilding metal (copper/zinc) sheet and then have discs punched out of them. The discs are then drawn out into cylinders by pushing them through progressively smaller sizing dies and mandrels.


  Jacket_Process.jpg (Size: 199.11 KB / Downloads: 108)
  Drawing_Jackets.jpg (Size: 164.23 KB / Downloads: 106)

Spools of lead wire are cut into 'slugs' and placed inside the jacket cylinder. The lead wire inside is what becomes the bullet's core. Then the cylinders are punch pressed into more forming dies to close the jacket and give the bullet it's final form.





A "full metal jacket" encloses nearly every bit of the lead core.
"Semi-jacketed" bullets leave a portion of the lead core exposed. Often referred to as "soft-point" bullets.


  semi_jacket.jpg (Size: 16.74 KB / Downloads: 106)

[Old Iron]

Good vid Willie, There is a lot of guys making jackets for there lead bullets but its to much work for me.

You can buy the dies or make your own and it looks interesting, But I have way to much going now.

I tried out the 38 coated bullets yesterday they did ok at 75 yards but need a little more powder. Other than that I'm satisfied.

Paul

[Highpower]

(03-05-2014, 07:35 AM)Old Iron` Wrote: Good vid Willie, There is a lot of guys making jackets for there lead bullets but its to much work for me.
...........
Paul

I hear you there Paul. Too much work for me as well.

Actually, Sierra does offer a few sizes of jackets for sale to the die-hard types for making their own bullets. https://www.sierrabullets.com/products/bullet-jackets/

I've been through the Sierra factory many times and seen it all. They have an extensive machine shop for making all their own tooling and repair parts for the machines which have been around for a long, long, long time and they are still going.

I buy a lot of their "factory seconds". Bullets that didn't make their way into the little green boxes because of cosmetic defects. Heavily discounted but they still shoot just fine for the most part. Practice targets don't know the difference.

There is a shooting club several miles north of the factory where they hold the state regional and championship highpower matches. One of my former competitors was the head ballistician for Sierra bullets. Super nice guy.

And there is one error in that video where the narrator (Lenny Magill) says that there is no heat involved when extruding the lead wire - only pressure. That is wrong because there is a sizable electric furnace below that machine that softens up the lead just a bit before it gets squeezed through the dies. I've stood next to it. It's HOT!

You are shooting a .380 at 75 yards???
Man, you've got better eyes than I do!

[Old Iron]

380 @ 25 yards They would hit the ground before they got to the target. But I do find a lot of 380 brass on the rang at the 25 yard line I wouldn't waste my time trying that. The little guns are good for concealment but that all there good for.

I carry a 45 APC in a shoulder holster I"ve taken it into most of the stores in town and know one is the wiser.

What I was shooting was my 38 large frame its a good shooter but I do prefer my 45.

Here in Alabama a concealed permit is $100.00 for 5 year $100.00 and if you have one you don't have to do a back ground test to buy and gun.

Paul

[Highpower]

(03-05-2014, 11:44 PM)Old Iron` Wrote: 380 @ 25 yards They would hit the ground before they got to the target.

Oh, ok then. I was going to say I've never seen a .380 equipped with volley sights before...

Q: Why do you carry a .45?

A: Because they don't make a .46!

[Old Iron]

What can I say I made a type O. I coated about 100 bullets and I think that even throw it is a little work its going to work out fine.

Pro's
#1 No lube needed!
#2 No gas check's
#3 you can load them a little hotter.

It works for me. Now on to other projects, I have 2 30 round Fal Metric mags that I need to mod to fit a Mas.

Then I need to finish the SKS I was working on a few months ago. Had to lay off it till the wife forgot Abbot me blowing the side of 2 stock off with it.

I did paint the 2 AR lowers I finished last week. I used that new can in a can of Duracoat. After each coat to use a hear dryer to dry it and you put on 4 coats.

The only thing in the video that they didn't tell you was not to use it much for 3 or 4 weeks. Know bigger there and you have 48 hrs to use it up, So I've have a couple gun parts I want to do tomorrow.

Paul