Bullet making?

I use pure Lanolin for jacket lube. George sent me enough to make thousands of bullets.
I clean my cores with a spray cleaner we use at my shop. It does a great job, drys with no film.
By the way if you want to see if your cores are truly clean, just drop a few in some clear distilled water. If they are not clean, you will see a film on the water.
 
zippy06 said:
cores cleaned in very hot water and dawn.
Jackets from bart are really clean. Lube is lanolin and castor oil. Microwave for 10-15 min. Mix real good. Freeze. I was told it's good bolt lube also...
Click to expand...
corer seat with light coat of stp put 500 in zip bag with half thumb nail lanolin heat with light with hair dryer put in another zip bag for caution and tumble makes world of diff,on handle.
 
jackie schmidt said:
I use pure Lanolin for jacket lube. George sent me enough to make thousands of bullets.
I clean my cores with a spray cleaner we use at my shop. It does a great job, drys with no film.
By the way if you want to see if your cores are truly clean, just drop a few in some clear distilled water. If they are not clean, you will see a film on the water.
Click to expand...

What do you lube your cores with? Or are you using pre cut/swaged cores?
 
I use 4 oz of Marvel Mystery oil mixed in a gallon of acetone. Automatic transmission fluid works too. Place the cores in a bucket that's been drilled with holes smaller than the core diameter. Dunk that in the 5 gallon bucket a few times and pour them into a large cooking pan. Let the acetone flash off and move to swaging.

Photo_15.jpg


-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
When making .30 cal. BR bullets, I started out 'etching' the cores in hot water and Cascade dish washing powder.

Then tried rinsing the cores in acetone and they shot just as well as the 'etched' cores.

As an experiment, I lightly lubed some cores with Marvel Mystery Oil. The bullets shot just as well. ;) Talk about breaking one of the Bullet Making 101 rules! :eek:

While I'm not advocating intentionally lubing cores, nor did I continue that practice, there is a point where clean enough is clean enough.

An assortment of properly fitting core seat punches (juggled with different jacket lots and core antimony percentages) that would produce a perfectly concentric 'bleed-by ring' of .005-.006, with adequate seating pressure, was the most critical single step with my set up.

Making bullets that myself and others used to win registered IBS/NBRSA tournaments was one of the most satisfying things I did in Benchrest.

Good shootin'. :) -Al
 
Al - I almost tried etching cores. Bought a colander and a box of TSP. Then I talked to George Ulrich and he said don't waste your time etching. Other bullet makers I've talked too have said the same.

To degrease the cores, I like Coleman camp fuel. Works pretty well.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
Squirting my own cores, I´m lubing the lead slugs with a mix of about 1 to 20 of ATF and break cleaner. Mixed ATF and acetone to begin with, but for some reason they didn´t combine at all... I´m no chemist but didn´t make sense to use that mix. Cleaning cores in 2 baths of break cleaner and I etch the cores lightly before seating.

I lube my jackets with straight lanolin and clean it up with White spirit. Takes the lanolin right of and leaves a trace of residue on there which in my mind prevents discoloration of the bullets. No idea if it´s actually true!
 
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TrxR said:
What do you lube your cores with? Or are you using pre cut/swaged cores?
Click to expand...

I am purchasing cores from Charley Hood.
Years ago, I was making my own 6mm cores for short range, ( I still have the squirt die), it was by far the most aggravating and time consuming thing involved in bullet making.
 
Lee Martin said:
Al - I almost tried etching cores. Bought a colander and a box of TSP. Then I talked to George Ulrich and he said don't waste your time etching. Other bullet makers I've talked too have said the same.

To degrease the cores, I like Coleman camp fuel. Works pretty well.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
Click to expand...

I wonder if a good hot water / dawn bath would degrease the cores? Im trying to use the least amount of harsh chemicals possible these days.
 
zippy06 said:
Cores cleaned in very hot water and Dawn.
Jackets from Bart are really clean. Lube is lanolin and castor oil. Microwave for 10-15 min. Mix real good. Freeze. I was told it's good bolt lube also...
Click to expand...

Oh and edit.
I boil cores in TSP for 10 min. to start the etch/corrosion process...trisodium phosphate...
 
P.Ericson said:
Squirting my own cores, I´m lubing the lead slugs with a mix of about 1 to 20 of ATF and break cleaner. Mixed ATF and acetone to begin with, but for some reason they didn´t combine at all... I´m no chemist but didn´t make sense to use that mix. Cleaning cores in 2 baths of break cleaner and I etch the cores lightly before seating.

I lube my jackets with straight lanolin and clean it up with White spirit. Takes the lanolin right of and leaves a trace of residue on there which in my mind prevents discoloration of the bullets. No idea if it´s actually true!
Click to expand...

After point up. I throw them in a towel length wise, fold over 1/3, and pick up the ends and wash 10 times.
Then in zip lock with a descant canister. Descant is from used pill bottles. So there is a little lube on the bullets and then in air tight bag with descant. This keeps discoloring to a min. Which has no effect on the bullets....they just look nice.
Sierra anneals there jackets and don't clean them up after. Really dark copper....
 
jackie schmidt said:
I am purchasing cores from Charley Hood.
Years ago, I was making my own 6mm cores for short range, ( I still have the squirt die), it was by far the most aggravating and time consuming thing involved in bullet making.
Click to expand...

I agree Jackie. While I cut and squirt my own cores, I have used Charlie's when swaging for a friend. Every time I dig out the wire, I ask myself why I'm not just buying Hoods. When you add up your time, it's costing more to make your own. And his are dead on.

The only advantage to having your own core swaging die is you can tinker with core height.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
zippy06 said:
Sierra anneals there jackets and don't clean them up after. Really dark copper....
Click to expand...

A tiny bit of citric acid in boiling water take all the oxidation off in a second. It´s bit of a mess getting all of the water of the jackets afterwards, it clings to the inside like crazy. Great jackets, but don´t like the cleaning!
 
trxr said:
i wonder if a good hot water / dawn bath would degrease the cores? Im trying to use the least amount of harsh chemicals possible these days.
Click to expand...
boil wtth 2 tablespoonsf dawn in 3qts of hot water rinse in spagety strainer and dry on towel rolliig a couple times.
 
P.Ericson said:
A tiny bit of citric acid in boiling water take all the oxidation off in a second. It´s bit of a mess getting all of the water of the jackets afterwards, it clings to the inside like crazy. Great jackets, but don´t like the cleaning!
Click to expand...

Yep. I left left that part out. Or you can clean them after point up....
 
Some where the Op asked about Carbide dies.
At Lowell Hottenstein's funeral we found out that, his best dies made 10 Million bullets.
And he shot the culls in competition. The ones that don't fell right.
I call them rejects. And after that I would shoot the culls. They go in same hole or real close. Score match all good.
 
zippy06 said:
yep. I left left that part out. Or you can clean them after point up....
Click to expand...
saw man use vineger and boil to clean then dry in the oven slow thn luib to cpre seat then roll o paper towel always leave light lub on bullets helps barrel from coppering up.
 
What measurement tools do you all recommend having around when making bullets? Im thinking a good micrometer would be needed ? (Have a Mitutoyo 0-1" micrometer ) Thinking a good set of calipers might come in handy. I have a cheap set of digitals but am thinking of upgrading to Mitutoyo Digital or Dial. A good scale? Ive got a A&D FX120 . Anything else ?

Thanks
 
TrxR said:
What measurement tools do you all recommend having around when making bullets? Im thinking a good micrometer would be needed ? (Have a Mitutoyo 0-1" micrometer ) Thinking a good set of calipers might come in handy. I have a cheap set of digitals but am thinking of upgrading to Mitutoyo Digital or Dial. A good scale? Ive got a A&D FX120 . Anything else ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Bullet comparator. Always use the same one.
https://www.brownells.com/reloading...r-hex-style-bullet-comparators-prod83792.aspx

https://www.brownells.com/reloading...insert-style-bullet-comparator-prod34014.aspx

Scale. https://www.brownells.com/reloading...loading-scale-sku100032356-122137-227800.aspx

syringe. For measuring lube. https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...s/syringe-try-pak-sku081100000-1056-3834.aspx
 
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