curious about bullet making

  • Thread starter JohnsonGunsmith
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JohnsonGunsmith

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I understand this is a lot of trouble but I was wanting to get into making my own bullets. I also know you guys can't suggest one company over another on this site, but I wanted to get some oppinions on where to start so I do not waste money getting into this. Who makes good equipment like presses, dies etc? are dies interchangeable between most manufacturers like reloading dies are or does each company make propriatary dies that only work on the equipment they build. Please PM me if there are companies I should stay away from so that we do not give anyone bad publicity. I am looking to make bullets to shoot in benchrest competition so I want top quality. Any help is appreciated and anyone that makes bullets curently I would really value your input greatly.

Thanks guys,
Brandon J.
 
Bullet making dies are usually bought as a "set" but are typically threaded to screw in a standard reloading press. You can have dies from different makers and make great bullets.
 
Theres a long thread in the archives about bullet making. One thing you should be aware of it takes time to make great bullets. If you have time spare then go for it. David Detsch makes some of the best dies made, Other makers are Nemi.
some like blackmon. The best i have found are the detsch dies.
The dies are not cheap . Be prepaired to spend $2600 or more just for the die set. Then you need a special ram and ejector assembly for your press. Next you need Jackets from J4 or Sierra, Lead wire where ever you can get it. Local is the best. I hope this helps Bullet makeing is a lot of work but a great way to get benchrest bullets.
Before you know it your pals will be asking you to make bullets for them.
 
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GerryM wrote...."Before you know it your pals will be asking you to make bullets for them."

And therin lies the problem - or maybe not. There exists among us, serial killers, lawyers, politicians and those who like to make bullets. When you make bullets you need to shoot a lot. Not because you're getting your bullets cheaper but rather when you get a barrel that simply refuses to shoot your bullet you'll need it to wear out quickly.

If this is a "Damn the Torpedoes" sort of thing, and it so very often is, I'll help you along. Most anything that can happen has happened to me or I've heard tell.
 
Brandon,
Contact George Ulrich. He can be a great help to you and is a very nice young man. George can provide you with all you need.
Butch
 
Brandon,
Yes, George is a great die maker,very practical in his approach to his work. In all fairness though David Detsch and Brian/ Bill Niemi are also quality die makers.I have dies from all three, The Niemi dies are like jewelry,very high end,spit and polish,ground threads,the price reflects that. The Ulrich dies are a little rough to look at but internally are as good as the high end Niemi's,most resonable price of all. The Detsch dies are good as well,mid priced,produce beautiful bullets. As far as presses go, Niemi favors Redding conversions,Ulrich likes the Lee presses and David Detsch is the Rock chucker conversion guru. My favorite set up uses Detsch rock chuckers, Niemi squirt die( domed core), and Ulrich core seater and point die.We are fortunate to have these three die makers to work along side us in producing BR quality bullets.Couldn't do it without them.You can't go wrong with any of them.Niemi is in Vermont,Ulrich lives in Illinois, And Detsch is in Pennsylvania.All these guys are customer friendly and are easy to talk with on the phone.
As far as what bullet type/ shape/ogive etc. you want to start out with,thats another story altogether.Three different shops,three different opinions.You'll probably get 20 different opinions on BR central.Safe bet in 6mm would be a straight 8 flat base.Others here could recommend 30 cal profiles or .22's
Joel
 
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Before you jump into bullet making you might want to look around and see where everyone is getting the "good" jackets at now... I've seen some interesting emails lately that would suggest that maybe the "go to" place isn't so "go-to" anymore. JD Denoff may have the answers you need.

Paul
 
The problem with Buillet Making is 99 percent of the time, you can't even make a more accurate bullet than you can buy.

Here is why. Regardless of the quality of your equipment, you are at the mercy of the raw components. Jackets are the big key, mediocre jackets out of the finest set of dies on the planet, having the handles pulled by the finest bullet maker, will still produce mediocre bullets.

This is why you can have a really killer lot of bullets from a particular maker, only to have the next lot be average at best.

Bullet making is a tough game. All of my equipment is still exactly where it was about 9 years ago when I stood up and said, 'screw this'........jackie
 
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