Has anyone lathe your bullets.

E

ExtremeGunCare

Guest
Has anyone tried to lathe your own bullets? I know this might seem a bit out there, but I do believe there might be some potential. I shoot a .308 and use Nosler Partitions but I have always wanted to design my own bullet. Just curious if anyone else out there has tried it. Another reason why is, I feel a bullet should be a bit longer than what I can purchase.

In IL, to deer hunt you can only use Shotgun or Muzzle Loader. I always wanted to create a slug that sat in a plastic sabot. The slug would naturally have a twist in it to encourage rotation. The thought behind this slug is so someone did not have to buy a rifling barrel.

But the other thought is from shooting Bow n Arrow. The Arrow has natural rotation due to the fletchings to create a stable path. If the lathe bullet had groves to encourage that natural rotation.

Well it is just a thought. Just seeing if others might have liked minded thoughts.

Thanks,

Jason
 
My family is originally from Illinois and they take a pile of deer annually. One of them hunts with a .30 pistol (a specialized Savage) that meets cartridge dimensions and as a result, he can take deer at some pretty good ranges.

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Ballistics are close to a .308. He has been very successful with the pistol. Just another thought.
 
Sweet Mother of Goodness!!!! That is a pretty awesome. I live in Missouri and hunt up near Moberly, MO. I have been offered to go deer hunting in IL this year. I am also going Mule Deer Hunting in CO, but that is with a bow.

I have been thinking of lathe a bullet for a number of years now. I just don't have the means to try it and curious if other might of done it.
 
But I thought that bullets had groves to encourage that natural rotation.
Look at a bullet that has been fired.
See the rifling marks?
Wouldnt they be doing what your talking about?
 
So with the slug do you mean putting "rifling" grooves into the plastic sabot similar to the grooves put in Foster-style slugs for years and your own bullet in that sabot?

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Foster slug on far right, Brenneke slug in the middle.
 
I can't imagine why anyone would want to lathe-turn their own bullets. If you can't find what you want on the commercial market, you haven't been looking very hard.

JMHO

Ray
 
jackie schmidt said:
"Ballistics are close to a 308"

How close??...........jackie
Click to expand...

I don't know the specifics of the top of my head... but if you're curious enough I can get them. I too think the case is pretty small to get a bullet moving so fast, but in the end- it is lethal.
 
Mrgunslinger said:
But I thought that bullets had groves to encourage that natural rotation.
Look at a bullet that has been fired.
See the rifling marks?
Wouldnt they be doing what your talking about?
Click to expand...

Typically bullets do not have grooves. When a bullet is fired, the grove in the barrel is forcing the bullet to rotate. That force of making the bullet rotate puts surface groves into the bullet when it comes out. That is not creating a natural rotation but a forced one from the barrel rifling.

I believe if a bullet can determine it's own rotation than being forced upon by the groove of the barrel. I believe it might create a better outcome. Again this is just in theory.

I just saw a post where a picture of three bullets had groves. To me that is looking interesting! Not so much on the slug, but that one in the middle!
 
katokoch said:
I don't know the specifics of the top of my head... but if you're curious enough I can get them. I too think the case is pretty small to get a bullet moving so fast, but in the end- it is lethal.
Click to expand...

Keep me informed too. But knowing I shoot a Norma Mag .308 from time to time, I don't think I would want that in a pistol lol. The pain in my shoulder is coming back lol.
 
jackie schmidt said:
"Ballistics are close to a 308"

How close??...........jackie
Click to expand...

Jackie

The handgun cartridges for legal use in IL are wildcats and are similar to the 30 BR or the old 30 x 1.5". We know the ballistics of those cartridges, and even the improved ones won't give the 308 much competition, especially from a pistol.

The one in the photo looks like it's made from a 284 W case so it would be comparable with the 30 Fat Albert HBR cartridge.

Ray
 
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Cheechako said:
Jackie

The handgun cartridges for legal use in IL are wildcats and are similar to the 30 BR or the old 30 x 1.5". We know the ballistics of those cartridges, and even the improved ones won't give the 308 much competition, especially from a pistol.

The one in the photo looks like it's made from a 284 W case so it would be comparable with the 30 Fat Albert HBR cartridge.

Ray
Click to expand...

...and is what happens when I take someone's word without cross-checking. I did a little studying and you are correct.

Regardless, I wouldn't mind hunting with it.
 
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Here is an idea I had been tossing around. A little sharper point, a bit of a flute in the back, some groves along the side.
 
If you check AL's link you will see that a lot of guys are machining bullets on lathes and they come up with some radical stuff.
I guess there is always something else out there that can be done but you are going to have to take it to the next level to find it.

In the Short Range BR world monolithic bullets haven't show up yet although we have seen posts from a few guys who swear that they can make bullets better than conventional copper jacketed lead bullets. But as yet they haven't shown up. Get a lathe and give it a try. When you get some product go to a match and see what they can do.
Also you might try to develop a precision target material while you are in the shop.
 
Seems one problem with monolithics is that they are reluctant to stop - they bounce rather than disintegrate like most projectiles we are familiar with.
 
Maybe I missed it but it seems that was all about hunting bullets.
I didnt see anyone post about extreme accuracy.
 
Cheechako said:
Jackie

The handgun cartridges for legal use in IL are wildcats and are similar to the 30 BR or the old 30 x 1.5". We know the ballistics of those cartridges, and even the improved ones won't give the 308 much competition, especially from a pistol.

The one in the photo looks like it's made from a 284 W case so it would be comparable with the 30 Fat Albert HBR cartridge.
Ray
Click to expand...

I used to shoot silhouettes with an XP-100 chambered in 7mm-08 about the best I could get was about 2400 fps with a 175 gr FMJBT.
 
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