I have been tossing the idea around about making my own 30cal bullets. I did a little reading but I'm not real sure i understand all of it. This isn't something i will probably do anytime real soon but maybe this time next year or so. I enjoy shooting the 30BR i think the most of any of my rifles and as you know those bullets are the most expensive. I dont know if making your own bullets would even pay for itself? from what i read t doesn't sound all that complicated but there again i dont know? About how much cash is involved in getting set up to make 30cal bullets and is it even worth the expense? I am also not even sure if i can produce quality bullets like the ones i buy from randy or Brady. Is there an art to making good bullets? I am just starting to do some more research on this subject so i though id see what you fellas have to say about it. You may save me a lot of time and energy. LOL!! thanks a bunch! lee
Making your own bullets?
- Thread starter skeetlee
- Start date
Skeet Theres a thread about bullet making right here on the site also in the archives.
Depending on how many bullets you would like to make, Then buy the dies you had in mind,
The best are carbide and there are others in tool steel. Yes you can make bullets as good as the other guys after some practice. Cost can be from the price of a used br rifle to the cost of a new rig your having built.
Depending on how many bullets you would like to make, Then buy the dies you had in mind,
The best are carbide and there are others in tool steel. Yes you can make bullets as good as the other guys after some practice. Cost can be from the price of a used br rifle to the cost of a new rig your having built.
Skeet,
I will soon be making my own 30 caliber bullets using a set of Ulrich dies. A die set runs $900 for the point die, and $500 for the core seat die. The presses from George are $205 each, and I would recommend 2 presses. Your total with shipping should be around $1850. The amount you save by making your own 30 caliber bullets is around $120 per 1000 bullets. It takes about 15,000 bullets to pay for the dies and presses, so unless you make a few thousand bullets for some friends, it will take a while to start saving money. Another advantage to having your own dies is the fact that you can do more experimenting with different jacket lengths and different core weights to find out exactly what your rifle likes. The only other thing to consider is that if you do decide to experiment, you might want to spend another $300 for a squirt die, so that playing with different core weights is simplified. After determining your favorite bullet weights, then you can get Hood Cores to squirt out batches of 5000 at a time for you to save you a couple of steps.
Michael
I will soon be making my own 30 caliber bullets using a set of Ulrich dies. A die set runs $900 for the point die, and $500 for the core seat die. The presses from George are $205 each, and I would recommend 2 presses. Your total with shipping should be around $1850. The amount you save by making your own 30 caliber bullets is around $120 per 1000 bullets. It takes about 15,000 bullets to pay for the dies and presses, so unless you make a few thousand bullets for some friends, it will take a while to start saving money. Another advantage to having your own dies is the fact that you can do more experimenting with different jacket lengths and different core weights to find out exactly what your rifle likes. The only other thing to consider is that if you do decide to experiment, you might want to spend another $300 for a squirt die, so that playing with different core weights is simplified. After determining your favorite bullet weights, then you can get Hood Cores to squirt out batches of 5000 at a time for you to save you a couple of steps.
Michael
The advantage of makeing your own is this.
Never running out of bullets or waiting for a bullet order. The makers do a fine job but sometimes they become over booked. It also give's you complete control over the quality of the bullets.
It does take time and it takes away from your shooting time. Then theirs the buddy factor, someone will always ask you to make some for them. So if you start be ready for that.
Never running out of bullets or waiting for a bullet order. The makers do a fine job but sometimes they become over booked. It also give's you complete control over the quality of the bullets.
It does take time and it takes away from your shooting time. Then theirs the buddy factor, someone will always ask you to make some for them. So if you start be ready for that.
You know i really dont know if i will ever pursue any of this or not. I have many thoughts run through my mind in the course of a day. Sometimes to many i am afraid. I think there would be some self gratification to making your own bullets though. maybe in a few years?? My current 30Br barrel really likes Brady knight 118gr bullets. I think its the smaller pressure ring but i could be wrong. I have an order with Brady for some more of those fine bullets, but it feels like they will never come! I do hate waiting for bullets! I guess i should have ordered more than i did to begin with! Lee
M
MarkR
Guest
I have considered making my own bullets for some time now. I don't think I would be interested in making them to sell. However, there would be quite some satisfaction using your own bullets to win a match with and being able to sit down and make some when you need them rather than having to stockpile someone elses bullets in order to have them when you need or want them. It would be a fairly large investment though...not having any monetary return on that investment.
It all comes down to how m uch time you have. It can be a lot of fun setting up and testing for accuracy.
I guess you have to weigh the factors in. I know the 30 cost quite a bit but right now the copper market has Those great J4 jackets at a pretty high price. It's not J4,s fault either just the way supply and demand works along with copper prices. Lead is up too; Still it's a lot of fun for me and enjoy makeing my own. If i did have to buy bullets i sure wouldn't worry about buy and of the bullets being made. All of them are really good.
Burgers are top Notch righ along with the custom makers. The TNT speer shoots fine in my 30 Br Just not as tight in grouping against my own.
I guess you have to weigh the factors in. I know the 30 cost quite a bit but right now the copper market has Those great J4 jackets at a pretty high price. It's not J4,s fault either just the way supply and demand works along with copper prices. Lead is up too; Still it's a lot of fun for me and enjoy makeing my own. If i did have to buy bullets i sure wouldn't worry about buy and of the bullets being made. All of them are really good.
Burgers are top Notch righ along with the custom makers. The TNT speer shoots fine in my 30 Br Just not as tight in grouping against my own.
jackie schmidt
New member
Bullet Making
I suppose sooner or later every Benchrest Shooters desires to make his own bullets. The bug hit me back in 1999, I dove into the deep end and bought everything to make 6mm Match Bullets.
I didn't do too bad with them, but hard as I tried, I could not make a better bullet than I could buy. In fact, I could not make even as good of a bullet as I could buy. I even resorted to spinning each individule jacket on a self made rig, culling and sorting for hours.
I found the entire endevour to be boring, tedious, and filled with a certain amount of aggravation that simply went against my general attitude about things. It got to where if I heard one more person say "too much lube" while another said "not enough lube", "too much core pressure", "not enough core pressure", I was going to resort to physical violence.
So, you get the picture. Every bit of my bullet making equipment is still sitting exactly where I left it when I finally sat up and said "screw this"
But, like you, I do have a hankering to make my own 30 cal's. But I go take a cold shower and the insanity passes.........jackie
I suppose sooner or later every Benchrest Shooters desires to make his own bullets. The bug hit me back in 1999, I dove into the deep end and bought everything to make 6mm Match Bullets.
I didn't do too bad with them, but hard as I tried, I could not make a better bullet than I could buy. In fact, I could not make even as good of a bullet as I could buy. I even resorted to spinning each individule jacket on a self made rig, culling and sorting for hours.
I found the entire endevour to be boring, tedious, and filled with a certain amount of aggravation that simply went against my general attitude about things. It got to where if I heard one more person say "too much lube" while another said "not enough lube", "too much core pressure", "not enough core pressure", I was going to resort to physical violence.
So, you get the picture. Every bit of my bullet making equipment is still sitting exactly where I left it when I finally sat up and said "screw this"
But, like you, I do have a hankering to make my own 30 cal's. But I go take a cold shower and the insanity passes.........jackie
Enough said!!! I will stick to buying them for now I'm sure!!! Heck for 2000 bucks i could buy a new rifle. LOL!!! I do however really really like shooting 30BR. I'm not sure what it is or even why, but i do!! This figures as the 30 cal bullets cost a bundle. thats the story of my life! Everything i like the most is the most expensive!!! Lee
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B
bglenn
Guest
Lee
Your barrel may last enough longer to make up the difference in the price of bullets. 6000 rounds compared to 900 rounds.
Glenn
Your barrel may last enough longer to make up the difference in the price of bullets. 6000 rounds compared to 900 rounds.
Glenn
Yes about the price of a used BR rig, If you don't make good bullets that are as good or BETTER then the one available its one of two things Bad Dies or poor tecnique' You save about 10 to 12 cents per bullet making the short 30's If you are young enough it pays to make a few for others. That will drive down the cost of your shooting. Just a different way to look at things. By the way[ the best way to spin a bullets is Down the barrel'}
{quote from Clde Hart} Its True"''
{quote from Clde Hart} Its True"''
F
Fla mac
Guest
skeetlee,
I make my own bullets and have enjoyed doing it. I did not get in it to save money or to make a better bullet than you can buy. I just like to do things for myself. If I need 200 bullets for a match I can make them in 3 days, that’s not working all day but one day to clean, one day to set the cores, and one day to point the bullets. If I want 112’s I can do them or if I want 118’s I can do them. If I remember right some time the first of this year some people were having problems getting bullets, just so happens I had 2 or 3 thousand jackets and cores so I had no problems with bullets. It is just what you like to do, some people will buy a new car and some people will build them a Hot Rod.
john
Mims,Fl.
I make my own bullets and have enjoyed doing it. I did not get in it to save money or to make a better bullet than you can buy. I just like to do things for myself. If I need 200 bullets for a match I can make them in 3 days, that’s not working all day but one day to clean, one day to set the cores, and one day to point the bullets. If I want 112’s I can do them or if I want 118’s I can do them. If I remember right some time the first of this year some people were having problems getting bullets, just so happens I had 2 or 3 thousand jackets and cores so I had no problems with bullets. It is just what you like to do, some people will buy a new car and some people will build them a Hot Rod.
john
Mims,Fl.
Lee, making your own BR accuracy bullets can be very rewarding. Larry Blackmon makes a good steel die setup that is reasonably priced. George Ulrich makes great carbide dies (as Michael Turner pointed out).
Bullet making can be as relaxing or as stresfull as you want to make it. You do save some money eventually on a per-bullet basis, but you also have more 'up front' costs when it comes to ordering jackets. A case of 1.00" .30 J4 jackets (4 buckets of 1,000) will run almost the same as 2,000 bullets, for example. J4 will sell you any quantity you like, though..so you can get a single bucket at a time.
The most inexpensive way to do cores is to buy bullet wire from a place like Crown Metal. It's a bit time consuming to make cores, but cheaper than buying them pre-made. Plus, you can juggle core weights to suit the jacket weights...which vary by jacket lot. Not always a big deal, though.
If you like tinkering and have some time, it can be a fun learning experience. -Al
Bullet making can be as relaxing or as stresfull as you want to make it. You do save some money eventually on a per-bullet basis, but you also have more 'up front' costs when it comes to ordering jackets. A case of 1.00" .30 J4 jackets (4 buckets of 1,000) will run almost the same as 2,000 bullets, for example. J4 will sell you any quantity you like, though..so you can get a single bucket at a time.
The most inexpensive way to do cores is to buy bullet wire from a place like Crown Metal. It's a bit time consuming to make cores, but cheaper than buying them pre-made. Plus, you can juggle core weights to suit the jacket weights...which vary by jacket lot. Not always a big deal, though.
If you like tinkering and have some time, it can be a fun learning experience. -Al