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  #21  
Old 03-13-2011, 11:19 AM
Kiwishooter Kiwishooter is offline
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Stephen, I am following this thread with interest.

Due to the lack of bullet makers in New Zealand, and it getting increasingly harder to get benchrest quality bullets out of the US i have bought a set of dies off David Detsch, but still need some other bits like core cutter, lead wire, jackets and another press.
I ordered a press from George Ulrich but that was about 3 years ago, he seems too busy to make one for me.
A set of bullet boards will be very handy, so now I have an email contact will try and order some.
I followed your previous thread and managed to keep a copy of some of it, thanks for starting this thread...........Kiwi
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  #22  
Old 03-13-2011, 06:18 PM
Kiwishooter Kiwishooter is offline
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Posted for Stephen Perry

the ole bullet making thread Day 4

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Day 4
Day 4 is usually a bullet Christmas present for most bullet makers. The commercial bullet makers can now make some money on their investment of time and equipment. When my lot of bullets is completed the small bullet makers like myself gets to clean guns or get aquanted with their family again. During bullet making time I take no phone calls and don't deal with my family. Bullet making is relatively simple if you follow each step.

I like all the steps in bullet making but Day 4 point-up day for me gives me a good feeling in my bullet making soul. I don't make bullets for profit I don't sell any I like to make bullets because I wanted to do something in the shooting sport that I had control over. Being a Shoot Director at San Gabriel Valley Benchrest for 13 years was fine but the program had control of me the whole time. Bullet making is more a personal thing that one can do on their own schedule. One thing though finish what you start in bullet making, you have a sizeable investment in equipment and time invested.

Now that I know I have done all the steps correct in my bullet making and when the point-up day is completed that I will have bullets that give me a chance to compete with my competitors hopefully on an equal basis, I hope. Watching Bronco Billy again as I write this what a hoot, not making bullets. Haven't always felt that way about my bullet making when I started, I was mostly in the top 5 at my SW Regioin Shoots using Berger, Watson and Gentner bullets - in the day. Galled me shooting bullets I had made and see my once low 2 aggs at 200 go to 3's and 4's but I persisted, I had an investment here. My bullet making Mentor told me his initial bullet making experience. He says that when he started making bullets that he vowed he would never shoot anybody elses bullets again, he has kept that pledge. Sure he struggled in his shooting while he was refining his bullet making technique but not for long. My bullet making Mentor is a 20+ HoF member and still going strong.

Getting back to Day 4. Several things need to be done before the final pointing-up of bullets and packaging. During Day 3 we established measurements on the seated bullet core below the lead line but not at the pressure ring. Now is where your bulletmaking pays off. If you followed all the bulllet making steps and adjusted your point-up die your ready to start the finishing something worthwhile, your bullets. At $250 per thousand for benchrest bullets your savings of making your own bullets should in 4-5 years of bullet making should pay for your bullet making investment.

My first bit of bullet making knowledge came after talking with my 1977 benchrest bullet maker. Tom Metzger shared with me that he burned 75 bullets each time before point-up session, layed them aside calling them Varmint bullets. His reasoning was that it takes use to warm up the die before he started pointing up benchrest bullets, his bullets were always in demand.

Before I get ahead of myself let me talk about lube. Many opinions here most good. What is important here is using a lube that will spread evenly when rolled/tumbled/shaken or whatever way applied. The lube is the medium between the die and the cored jacket so that during the hydraulic action of turning a cylinder/jacket into a guided missle/bullet that now has an ogive, measured shaft, and a pressure ring that seals the bullet in the case neck with the appropriate neck tension. You as the bullet maker have control over all these parameters when you make your own bullets. My lube also from another bullet Mentor is a mix: 3 parts anhydrous lanolin 1 part vaseline. Heat the mix and store for later use. I store my lube in film containers. Lube goes a long way, 10-12 oz of lube generally lasts me 10 years. Applying lube to jackets has several ways that get the job done. Some use a tumbler with a measured amount of lube, some use an old t-shirt and roll the jackets until they get tired. I use a 2 gallon mason jar measure my lube and rub lube on all 4 sides and inside the lid. Then I go to my kid and let her shake the jar until she gets tired, 8-10 minutes. Lastly I roll jackets still inside the jar trying to evenly spread the lube around. Lube and it's application is what determines the final dimensions, remember lube/hydraulic pressure and heat are the mediums that move the jacket metal to take the shape of the inside of the die thus the shank measrement and the ogive. The pressure ring is not formed inside the die but forces inside the die when released from die form the .0003-.0004 difference in measurment at the base of the bullet, boat-tail bullets have no pressure ring as the action of forming the boat-tail takes the pressure away.

Before the point-up session begins clean up again, oorganize your stuff put things away clear your area,. I don't want anything slowing down my point-up operation. I take no phone calls, lock my garage door, keep my family away. Pointing-up bullets will make or break all your good work so far. Take bullet making serious. I point-up as fast as I can go without losing control. Want to keep that die warm as I go. Want my pressure rings to measure the same all the way through. Like to see my 6 bullets measure .2430 on the shank and .2434 on the pressure ring. My 22 bullets go .2240 on the shank and .2243 on the pressure ring. Take a short break when fatigue starts to set in. Use this time to measure some bullets. Weighing of bullets comes last. Finish off your lot of bullets, personal preference I leave the lube on the bullets after the point-up.

Storing bullets for later use. I use either old 100 pk bullet boxes but mostly the boxes I buy come from the 99 cent store. I use 200,300, and bulk boxes. Going to a weekend shoot I take two 300 pks this allows me to give away a few bullets to new shooters who want to compare them to the Sierra, Speer, Nosler or what they inherited. I don't sell bullets so if they ask me I will send them to whoever has some benchrest bullets for sale.

That's about it. Lots more to to discuss got nothing but time here to share. General problems that occur during bullet making can be dealt with when they come up. Let some of the other fine bullet makers on Small Caliber share also. Done.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
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  #23  
Old 03-22-2011, 11:22 AM
Stephen Perry Stephen Perry is offline
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Default Thanks Kiwi

nt

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
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  #24  
Old 03-24-2011, 04:28 AM
algunjunkie algunjunkie is offline
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All of my swaging gear is from Dav Corbin.

s-press and a 224 set of dies

One press so that part sucks big time.

I cast my cores instead of using lead wire, simply because I have several hundreds of pounds of wheel weight that I add pure lead too to help soften it up a bit.

I have just started lubing the cores by placing them in a mason jar with lube and shaking it around for a few minutes. I must admit that it is a better method that lubing each one separately which is how I use to do it.

I then swage cores for days and put them in plastic jars with the weight listed on it. Then like you, I core seat one day and then point up one day.

I had planned on buying additional press but since they are now $600 each, I am now looking for a new set up.
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  #25  
Old 03-25-2011, 02:32 AM
Stephen Perry Stephen Perry is offline
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Sounds like you're going in the right direction. As far as another bullet making press that shouldn't cost you $600. Not sure if Corbin dies need to have a Corbin press.

For $600 you can buy 3 RCBS Rockchucker presses and if you have the tools you can make your ejector system for each press and modify the rams for bullet making.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

Last edited by Stephen Perry; 07-03-2011 at 02:51 AM.
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  #26  
Old 03-25-2011, 02:55 PM
Mntngoat Mntngoat is offline
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The ejector system is so simple its not even funny. Dan Lilja was selling ejection frames recently not sure if he still has them. the core cutter can be had from Corbin or better yet just buy cores already squirted from Charlie hood.

ML
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  #27  
Old 03-26-2011, 03:56 AM
algunjunkie algunjunkie is offline
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Unfortunatley, Corbin dies are for Corbin presses. I know, but at the time I didn't know any better. I have contacted other die makers since then and found out the error of my thinking. Right now I am talking to Dr. Blackmon about his gear and can get the whole die set, press and boatail die for the round that I am after for price of a single Corbin press.
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  #28  
Old 03-26-2011, 04:29 AM
Stephen Perry Stephen Perry is offline
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al

Getting back to your decision to go with the Blackmon equipment. Don't have any Blackmon myself but mostly positive reports from Al Nyhus on his Blackmon presses and dies, he'll come on this Thread and talk to you about Blackmon gear. Getter dun.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

Last edited by Stephen Perry; 01-26-2012 at 12:25 PM.
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  #29  
Old 03-27-2011, 04:13 AM
algunjunkie algunjunkie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen Perry View Post
al
Sorry if I come across as a damn elitist belonging to an Angeles Range clique, all this because I mentioned several times that I am a benchrest shooter, and goad people at the range to prove it when they tell new shooters that their factory Savage rifles will shoot all their shots into the same hole all day long at 300 yd. Sorry to the Forum ahead of time if I discount such miracle claims, yeah right.

Getting back to your decision to go with the Blackmon equipment. Don't have any Blackmon myself but mostly positive reports from Al Nyhaus on his Blackmon presses and dies, he'll come on this Thread and talk to you about Blackmon gear. Getter dun.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
Never came across that way to me. I am glad that someone is willing to help others learn the art of swaging. When I started 6 years ago it was trail and error.

Al Nyhaus's review on another forum showing a .074 inch group with a 118 grain bullet made from Dr. Blackmon's dies was indeed impressive and finally swayed me to purchase the die set. Saying that I fully understand that he is an accomplished shooter and I can not expect the same results, but I am going to try.
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  #30  
Old 04-02-2011, 08:47 AM
Stephen Perry Stephen Perry is offline
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Default Learn Bullet Making From Those Who Compete

Al Nyhus is a rifleman who became a bullet maker. We have all benefited from watching and learning as Al chose his Blackmon equipment and consulted with his bullet making Mentor to come up with a system that allows him to compete and hunt with his 30 cal bullets. Now Al is a Mentor to others that want to compete with bullets they produce in their own time frame. Al was a regular contributor in the original bullet making Thread I constructed on another Forum, lasted some 4 months 380 Posts over 50,000 readers.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

Last edited by Stephen Perry; 12-27-2011 at 12:04 PM.
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