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Old 07-20-2011, 12:38 PM
Bandmiller2 Bandmiller2 is offline
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Default Copper swaging

Has anyone here tried swaging soft copper into small cal. bullets,.14,.17 est.?I think due to the small size a heavy toggle over reloading press would handle the job.Think of it, pieces of scrap copper wire into sub cal bullets.They may be a little slack on the expansion end of it but could be hollow pointed.Frank C.
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Old 07-20-2011, 02:54 PM
ray h ray h is offline
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Frank sometime back I saw that question asked on a metal working site.The guy worked in the field and did the math. It takes a LOT of pressure to form annealed copper into a bullet shape and then you'd have to drill out the nose to get some kind of expansion from them. Most of our reloading presses are "cast" iron or Al today so don't think they'd take that kind of pressure. I'm sure someone Varmint Al could do a stress analysis to show the force needed.
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Old 07-20-2011, 11:19 PM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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The area of a 14 cal is under .018 square inches so if your press can stand 500 pounds of load on the dies that makes about 27,000 psi on the copper in the die. I think it would probably end up any shape the die was. Larry
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Old 07-21-2011, 12:38 AM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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OK, I think I will make up a swaging die for a solid copper bullet, think I will go for a 10 cal because there are barrels out there and I have never seen any bullets. What diameter should a 10 cal bullet be when it is finished in a solid? Larry
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Old 07-21-2011, 03:28 AM
MIBULLETS MIBULLETS is offline
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I have seen were the wire was cut, then pressed into a cylinder of just less than finished diameter. Then drill the hollow point hole, this will make the point forming operation much easier.
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Old 07-21-2011, 05:46 AM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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If someone will give me the measurments I will make up some crude dies and see if they can be formed by that method. If it works then some young person may be able to make some dies up to do some bullet making. Larry
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Old 07-21-2011, 10:25 AM
The Old Redneck The Old Redneck is offline
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Default Bullet diameter

Sir the .10 caliber is .103 in diameter. PM me you address and I'll send you a few. Corbin said the problem is getting the bullet back out of the die. I used a mini lathe, made a cutting tool that looked like 1/2 a bullet. Did a plunge cut against a steady rest. Never could do a good hollow point.
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Old 07-21-2011, 10:57 AM
ray h ray h is offline
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Larry, hoping the die works out for you. Lacking the math background I bought into the high pressure needed after seeing his calulations. To make a hollow point could you drill the hole( maybe a tapered hole) in the wire first and then form the nose. That may make it easier to make and reduce the pressure even more. Good luck
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Old 07-21-2011, 12:30 PM
Bandmiller2 Bandmiller2 is offline
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Default Copper bullets

Of course if small diameter copper tube was used it would ease the forming and make hollow pointing a snap,only problem would be sealing the base. Frank C.
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Old 07-21-2011, 09:52 PM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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Thanks for the offers of bullets, I will just make up a die with a bullet shape to try to see if it will work. I am thinking I will make a two piece die for removal of the bullet after forming. I am still thinking things through. Larry
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