Bullet making for 22 cal.

[Utah Shooter]

So I have finally received my press and 7s dies. I am curious what weights any of you bullet makers are finding as accurate. It sure is nice that I can choose pretty much any weight I want but hard to figure what weight to start with.

I currently have a 1:8 twist barrel and some .800 J4 jackets. Is anyone finding good results with 60-65 gr FB projectiles?

 

[bheadboy]

bullet making is an art, and thus depends on things maybe not so obvious

what is the ojive of the dies you purchased. all dies are ever so slightly different, thus the bullet to throat point is determined by the throat angle, length free bore, etc. and the ojive of the bullet where the contact point actually is. the lub u use and the amount of lub u use will have a significant effect on the bullet results.

Then th your bbl will have certain preferance for bullet dia. ( adjustable in the making process to some degree)
and the weight/twist factors all bbls like and dont like. .0001-2" can make a significant difference in preformance all else being consistant

SO the results of others is not necessarily worth the print - MHO - i suggest you take your time and set up to create a bullet that is close in weight to commercail pills you have tried - then test the dia variations and seating depths doing ladder test on each lot of test bullets make 100-150 of each dia, then when things look good hold that and alter the weight in .2gr increments up and down, and test again

That worked for me in 22 and 6mm bullets for br and i know others that did this is 30cal as well

Bob

 

[STS]

I have made some 60 gr. bullets in my Rorschach 7s .22 dies. They shot very well in a 14 twist barrel. With that short ogive the 60's are about as long as is practical to make. If you are just getting started in bullet making I would suggest you get some .705 J4 jackets and make some 52 gr. bullets first. There is a reason that most bullet makers, both custom and commercial, make a 52 or 53 grain bullet. That bullet length and weight is the product of a great deal of experimentation by benchrest shooters in the early days of the sport. I would also suggest that you use lead that contains 0.5% antimony for your cores. I have used both pure lead and antimony lead and have always made better bullets with the harder lead. Any questions just fire away and I'll try and give a hand.

 

[bheadboy]

i agree with STS as i used Sierra 705's with great results. and the 52 gr area is easier to work with as the bullet lenght is less of a margin in th twist

Bob

 

[Utah Shooter]

With that short ogive the 60's are about as long as is practical to make.

There is a reason that most bullet makers, both custom and commercial, make a 52 or 53 grain bullet. That bullet length and weight is the product of a great deal of experimentation by benchrest shooters in the early days of the sport.

Not sure if I am following 60's being as long as is practical. I thought they used the same jacket to get to both 60 and 65 weights?

I thought that the reason 52's were so popular is because the 22lr case is what they started out with back in the late 50's (or so) and that was the best weight for that type of application. It just kinda bled over to copper jackets?

 

[bheadboy]

52-53 were the thing because the twist were 14 and 16 in the 30's-70's -- the WWII use of 22lr fired cases was a matter of necessity not choice.

the use of faster twist on smaller calibers came much later and thus opened the door for heavier bullets, thus longer bullets.

the problem for a beginning bullet maker AKA you is that the heavier/longer bullets are harder to keep uniform than the shorter ones, there are so many variables that effect the quality of the bullet that you need to get some of these techniques down before taking on the more difficult higher weight longer bullets.

Bob

 

[STS]

With that short ogive the 60's are about as long as is practical to make.

There is a reason that most bullet makers, both custom and commercial, make a 52 or 53 grain bullet. That bullet length and weight is the product of a great deal of experimentation by benchrest shooters in the early days of the sport.

Not sure if I am following 60's being as long as is practical. I thought they used the same jacket to get to both 60 and 65 weights?

I thought that the reason 52's were so popular is because the 22lr case is what they started out with back in the late 50's (or so) and that was the best weight for that type of application. It just kinda bled over to copper jackets?

Maybe I should clarify my post. With a 7 secant ogive die a .800 length jacket makes a bullet that has a very long bearing surface that most shooters don't care for. The bullet is kind of out of proportion. You can certainly make .800 length bullets on your dies but they will be about as long as you would probably want to go. I have gone to the other end of the spectrum and made 45 grain bullets on a .640 jacket. In a 7 ogive die they get a bit short shanked that doesn't leave much shank for the neck to hold onto. Tell us about your dies, maker. steel, carbide? It feels good to shoot well with bullets you made, and have 10,000 of them in ziplock bags.

 

[Utah Shooter]

I just got rid of Corbin R-Type dies and replaced them with Blackmon dies and one of his BSS presses. I wanted to get some Deutsch Dies but just could not afford them right now. Not that I have never made projectiles before but thought I would get some sort of advice before I went the wrong direction.

I am not meaning to come off as rude just inquisitive. I really wished there was someone near that was making projectiles for quality and not for "plinking" that was closer to me.

I do appreciate the help.

 

[FroggyOne2]

If I remember right, Clinch River bullets were a 7 degree Secant Ogive.

 

[STS]

I just got rid of Corbin R-Type dies and replaced them with Blackmon dies and one of his BSS presses. I wanted to get some Deutsch Dies but just could not afford them right now. Not that I have never made projectiles before but thought I would get some sort of advice before I went the wrong direction.

I am not meaning to come off as rude just inquisitive. I really wished there was someone near that was making projectiles for quality and not for "plinking" that was closer to me.

I do appreciate the help.

Not rude at all. It is much better to ask questions and get a good understanding of what to do and how to do it, than to make a bunch of scrap metal out of your jackets and lead. Sent you a PM

 

[redrockranger]

You might ask BERGER. They make the J-4 jacket.

 

[Utah Shooter]

Well I must say I had a pleasant conversation over the phone last night with STS. I really appreciate the time taken. I wished I lived closer to someone like him.

Thank you for the time.

 

[STS]

Thanks for listening to my sometimes hard to follow logic. Just passing on some information that was generously given to me many years ago. Send me a great bullet or two to shoot sometime.