Bullet making for my own use

[Mulligan]

Just retired, pondering starting bullet making. Not to sell, just to help keep my family with a supply of high quality fun tokens.

Watch a few videos, read a zillion threads on AS and BR Central.
Also found some really good articles on the subject online.

I have a bunch of questions but will start with this,
What equipment is necessary and which is just nice to have?
I assume carbide dies are for the serious production folks......is this a good assumption?
Thanks
CW

 

[INShooter]

Welcome to a VERY DEEP rabbit hole. Been rolling my own for about 10 years now.

 

[JSH]

By the time you get everything bought and paid for to get started, you may well decide the money can buy you a huge supply of bullets.
Casting is not a lot better if your starting from zero.

If you enjoy tinkering and saying “I made these” your on your own and will find no pity from me, lol.

 

[GerryM]

How many calibers do you plan on making?. carbide dies are the best but cost more.

 

[ebb]

JHS where can you buy a huge supply of bullets (i do agree with you ) in this day and time? I started casting and it is labor and equipment intensive and in my opinion maybe only suitable for hand guns or really low velocity rifles. If i could make jacketed bullets i would be doing it instead of typing.

 

[JFrank]

Just retired, pondering starting bullet making. Not to sell, just to help keep my family with a supply of high quality fun tokens.

Watch a few videos, read a zillion threads on AS and BR Central.
Also found some really good articles on the subject online.

I have a bunch of questions but will start with this,
What equipment is necessary and which is just nice to have?
I assume carbide dies are for the serious production folks......is this a good assumption?
Thanks
CW

Congratulations in your Retirement Clay, now you have time to shoot at Deep Creek.

 

[TrxR]

Ive been looking into this as well and am gathering some required equipment .

Steel dies are out there but im not sure if they are as consistent as the carbide.

Your going to need modified presses, a lead wire cutter or buy cores from Charlie Hood, a rotary tumbler is going to be a good thing to have. A accurate scale, micrometer . Probably some other things im missing.

George Ulrich can supply modified Lee presses i believe as well as carbide dies.

Just retired, pondering starting bullet making. Not to sell, just to help keep my family with a supply of high quality fun tokens.

Watch a few videos, read a zillion threads on AS and BR Central.
Also found some really good articles on the subject online.

I have a bunch of questions but will start with this,
What equipment is necessary and which is just nice to have?
I assume carbide dies are for the serious production folks......is this a good assumption?
Thanks
CW

 

[Mulligan]

Congratulations in your Retirement Clay, now you have time to shoot at Deep Creek.

Damn skippy I do!!!!
Our matches are usually on the same weekends (Whitewater and Deep Creek).
However either March or April one of the two is lining up well.
I also need to look at July and Aug schedules.
CW

 

[Mulligan]

Ive been looking into this as well and am gathering some required equipment .

Steel dies are out there but im not sure if they are as consistent as the carbide.

Your going to need modified presses, a lead wire cutter or buy cores from Charlie Hood, a rotary tumbler is going to be a good thing to have. A accurate scale, micrometer . Probably some other things im missing.

George Ulrich can supply modified Lee presses i believe as well as carbide dies.

So, I see purpose built presses and modified reloading presses.
Looking for some guidance here????

CW

 

[TrxR]

So, I see purpose built presses and modified reloading presses.
Looking for some guidance here????

CW

The reloading presses are modified to have the ram threaded to thread the different punches into as well as have some sort of frame or other setup that will push on the ejection pin in the die when the ram is lowered . Ulrich's setup is nice and clean. BTsniper over on castboolits also makes a ejection frame.

Most of the guys ive questioned so far are using modified reloading presses. One is using a Corbin setup for his core squirting. Another is using a custom hydraulic press for one operation (not sure which).

Hopefully some of the guys that make their own can step in and answer any specific questions.

 

[TrxR]

Also the dies generally used are a combo of 7/8"-14 and 1-1/4"-12.

 

[liljoe]

Here is what I started with from George Ulrich. 6mm dies for 68g bullets. He sends a few core seat punches and a couple BT punches. These are the Lee presses he converts.
He is very good to talk with and builds stuff in a timely manner.
I bought this stuff in October 2017 and I believe it was right around $2400.
Not sure if they are still the same price.
It would get very costly to make multiple calibers.
Joe

 

[DRNewcomb]

The original home bullet swaging was a way to make .22 jacketed bullets from available lead and spent .22 rimfire cases during WWII, when sporting ammo was in very short supply. I'd probably get started doing something similar.

 

[Ron Gorski]

Just retired, pondering starting bullet making. Not to sell, just to help keep my family with a supply of high quality fun tokens.

Watch a few videos, read a zillion threads on AS and BR Central.
Also found some really good articles on the subject online.

I have a bunch of questions but will start with this,
What equipment is necessary and which is just nice to have?
I assume carbide dies are for the serious production folks......is this a good assumption?
Thanks
CW

Try this website: Corbin Home Page (corbins.com)

 

[TrxR]

I'm using Blackmon Dies with a RCE Corbin LAT-135 press. To use the Corbin press with the Blackmon dies you need the Dave Corbin Walnut hill Adapter and Ejector Pin adapter. Just finished up Pinching 1400 6mm jackets down to .900. Why, .900 Jackets are a special order. Big bucks. Purchased 1.05 J4 Jackets on here for cheaper and didn't have to wait. Going out to see how my new 6mm 80 gr 8 ogive bullets work tomorrow. Been at this Bullet Making for almost Six months, So far Two thousand 30 cal 117 gr bullets made and a dozen 6MM 80's. Really helps if there is a mentor around for you to look over their shoulder and vise versa. RANDY

Are the Blackmon dies carbide? If not what made you choose to go that direction? Whats the approx rate on his dies?

 

[jackieschmidt]

Here are my presses and dies for 30 caliber 112 grn bullets for Varmint for score. These are the modified Lee presses and Carbide Dies.

George Ulrich furnished all of this for me. The jacket lube jar is pretty simple . The heat gun warms the point up die.

You did not say what bullet you wanted to make and how “anal” you wanted to get With the whole thing.

 

[JSH]

There is an outfit called BC Sniper I believe e that was making complete set ups for jacketed stuff. He was on the Cast Boolit site.

 

[JSH]

JHS where can you buy a huge supply of bullets (i do agree with you ) in this day and time? I started casting and it is labor and equipment intensive and in my opinion maybe only suitable for hand guns or really low velocity rifles. If i could make jacketed bullets i would be doing it instead of typing.

EBB, granted stuff is tough to find at the moment. I have found some stuff at honest prices, it doesn’t last long though.

On the cast side of things. I do run the rifles up to speed with good results. Veral Smith of LBT covers it pretty good. I do ok with 30 caliber but prefer a 35 or bigger in a cast bullet rifle.

22 Hornets are blast with cast.

Casting or swaging I would sure check to see what is available for needed supplies before I dropped a lot of coin.

 

[Mulligan]

Here are my presses and dies for 30 caliber 112 grn bullets for Varmint for score. These are the modified Lee presses and Carbide Dies.

George Ulrich furnished all of this for me. The jacket lube jar is pretty simple . The heat gun warms the point up die.

You did not say what bullet you wanted to make and how “anal” you wanted to get With the whole thing.View attachment 1231070

6mm 105 class bullets mostly.
I am getting a waldog built for the grand girls to try at short range....... depending on availability I may try 22.
CW

Edit. Reread your post and realized I didn’t answer all of it.
I may well be the poster child for “anal”..... just saying.
CW

 

[Mulligan]

The original home bullet swaging was a way to make .22 jacketed bullets from available lead and spent .22 rimfire cases during WWII, when sporting ammo was in very short supply. I'd probably get started doing something similar.

I did not know you could use spent 22rf cases for bullet jackets.
Our grandparents didn’t waste anything!
CW