Bullet making

[AlNyhus]

Sometime back I'd decided to see if I could make good .30 cal. bullets. To make a long story short, I rounded up all the gear needed, pestered Randy Robinett mercilessly for info and am finally set up to make some. I've spent the last few weeks getting the hang of core cutting, core squirting, core seating, lubes and trying to learn what sorts of changes happen when you make little tweaks on the die adjustments as well as different techniques for the different operations. I'm still pretty clueless about a lot of it..but not quite as clueless as I was a while back. So..here's my first ten 118's that came out this evening...seemed somehow fitting on Easter Sunday. They measure good and as soon as the weather straightens out, I'll see if they shoot.

Hope I pointed the right end. -Al

 

[AlNyhus]

Just an update, for anyone that's interested.

Finally got a chance to test some of these bullets last weekend and though the conditions weren't exactly great for testing....honestly, I just couldn't wait any longer! As corny as it sounds, seeing holes made in the targets by bullets I'd made myself was a proud moment.

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[vmthtr]

How did they shoot Al. Having bullets you made finish 2nd and 3rd in the WI State HBR match was a top moment for Ron.

Mike

 

[StephenPerry]

Al
Where are you at on your bullet making. Have you made your first 1000. And what bullet weight have you decided for your 30 cal.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

 

[AlNyhus]

Stephen, I've been making some small lots and testing them as I go. Been fiddling with different base-to-ogive dimensions, lubes and amounts of same, core seating pressure, etc, etc. I've found a base-to-ogive dimension that works well..or at least I'm convinced it works well..which is half the battle, right? :lol:

Had a chance yesterday to shoot in absolutely perfect test conditions..we get about 3 days like this throughout the year..or at least they never coincide with my free time.

Here's my best effort to date, fired yesterday. Also fired a .106 and a .116 as I messed with the seating depth a bit. Shot some 12 shot groups a week or so back..they went .235,.263 and .216. My rig is pretty standard fare with the exception that it's a 10.5lb rather than a 13.5lb gun like most 30BR's: Kostyshyn 1:17 four groove, Sightron 36X, chambered by Stan Ware and pillar bedded and stocked by me in a Bruno/McMillan pattern stock.

Thanks for asking, Stephen.

 

[StephenPerry]

Al
Two suggestions. Weigh the amount of lube you use for each lot. If you start making say 500 at a time use a piece of wax paper and weigh the lube and paper together. Keep repeating the weighing keeping the weight of the lube the same for each lot, for 1000 lots double the 500 lot.. Use the least amount of lube to help keep the jackets from freezing up in your core die. When you point up add some by hand to the first jacket or two to prepare the point up die, keep those two bullets in your varmint collection, soon you will have 100 of those. The consist lubing determines your consistent final dimensions on the bullet. Measure at the pressure ring and record to 1/10's. Measure the shank of the bullet in helping you to set up your core seating pressure. In core seating if you have picked the correct punch you should see a small ring of bleed-by that comes up around your punch. Remember lead does not Compress so the punch pressure when set right will bleed, you want a small ring of bleed Al.
Cleanliness of your operation is paramount to good times in bullet making. When I begin I cut a dozen lines of wire each about 20" long and pull each line through a paper towel wet with silicon. This cleans the wire adding a small amount of silicone before I cut cores. Then I cut cores. Now I have a styrofoam bowl of cores, allot of cores to either make 22 or 6 bullets, each different weight cores for the desired bullets cut in seperate core lots I use several clean bowls for this Al, I have 2 core cutters one set for 22 one for 6. The silicon coating keeps my core making die from running hard which they can. One of the keys Al is to run fast in core making and point-up to maintain the heat of the dies you have created. Of course your washing of cores and jackets will remove any lube traces.
This all sounds like work Al but look again at that .074 group, it's worth it. At 10 1/2# you could shoot the 3 gun IBS Group Nats in June at St Louis, a little more interesting than those one hole one shot groups you guys shoot in Score. I can imagine your 118 Bibs can do the same kind of shooting. Randy has already told you the same about making bullets, he is one of the best.
Now Al, all my info is semi-free all you owe me is a spot next to you in the S. Dakota fields hunting pheasants or varmints. Continued good times in your bullet making and shooting.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

 

[AlNyhus]

Thanks for the tips, Stephen. I have a small book that I keep notes in on the bullet making..die settings, which diameter core seating punch I used, lube amount, etc, etc. I like to run at least 3 'warm ups' through either the core squirt, core seating or point up die before I start on the 'real deal' bullets..the dies need a bit of a warm up to stabilize dimensions and make sure the lube is consistent within the die, it seems. I use the 'die warm up bullets' for what I call 'in the berm' bullets..foulers after I clean, re-zeroing a scope, etc.

Stephen, I really enjoy Group shooting as well as Score shooting. I've shot my 30BR in two LV-HV 100-200 registered IBS tournaments and ended up finishing pretty well..a couple of 6th. place yardage finishes and both Grands were Top 10 with 35-36 shooters in both. Needless to say, I was the only .30 cal. in a sea of PPC's. As you know, I shoot Hunter Benchrest gun as well as the Varmint for Score class. At the IBS tournaments in my part of the country, the match directors wisely run a Score two Gun on the weekends...100-200 Hunter one day and 100-200 Varmint for Score the next. So, in one weekend you really get a lot of shooting in with two completely different rifles..the guy that wins the Score Two Gun has really accomplished something. Score shooting very demanding..not only do you need a rifle accurate enough to win in the Group matches, you also need to place the bullet "....right there." It's accuracy and precision combined.

I'm lucky that in my part of the country, every Score shoot is attended by past and current record Holders and National Champions...some of the best of the best..and I get to compete with these talented people regularly. Pretty cool. Nothing like shooting against the best to to bring out the best in anyone.

I've given some serious thought to putting together a dedicated Group rig, but given the distances involved to the Group matches in my part of the country plus the demands of a job where I work some weekends, I would almost have to give up Score shooting to make what I would consider a serious effort in Group shooting. I'd also like to try 600 yd. BR, as the Varmint Hunters range in Pierre, S.D. holds IBS 600 yd. matches there and it's only 4 hrs. from me.

Too much fun out there to have... but too little time.

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[StephenPerry]

Al
Instead of putting together a whole unit for group shooting add a dedicated 30 barrel for just testing your bullets and the occasional group shoot you can attend. You have a great smith in Stan take advantage of him for that barrel. For me there is no greater reward in shooting as winning a Shoot with bullets you make yourself. As we speak I am a couple days from getting my Pala gun from my smith.
My Pala gun is my Cruiser that we added a Krieger 1-8 twist barrel 6x47 Lapua with Mike's own design muzzle break. The muzzle break allows the gun to stay on course as we shoot 10 silhouettes off metal rails at 200-600m distances. You would like it. Leupold 36 scope, McMillan stock, Jewell trigger, sleeved Rem 600 action originally prepared by Pindell. I use my Hart rest with Hoehn 2 top and either Protector or Edgewood bags. 50 shot course.
I shot some practice after the event with my old 6x47 Rem and was able to sight-in and knock down several 600m prairie dogs in a row with the 66 grn bullets I make. Too much gun movement for each shot though thus the reason for the muzzle break on my Pala gun. My Cruiser with a 1.35 barrel of say 23" weight 16.5 lb. The same gun with muzzle break on my now 27" Krieger HV barrel might come in at 14 lb.
Al talk to Stan to find out if he has a nice take off 30 cal barrel that you can use to shoot groups with your 30 bullets or a new barrel, you have winning dies.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR