Time to make the donuts....

[Infrequent Shooter]

I am going to get real greedy here. would a few of you guys draw some pics/diagrams (crude is ok) of the general stages of bullet making? I know there will probably be different methods. You guys are going above and beyond in giving us your dope on bulling making. MANY thanks.

 

[AlNyhus]

Lee Martin did an excellent article on Benchrest Central on his process. It was lost in the digital vortex until recently being revived.

Another Bullet Making Thread (lots of photos & video)

It has been a few years since the forum had a tutorial on bullet swaging. The thread Stephen Perry started as well as Al Nyhus' were just great. I thought one more couldn't hurt. In January I decided to make my own 6mm bullets for our PPC, BR, and Wasp. After feedback from a few forum...

benchrest.com

 

[jackieschmidt]

Lee Martin did an excellent article on Benchrest Central on his process. It was lost in the digital vortex until recently being revived.

Another Bullet Making Thread (lots of photos & video)

It has been a few years since the forum had a tutorial on bullet swaging. The thread Stephen Perry started as well as Al Nyhus' were just great. I thought one more couldn't hurt. In January I decided to make my own 6mm bullets for our PPC, BR, and Wasp. After feedback from a few forum...

benchrest.com

Yes, plus 1000 on this. Lee has it figured out. Great learning video.

 

[AlNyhus]

RCBS Lube-A-Matic (LAM) Heater

Make bullet casting easier with the RCBS Lube-A-Matic (LAM) Heater. The LAM Heater helps keep bullet lube flowing, ensuring proper sizing and...

www.midwayusa.com

Here is my 2 cents. I have been using a press heater on my point-up press for about 20 years. I have the temp setting to where \\the press body is 95 degrees. It amazed me how the bullet can feel as warm as it does when it comes out of the point-up die when you consider how short of a time period it is in the die. I think my bullets look a bit more shinny and the ogive folds look better and I think it makes the stroke a little slicker. I have only made 30 cal bullets (since 1991). My heater plate looks a little different than the attached link but I did buy it at Midway but 20 years ago. The temp setting is not at the max setting in order to get to 95 degrees.
I think it would help to have a heater on the core seat press but have never did it. Rich Griffin put me on to this- he did it when he made bullets. Rich had a small heat blanket that wrapped around the die.

Wayne Corley

Hi Wayne. That heating plate is a great idea...it might be very helpful for steel dies. I've got one coming and have some ideas on getting it lashed up to my press. Rich Griffin was a cool guy.

 

[Tim Singleton]

I’m not a big fan of tumbling again after core seating. The lube seems to get dirty quick the longer they tumble

edit to say with carbide I realize you about have to with steel

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

Yes, plus 1000 on this. Lee has it figured out.

thks for posting.

 

[David Conder]

I tumble them in a jar by hand I don’t like to tumble in a tumbler no lube needed
more lube you use the smaller the bullet after you lube to core seat

 

[WIB3]

So who currently is the dedicated custom bullet die makers ??

Bill Neimi has probably made some of the best dies in existence. Unfortunately he is aging and no longer makes them.

 

[WIB3]

Unless you have a coach to help you get started in this endeavor I highly recommend that you save your money, time, and mental health. Buy them from someone who has knowledge and experience. You will find by starting out on your own that know one will help you. I is a very secretive business and I understand why, I have been there. No one will tell you punch diameters or lube amounts. You will have to figure it all out on your own. And when you mess up, and you will, it’s not cheap. To get started figure 10-15 thousand dollars. Core seat punches are $75 and point up punches start a $150ea. Lead time for those pieces are months, not weeks.

 

[WIB3]

I was making 6mm, 103-105gr Match bullets on a set of Bill’s dies. My bullets were competitive but I didn’t have a distinct advantage over the others. The time and effort required didn’t justify the reward.

 

[David Conder]

I had Jef Fowler he was a master Bullet Smith he help me along with Jack Neyen
an now ih have 8 sets of dies all are carbide but 1 set of 22 steel dies an 20 plus
presses ps an David Tooley help along the way

 

[jackieschmidt]

Bill Neimi has probably made some of the best dies in existence. Unfortunately he is aging and no longer makes them.

Brian Neimi, his son, still makes punches and other accessories. I’m not sure if he continued Bill’s Die Making.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I was making 6mm, 103-105gr Match bullets on a set of Bill’s dies. My bullets were competitive but I didn’t have a distinct advantage over the others. The time and effort required didn’t justify the reward.

I think it is difficult to obtain a “distinct advantage” nowadays. We have some VERY good pro bullet makers. Most of the dies we have as individuals make a dimensionally correct bullet. I suppose it is up to each individual to tune accordingly to his bullets characteristics.

A good example is before I started making my own 30’s, I used BIB and Barts. Both 112 grn. These bullets vary quite a bit in their measurements. Most BIB’s would measure .3083 on the body with as much as a .3087 base. The Barts would only measure .3080 on the body with a .3083 base. I could make both shoot at a championship level by using a different powder charge and a little different seating depth.

The truth is, we are all at the mercy of the components. J-4 releases that purchasing form every year where individules can order their Jackets. I seriously doubt they are segregating them, you get what the next lot is off the assembly line.

I believe you can concentrate on bullet consistency if making your own. I strive to do this by checking everything. But then, I have checked multitudes of Barts, BIB’s, and so on and let’s face it, once it is correct, that is about as far as you can go.

 

[AlNyhus]

I believe a mentor is the most important 'component' you need and the first thing to have before anything is ordered. Preferably, it should be someone familiar with the die maker you're using. Personally, I never would have dipped my toes in the water had R.G. not encouraged me to do it. I had a good safety net for questions while still being able to learn on my own.

My motivation for bullet making was two fold. First, I was interested in the mechanics of the process and wanted to see if I could make a good bullet. Secondly, I wanted to have more control of on hand bullets.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[Schippergreg]

If a guy was to jump into bullet making what would be the best route, try to find a proven die and setup from an estate or someone getting out of benchrest or go new from somebody such as Peinhardt?

 

[Old Navy]

Mort, that box is full of Quadrajet race parts.

I never could tune one of those.

 

[AlNyhus]

I never could tune one of those.

Unlike other carbs that meter fuel by design, QJets were designed to be sophisticated 'air leaks'....the fuel metering was a byproduct of the air bleed off. Once you grasp that concept, they're easier to work with than a Holley.

 

[AlNyhus]

Since I had all my stuff out, it was a good time to finish these off. I came into five hundred 1.150" .30 cal J4 jackets years ago and had made 250 of them into 150 gr.'ers to use as a baseline test bullet on various .30 cal. factory and warmed over hunting rifles I tinker with. They flatten white tails and mule deer like crazy, too. Anyway, the stash was running low and it was time to replenish. Jackets were 45.1 gr. and I had some 105 gr. 'hard' cores I'd squirted from 2% antimony. They made up pretty nicely with no raggedy tips from ejecting and just the faintest of pleat lines forward of the metplat. I'm not sure what the jacket wall variation is but in this set of steel dies with this lube, they are a very nice looking bullet. Jacket material mix (copper/zinc ratio) and the state of annealing is something we don't have control over....although a few people do have actual jacket annealing equipment to treat jackets after receiving them. But ugly bullets can shoot great, too.

These bullets out of this 300WSM based hunting rig I did for a pal of mine. He uses it for culling deer from elevated hunting stands. It like a big dose of 760.

 

[JoeDuke]

Al, thank you for all you have posted here. Truly a good bullet making string that explains some of the details.

 

[AlNyhus]

Joe, I'm a one trick pony with a good set of steel dies, a helpful mentor and a good supplier. If I can make a decent bullet, anybody can. Guys making bullets on carbide dies are likely reading this and thinkin': "This clod doesn't know his butt from a bee hive about stuff works with carbide." And that would be dead on the money.