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I am not sure if any of you have seen it but lots of gun rags recently have discussed making your own .22 bullets for the .223/5.56 platforms using .22LR cases as jacket material. The initial cost outlay seems excessive, $1000+ but the then again you get peace of mind and security knowing you wil be able to feed your platform if the bullets cease to be. I just wondered if anyone here has considered this or has any experience in with this. I am onthe fence about it now but it could be a useful thing to have.

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I am not sure if any of you have seen it but lots of gun rags recently have discussed making your own .22 bullets for the .223/5.56 platforms using .22LR cases as jacket material. The initial cost outlay seems excessive, $1000+ but the then again you get peace of mind and security knowing you wil be able to feed your platform if the bullets cease to be. I just wondered if anyone here has considered this or has any experience in with this. I am onthe fence about it now but it could be a useful thing to have.

 

 

That would probably be one of the best investments in the face of an all out ammo ban I have ever heard of!

 

It would be like having a printing press

 

scrap wheel weights+spent 22lr cases= Quality .224 projectile!

 

I shoot brick,upon brick of 22lr and throw so much of it away I always thought it was a horrible waste of brass.

 

got a link perchance?

Edited by SOPMOD
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I am not sure if any of you have seen it but lots of gun rags recently have discussed making your own .22 bullets for the .223/5.56 platforms using .22LR cases as jacket material. The initial cost outlay seems excessive, $1000+ but the then again you get peace of mind and security knowing you wil be able to feed your platform if the bullets cease to be. I just wondered if anyone here has considered this or has any experience in with this. I am onthe fence about it now but it could be a useful thing to have.

 

 

That would probably be one of the best investments in the face of an all out ammo ban I have ever heard of!

 

It would be like having a printing press

 

scrap wheel weights+spent 22lr cases= Quality .224 projectile!

 

I shoot brick,upon brick of 22lr and throw so much of it away I always thought it was a horrible waste of brass.

 

got a link perchance?

 

Sorry, no link, was an actual article in a hardcopy periodical. Will look up the article and try to post relevant info. It has been in several of the gun rags recently. January SWAT had it I think. Also one or two of the others. Will look for the articles when I have time tomorrow or this weekend. Yeah, it is a good idea.

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I am not sure if any of you have seen it but lots of gun rags recently have discussed making your own .22 bullets for the .223/5.56 platforms using .22LR cases as jacket material. The initial cost outlay seems excessive, $1000+ but the then again you get peace of mind and security knowing you wil be able to feed your platform if the bullets cease to be. I just wondered if anyone here has considered this or has any experience in with this. I am onthe fence about it now but it could be a useful thing to have.

 

 

That would probably be one of the best investments in the face of an all out ammo ban I have ever heard of!

 

It would be like having a printing press

 

scrap wheel weights+spent 22lr cases= Quality .224 projectile!

 

I shoot brick,upon brick of 22lr and throw so much of it away I always thought it was a horrible waste of brass.

 

got a link perchance?

 

Go out and look for back issue of Shooting Times magazine november 2007. Has article on reloading 223 with 22lr brass, is informational but they even expressed the somewhat great expense to do. But if there is no 223 ammo around it would be a good idea if you lots of time on your hands.

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I am more concerned with getting powder and primers than bullets but if they tax bullets it would pay for itself fast that is why I save my 22 cases. On a side note that is how Speer and others got their start I believe. I know AR-15.com can be a pain but they had some info on this a few years back.

Edited by OrRedbeard
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I am more concerned with getting powder and primers than bullets but if they tax bullets it would pay for itself fast that is why I save my 22 cases. On a side note that is how Speer and others got their start I believe. I know AR-15.com can be a pain but they had some info on this a few years back.

 

Are you the Redbeard I shared my subsonic 7.62x39 load data with?If so I can imagine you would have taken a crack at something like saving 22lr brass,LOL

 

Oh and yes,some of the versions of pending legislation require serial numbering cases and projectiles.

 

I'll be saving my spent 22lr hulls from now on since I read this post :D

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OK, it was the December 08 issue of SWAT. The manufacturer is Corbin Bullet Swaging Systems (www.corbins.com) and they provide a rimfire jacket maker kit for $783, an optional core swage die for $198 and a hand canelure tool for $129. THey also seel 4 cavity core molds for the bullet cores. Their stuff includes a book on how to do it and useful tips. Pure lead is recommended as linotype and wheel weight alloys are too hard and may damage the dies.

 

Yes, I also read the article in Shooting Times but that is buried somewhere in a pile of gun magazines. Basically it said the samethings as the SWAT article. Anyway, hope this helps those interested. They suggest this is a great investment for a club or LE Dept.

 

As far as primers go, the problem there is getting the right chemicals now. I believe they are a bit restricted as to availability due to possible explosives manufacture uses. There are also heavy metal components like mercury (old fashioned primers) or lead (new style primers) that require care to minimize exposure. In any case the resultant compounds are highly sensitive to shock and therefore very dangerous to work with in bulk. I am sure it can be done but it is easier to stock up on commercial primers now.

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OK, it was the December 08 issue of SWAT. The manufacturer is Corbin Bullet Swaging Systems (www.corbins.com) and they provide a rimfire jacket maker kit for $783, an optional core swage die for $198 and a hand canelure tool for $129. THey also seel 4 cavity core molds for the bullet cores. Their stuff includes a book on how to do it and useful tips. Pure lead is recommended as linotype and wheel weight alloys are too hard and may damage the dies.

 

Yes, I also read the article in Shooting Times but that is buried somewhere in a pile of gun magazines. Basically it said the samethings as the SWAT article. Anyway, hope this helps those interested. They suggest this is a great investment for a club or LE Dept.

 

As far as primers go, the problem there is getting the right chemicals now. I believe they are a bit restricted as to availability due to possible explosives manufacture uses. There are also heavy metal components like mercury (old fashioned primers) or lead (new style primers) that require care to minimize exposure. In any case the resultant compounds are highly sensitive to shock and therefore very dangerous to work with in bulk. I am sure it can be done but it is easier to stock up on commercial primers now.

 

 

The Corbin swaging setup can be used for a multitude of calibers it seems.

Thanks for the link SaigaCzech!

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SOPMOD that was not me, but I have thought about this for some time and tried to talk some friends into going and buying the dies from Corbin. Most of them don't seem to think past the present moment in time. Now they are saying I should have listen to you and bought that gun or ammo a year or two ago when I could get it.

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More on this topic please,w/pics.

More options good!

 

Unfortunately the pictures are copyrighted, as is the article. You can visit the Corbin web site in the link above or buy a back issues of the magazine listed here. Now if any other reader of this rag wants to break copyright laws, be my guest. .

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SOPMOD that was not me, but I have thought about this for some time and tried to talk some friends into going and buying the dies from Corbin. Most of them don't seem to think past the present moment in time. Now they are saying I should have listen to you and bought that gun or ammo a year or two ago when I could get it.

 

Been there, done that too. Sold a neighbor an AR lower I did not want (OlyArms) two years ago and to this day he has yet to get an upper. Not my fault if he never gets it built now. Same with the ammo. People poked fun at me and my frequent UPS deliveries and the strain the poor delivery guy had carrying them. Now they want to buy my ammo from me. The same with Magazines.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello everyone. My name is Jon and this is my first post here, so I hope I can offer some value information to you all (as well as learn a bunch from you) and become a welcome member of your forum.

 

Here is a link to a thread I first saw a couple years ago on AR15.com regarding making .223 projectiles from .22 brass:

 

http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=408

 

Take care

jonblack

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OK, it was the December 08 issue of SWAT. The manufacturer is Corbin Bullet Swaging Systems (www.corbins.com) and they provide a rimfire jacket maker kit for $783, an optional core swage die for $198 and a hand canelure tool for $129. THey also seel 4 cavity core molds for the bullet cores. Their stuff includes a book on how to do it and useful tips. Pure lead is recommended as linotype and wheel weight alloys are too hard and may damage the dies.

 

Yes, I also read the article in Shooting Times but that is buried somewhere in a pile of gun magazines. Basically it said the samethings as the SWAT article. Anyway, hope this helps those interested. They suggest this is a great investment for a club or LE Dept.

 

As far as primers go, the problem there is getting the right chemicals now. I believe they are a bit restricted as to availability due to possible explosives manufacture uses. There are also heavy metal components like mercury (old fashioned primers) or lead (new style primers) that require care to minimize exposure. In any case the resultant compounds are highly sensitive to shock and therefore very dangerous to work with in bulk. I am sure it can be done but it is easier to stock up on commercial primers now.

You left one formulation out and that is potasium chlorate which is the basic priming that US military used until the 1950"s. It is corrosive, but apparently it was a good primer. All priming compounds are primary explosives and are extremely dangerous to handle. The mercury priming compounds are hard on brass.

Most modern primers still use a mechanical mixture of lead styphnate, antimony sulfide, barium nitrate, and other chemicals. This combination will create heat and gas when struck sharply. For rimfire cartridges, raw wet priming mix is placed directly in the hollow rim cavity. Binders provide all the holding power that keeps the primer in place. Some rimfire mixes differ from their centerfire counterparts by the addition of a frictionator (helps ignition in the rimfire system), which may be finely ground glass.

There is also lead azide is used in detonators and my chemistry high teacher claimed it was used in shotgun primers. not sure if that is true.

There are now also some lead free primers.

 

I strongly suggest that no one try making any of these compounds.

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I heard from an old crazy guy that lived back in the woods that strike anywhere matches can be used to refill primers.

 

The guy would shoot ducks and stuff them in barrels of lard to keep them for the winter, had no refrigeration of any kind and lived off the land.

 

Crazy as hell but seemed to know what he was doing.

 

Edit:

 

Oh he used pebbles for shot and rags for wads... Not sure if I want to know what he used for powder :wacko:

Edited by csspecs
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  • 3 weeks later...

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