The next step is point forming. This will add some shape to it. The bullet is fed into the PF die open end first and the punch pushes it all the way into the die.



The bullet comes out almost ready to shoot. It mics at .224 inches, but the tip is not cleaned up. That's next.



Like the previous step, the bullet is fed into the tip forming die meplat first. The tip will come out looking like a protected point.





And that's it! There's some lube to wipe off, but the bullet is now ready to load.

Wthanks for the posts, it is interesting. Questions I have are:

1) how do you degrease the cores? I suspect it is a commercial degreaser/cleaner but is it an automotive brake/carb cleaner or more of a household product?

2) do you do degrease or otherwise clean the jackets before use?

3) have you tried bonding the core to the jacket? If so, how did it work?

4) do you do other calibers or just .224"?

5) WHY did you post this? It gives me the urge to take this up on my own and I don't need another expensive hobby to take my time and money. I have enough that I don't pursue as much as necessary.

You're quite welcome. I degrease the cores by washing them in Varsol. I used to wash the jackets, but after years of shooting them, never noticed any difference in group size.

I did bond the cores using a home made brick oven, but frankly, it was more trouble than it was worth. It added time that and expense that weren't necessary for me.

I do 224, 6mm, 308, 311 and 314.

I posted it because I get questions about the process. I recently made a new heavier hunting bullet, what you saw being made in the two posts. I was asked about the difficulty, why I made bullets and if it was enjoyable to do. I felt that others would like to see it.

very cool

Thanks.

Another very interesting process.

There is that feeling of satisfaction when your bullets harvest game in the field.

Bump.

We'll bump this up, ,to help cover the spam.

Bump.

Thanks Steve and interesting process!

How long does it take to make a bullet?

I don't really know.

Before you assemble a bullet, you have to make cores. I use lead wire. They have to be cut and squeezed into cylinders for insertion into the jackets. Because lead is a dense material, cutting the cores to the same length produces a raw cores that are fairly consistent weights. But they should be squeezed into perfect cylinders so they fit into the jackets.



If I am using J4 or Sierra jackets, I open the container, have a quick look at them and put the jackets into trays. Then I add the finished cores.

With ready to use jackets and cores in hand, making the actual bullets is pretty fast. For open tip or HP bullets, two passes is all that's required. For lead tips, a third die is needed to dress the lead tip. I can make about 100-150 OT/HP bullets an hour when everything is ready to go.

Thanks Steve!

You quit bonding them, is it because your bullets arent used for hunting game, or,
because the bonded bullets don't perform well enough to justify the effort.


I have wanted to make bullets ever since reading an article about bonding bullets.
A few decades ago.
Just always thought the upfront money was too high for my use.

I quit bonding them because the cartridges I use do not require it. I make 200 gr. .308 bullets, used in three cartridges - the 30-303, 308, and 30-06. Standard cup and core bullets work fine.

Steve,

Thanks for the education. I always wondered what your process was.

Forming my own was something I wanted to try a few years back, but saw some writing on the wall. Now that I live in Kalifornistan and it's nearly July of 2019, I will be required to use "non-lead" ammunition for hunting. I may shuffle off this mortal coil before it comes to pass that there is a National regulation against lead ammo, but I have decided to attempt a transition to copper/brass/gilding metal projectiles for all my uses. If I was serious target shooter I'd continue with lead.

Again, thanks for the pics and explanations.

Geno

Why won't the pictures on pg1 to show Steve? powdr

No problem, Geno. Making them is fun. Almost as much fun as shooting them!

powdr,

I can see them. You're the first person to say that they aren't showing. I don't know what to say.

Very cool. I don’t see bullet making equipment offered, how did you come across you dies, etc? Can you use a standard press like a rockchucker?

Also, I have heard that the Nosler 180 PP is a very accurate bullet, do you think this is possibility due to the ease of manufacturing the protected point vs a spritzer?

Tom,

Thanks. There are several sources for bullet dies and equipment. You can visit corbins.com or rceco.com. They are each owned by a Corbin brother, Dave and Richard Corbin. rceco (Richard's site had an ebook that you could download to explain the process.

I believe that PPs and RNs tend to be more accurate shot from regular barrels because there is more bearing surface to ride the bore, with less tendency to yaw while in the barrel.