FRANK S. BEARD:

MAKINGPRECISION·

BULLETSMANY SHOOTERS buy the finest

rifles, then use the cheapestbullets they can find. It doesn't payto disregard the ogive, the body, thepressure ring, or the base of a bulletyou want to be accurate. Yet manyswitch from one bullet to anotherwithout considering variations indiameter, seating depth - whichaffects bullet jump - and pressurering. All of these affect the way thebullet prints on the target.

Good bullets occasionally occur byaccident, but not often and with verylittle consistency. They come fromusing the finest materials and closeattention to a multitude of seeminglytrifling details. Superior bullets aremade by persons who develop atactile sense that tells them whenthings are going right and when theyaren't. Topnotch bullets aremade by those who pay attention todetails that if ignored mightaccumulate large errors ruinous tobenchrest accuracy. I've knownbullet makers who wouldn't sit downto make bullets until they werepsychologically ready for the job.

Many bullet makers never under-take to make more than they canproduce in one session. They won'tmix cores made one day with thosemade another day, nor bulletspointed on different days. Thls kindof attention to trifles separates goodbullets from the average, andsuperior ones from good ones.

After obtaining a set of quality diesand ancillary equipment like a goodcore cutter, the next steps are tolocate sources of jackets and leadand to set up your bulletmakingequipment in a special place awayfrom all traffic and distractions. The

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area should be relatively free of dirtand grit. You probably won't care tobreak down your paraphernalia aftereach session and store it away, soyour work area should be safe fromthe hands of the curious who mightpass by.

The first step in making bullets ispreparing the lead wire and cuttingthe core slugs. Since most lead wirecomes on spools, you must cut it intolengths that you can comfortablyhandle. The wire is soft, and piecesmore than about eighteen incheslong will bend of its own weight. Apair of electrician's pliers will do tocut with. It is best to use an oily clothto wipe the wire after cutting it to theproper lenqths. Some bulletmakersfeel that it is important to draw thewire through draw dies to reduce iteven smaller - not for reductiononly, but to remove scratches andnicks on the surface of the wire. Thisrequires that the end of the wire besharpened to start in the hole that is afew thousandths of an inch smallerthan the wire. By gripping the pointedend with pliers, you draw the leadthrough the die in one smoothcontinuous motion. The purists evendraw the wire through another die tofurther reduce it. Most wire ishandled carefully enough by themanufacturers that it is not terriblynicked up, and I choose to use it as itcomes. If I find a section that isnicked badly, I cut it out and use it tocast bullets for the muzzleloader.

The slight curve in the wire can beremoved by rolling it between two flatsurfaces that are clean and hard.

The slugs should be cut over theweight of the finished core to allowfor bleeding off the excess during the

forming operation. The wire cuttershould be set to cut the slugs about2 1/2 grains heavy for .22 bullets andthree grains for the 6mm bullets. Setthe bullet scales, put a jacket in thepan, and cut the slugs to bring thebeam up to weight. I find it easier toweigh with a jacket in. the pan,because it eliminates the need forremembering odd tenths of grains.

Cut the number of slugs you need,with a few extras that will be neededto adjust the dies. If you cut morethan you need, store them in a closedcontainer, coated with oil or someagent to keep their surfaces fromoxidizing.

For lubricating slugs, some usemixtures of lanolin and otheringredients, some straight lanolin,while some use mixtures containingexotics like STP. I have had mostsuccess using Hoppe's LubricatingOil. Half-fill a fruit jar with slugs anddrop a dozen or so drops of 011in -don't overdo it, or they will be too oilyand won't form well. Using too muchoil once led to an interesting methodof lubing the slugs. When Idegreased them, the mixture of oiland solvent deposited a film on them,when the solvent evaporated, thatmade them feel like they werelubricated with some dry lube. Theyformed beautifully; but, alas, I couldnot find that exact mix very often andspent too much time on thatoperation. With your slugs and thefew drops of oil in the jar, screw a lidon and gently roll them around todistribute a light coat on each one. Becareful moving them around so thatthey are not nicked.

Forming cores is one of the least-liked chores, but is the stage thataffects every other operation. Varyingcore weights causes differences inthe seating of the cores in thejackets, in pointing the bullets, and,of course, in the weights of thebullets. More depends on the coreforming than any other step, In myestimation. Develop a smooth,steady, unvarying rhythm to makeconsistent cores. If you experimentwith several before making up yourfirst batch of "good" cores, you willsee how easily the weights can bevaried. Screw the core-forming orsquirt die in the press with the properpunch in the ram. At this point', do

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..

not tighten the core-punch locknut,but let the punch float free so it canenter the die and be centered by it.Put a lubricated slug In the die, thenthe punch, and gently lower the leverof the press fully, being certain thatthe punch is not binding in any wayon the inside of the die. Lower the dieby screwing it farther into the top ofthe press until you feel the knockoutpunch in the die meet the lead slug.Slightly lower the ram and screw thedie in about a half turn and set the dielocknut with finger pressure. Runseveral cores to work all of the oil outof the die. Most diemakers ship dieswith some oil in them, and it is best towork the oil out rather than using asolvent. When the cores lookuniform, weigh one with a jacket andadjust the die for the finished weightyou want (up for heavier and down forlighter). With each change of the dieposition, loosen the punch locknutand retighten it while the punch is inthe die.

Ferris Pindell passed on a tip he. had gotten from Clarence Detsch onpunches. Neoprene O-rings slid overthe punch down to the base cause thelocknut to hold the punch firmly whilenot locking metal to metal. Thisallows some movement for alignmentyet keeps the punch from being looseand wobbling in the ram. Amisaligned punch can either wearbadly or score the i.nside of the die,rendering it useless.

The first cores you make will vary inweight, which will affect every otheroperation, even to shooting thebullets! At this point, learn andestablish a rhythm in forming cores.To prove to yourself that core weightscan vary, try the following:

Press down on the lever of thepress 'very slowly as you form thecore, then slowly raise the leverto eject the core.

Actuate the press rather rapidlyon both down and up strokes.

CORE DIE

-Alternate fast and slow strokes.

Lever the slug into the die andreach down on the floor to pick up adropped core, or light a cigarette, ordo something for a few seconds whilethe core is still in the die.

If you do all of these, in any orderand fashion you choose, you will findupon weighing the products thatthere is a great variation in them. Itwill bring home very strongly the needfor developing a steady, smoothrhythm when forming the cores. Oneother cause for variations In coreweights arises from mixing coresmade on different days. If the diesare not in a controlled environment,differences in the temperature fromday to day cause fluctuations inweight. And, of course, the change inrhythm makes a difference. Thoughthese factors might seeminsignificant, they all affect theoutcome and the quality of thebullets - and that is, after all, whatwe want, excellent bullets!

Degrease the cores that you haveformed. Several agents are availablefrom firms that supply industrialchemicals. You should choose onethat leaves no residue, such aschlorothene VG, trichloroethylene,and trichloroethane. Be carefulabout working in closed spaces withthese highly volatile chemicals, fordamage and sickness can occur from.prolonged breathing of them. It isstill very important to handle thecores so as not to nick or deformthem. I use a medium-size glassmixing bowl and a wire-mesh kitchenstrainer. Fit the strainer into the bowland pour in enough solvent to comeabout halfway up the mesh. By gentlypouring the cores in the fluid, youlessen their impact on the metal ofthe strainer. Wash and degrease theIf cores by carefully swishing theIstrainer around In the bowl. Pour the

II

SWAGE DIE

degreased cores on a terry-clothtowel to dry. From this point on, keepoil or lubricant from the cores, for oilycores do not grip the insides of thejacket, resulting in loose cores. Theclean, dry cores should be set asidefor twenty-four hours to let thembecome stress-relieved. Lead,though thought to be an inert metal,changes dimensions after theforming operation. If this were nottrue, we would not have thecontinuing bleedoff of the lead whenthe core is left in the die for a fewseconds. Let the formed cores "rest"for twenty-four hours.

Before seating the cores in thejackets, degrease and wash them toremove minute particles of jacketmetal. They can be washed by beingagitated with solvent in a fruit Jar.Remove the lid from the jar andsubstitute one with small holesdrilled through it, to facilitatedraining-off the solvent. Pour thejackets on a towel, g'ather thecorners, and toss the jackets aroundin the towel to dislodge the fluidtrapped in them.

For lubricating jackets, the methodof lubrication matters as much as thelubricant itself. Consistent lubrica-tion of the jackets is a must, if notin this step, certainly in the pointingoperation where the bullet takes onthe shape of the die, modified by theamount and distribution of thelube. It would seem that the bestway to achieve the greatest uni-formity is to lube all of the jacketsat one time and in the same manner.This precludes using a lubricatingpad. After charging a pad with lube,each successive use of it gives adiffering amount of the lube. If everyuse of the pad were the same, therewould be no need to replenish thelube so often. With a slight modifica-tion, I use a method explained to meby Fred Sinclair, which entails the

EJECTION PIN

This set of bulletmaking dies by Ferris Pindell are an inch and a quarter indiameter. Spring·for knockout punch is attached to the ejection frame.Diagram shows places where forces exerted to make bullets can be

MARCH·APRIL 1979

released. In seating die, forces are released through die itself. This stagerequires care to avoid bulging walls of the seating die with an excess offorce, ruining the die permanently.

neatsfoot oil, both animal oils thatseem to be compatible, whereassome mixes are of animal andmineral components. Lubricantsmade of mineral or manmadecompounds are merely suspensionsof one in the other and not trueblends.

After the cores have rested and thejackets have been lubricated, it istime to put the two together, to seatthe cores in the jackets. One of theusual methods of preparing these twocomponents is to use a bullet boardmade by drilling many holes slightly

Preparation of the core is critical, affects all later larger than the jacket diameter. instages and outcome of bullet. Use jacket in some hard substance such as Lucite,scal_epan when ~eighing cores, for simplicity in . Micarta, or hard wood. Stand thesetting proper weight on beam. jackets in the holes with the mouths

up so the cores can be inserted inthem. The stuffed jackets are thentaken from the board to the core-seating die. My method requires onlyone handling of the two parts of thebullet and does away with the worryof getting dust and other debris in theholes of the bullet board. I put thelubed jackets in a plastic refrigeratorcontainer on the left of the press and

Degrease cores before seating; lube in jacket the degreased cores in a similarmakes cores loose. Beard uses kitchen mixingbowl and strainer to remove lube from cores. container on the right. By getting a

few of each in each hand, I can stuffthem and go directly to the die in thepress. Whichever method you chooseor work out for yourself, keep lube offthe cores and dust off both.

use of a one-gallon pickle ormayonnaise jar. With a finger, dip upa bit of the lubricant about the sizeof a kernel of corn, and spread itaround the inside of the jar. Nowrun hot water over the outside ofthe jar to warm the glass and melt thelube so it can be spread more evenly- don't get waterIn the jar, however.Pour a bag of jackets in the jar, putthe lid on, and rotate and tumblethem in the lube. Set the jar in thesink and let the hot water run on theglass again, while the water in thesink heats the jackets in the bottomof the jar. Continue to tumble themas gently as possible, to keep fromdenting and marking them) until theyare all lubricated uniformly, evenreheating the jar if necessary. This isthe most certain method of getting allof them lubricated the same. Ferrisuses a rag saturated with hislubricant, a mixture of lanolin andvaseline heated together, fortumbling the jackets. I find that myway is less messy.

Core seating is the step duringwhich you can easily ruin a die ifyou're not careful. While the core-forming die and the pointing die havevents for excess pressure, theseating die does not, and excesspressure bulges the walls of the dieand ruins it. This die is adjusted asthe core die was, by screwing it intothe press along with the proper punchin the ram. Place a stuffed jacketupside-down on the punch and raisethe ram to the top of its stroke. Letthe punch float rather than tighteningit down. Screw the die down until youfeel resistance from the jackettouching the knockout pin. Lower theram a small distance and screw thedie in another quarter turn. Raisingthe ram will start the expansion of thelead in the jacket. The purpose of thisoperation is to expand the core to fillthe jacket and to further expand thejacket to just fill the die. The properpressure toyse' for seating the core

There are lubes and there are and expanding the jacket is thelubes! And everyone thinks his is amount required to just do the workbest. The lubricant that you like, thaVbut to leave the jacket in the die. Thegives you the results that you want, jacketed core should not follow thethat satisfies your method, is the best punch out of the die on the downfor you. The one that works for me stroke of the ram. Adjust the diecame from a friend in New Zealand, down by 1/16th turn or less until theGeoff Gunson, who makes the most jacket is retained if' the die but can bebeautiful bullets I have ever seen. ejected by finger pressure on theThis lubricant is a mix of lanolin and knockout pin. If there is a space

between the pin and the ejectionframe, you should be able to put yourfinger in the space and eject thejacket without discomfort to thefinger. This operation is critical andcan best be regulated by feel. Youshould feel, through the lever of thepress, the lead expand, a momentaryletoff, then the jack-et expand and fillthe die just before total resistance ismet. To go beyond this polnt is toinvite a bulged die.

There are a couple of compli-cations one can find in this partof bulletmaking. The cored jacketmay follow the .punch out of thedie even though the proper pres-sure has been used. This is usuallycaused by a punch that is not wellmated to the core-jacket-weightcombination. If lead extrudes aroundthe nose of the punch, the punch isnot filling the jacket at that particularlevel. It can be corrected by using alighter core, which will allow thepunch to go deeper into the taperedwalls of the Jacket, or by using apunch of larger diameter so that itwill fill the jacket at the level requiredby the weight of core used. I find itadvantageous to have a series ofpunches increasing in size by 0.0005inch to allow for differences in wallthickness and for variations in lots oflead. This allows tailoring bullets toany weight desired. A secondcomplication brings home again theneed for uniformity in forming cores.You will feel a difference in thepressure required to seat some of thecores at the top of the stroke. Someof the jackets may even follow thepunch out of the die because they arelighter than others. If this happenstoo many times, you may assume thatyou have adjusted the die on a heavycore and will need to readjust thesetup. Be careful - do not ruin thedie with heavy cores after it'sadjusted for the lighter ones. If thereis a lot of variation in the pressurerequired to seat cores, you will needto pay some attention to your coreforming. And use those bullets forsighters and plinking!

Since the seating operationchanges the shape of the lead, I feelthat it is best to let the bullets at thisstage "rest" for twenty-four hours toallow whatever stresses have beenbuilt up to be relieved.

Now comes the time to form thebullets to their final shape. Thefinished bullet will tell whether youhave been diligent in your efforts.Having lubricated the Jackets beforeseating the cores, you don't have todo it again. In fact, I feel that theprevious step has served to distributethe lube equally. However, if you feelthe need to degrease and relubricate,

RIFLE 62

by all means do so. Before adjustingthe pointing or swage die in thepress, check to be sure that theejection pin is not too long - lookinto the die while pulling the pintoward the top of the die. At the pointthat the pin is flush with the end ofthe forming chamber, the inside ofthe die will light up with a reflectionof the light on the tip of the pin.Pulling the pin farther out will makethe inside of the die dark again. If,while pulling the pin outward, you donot see the chamber light up, the pinis too long and will be caught in thehollow point of the bullet when it isformed. This ejection pin must notextend into the point-forming die.

After changing the seating punchto the swage punch, tighten thelocknut over the O-ring with fingersonly, leaving it loose so it will alignitself with the inside of the die. Screwthe die in place with a cored jacket ontop of the punch until you feel a slightresistance. This is the lip of thejacket touching the beginning of theogive of the forming die. If you knowthe length of the body of the bullet,you can estimate how much fartherthe die will have to be lowered tocompletely form the polnt. Lower theram and screw the die the estimateddistance into the press and be certain

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If you encounter a short jacket ortwo in the course of pointing bullets,and the ejection pin enters the openpoint of the bullet, try this bit ofwizardry given me by Harold Morgan:first be sure that you have pulled thepin up out of the hole, then place acore between the base of the bullet. Bulletmaking is slow, tedious work,that is still in the die and the punch. or it should be. It is not something toUsing much force on the lever of the hurry through unless you so developpress, force the bullet farther into the your technique to the point that youdie. This will close the point and can do it rapidly. a

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that the punch is aligned with it. Addsome lubricant to a cored jacket byrubbing it on with the fingers - useplenty here - and lowering the lever,force the bullet into the polntinq die.Thrs takes more pressure than theother stages. Eject the bullet and seewhether further adjustments to thedie are necessary. Chances are, youwill need to make some small ones. Ifthe point is too open or too closed,correct it by raising or lowering thedie by very small amounts. The pointshould be the same diameter as theejection pin and show no evidence ofhaving gone into the pinhole of thedie_

dose inspection of the finishedbullet might show longitudinal linesor even wrinkles from the beginningof the ogive to the point. These arenot defects but normal, since thediameter of the jacket has beenseverely reduced. The wrinkles occurwith the use of excessive lubricantand do not affect the accuracy -only the looks! While somebulletmakers feel that it is better toerr on the side of using too muchlube, I feel that it is better to use itsparingly, though too little lube cancause bullets to stick in the die. Itis my contention that the bulletshould take on the configuration ofthe inside of the die, and that eachshould do so to the same extent. Ifthe amount of lubricant is more thanjust the amount to keep the bulletfrom sticking, it will form an ever-varying barrier between the jacketand the die. Unequally lubricatedjackets will form differently, also. Ifthe barrier between the jacket and thedie varies, the diameter of the bullets,the radius of the ogive, and the lengthof the bullets will vary. True, we aretalking about infinitesimal quantities,but they affect the outcome of thefinished bullets. And let's do think interms of the most nearly pefectbullets we can make!

Bullets of various diameters givedifferent pressures, hence differentvelocities and different points ofimpact. If you seat the bullets to justtouch the lands of the bore and theogive is different with each bullet, therelation of the bullet to the landsvaries.

To apply favorite mixture of lanolin and neats-foot oil to jackets, Beard recommends use of"tumbling" jar for very light film of lube heconsiders best for making precision bullets.

allow the ejection pin to kick thebullet out. Now, give this bullet toyour worst enemy, and then only ifyou really hate him. Any time there isan appreciable difference in the feelof a bullet in any stage of the making,I feel that it is best to set it aside orthrow it away.

In forming the polnt of a bullet, thepress lever should be actuatedsmartly. This ensures that eachbullet is formed In the same length oftime. Bullets formed slower can havedimensional differences the same aswhen the thickness' of the lubricantvaries. And if there is anything thatwe don't want, it is variations inbullets.Always check the punch recess in

the ram for bits of lead that wouldkeep the punches from sitting flat.Check all areas requiring clearanceto see that there is nothing binding.Look for ways to make your bulletsbetter, not ways to cut corners. Useneoprene O-rings on the punches ifthey will fit between the base and thelocknut.I Donot be concerned with the looksof the nose of the bullet; they havenothing to do with its performance.The most important part of the bulletis the base. Protect the end of thepunch for the swage die. It forms thebase of your bullet.

Handle bullet components withcare; don't drop or throw themaround, and above all, handle thecompleted bullet carefully.

MARCH-APRIL 1979