spent .22lr becomes .223 jacketed projectile

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · November 25, 2008, 02:36 PM

G'day. I was on an "ebay" style site and found a supply of brass jacket .223 HP projectiles. They have been made from spent .22lr cases. Who has herd of these? Is this a common practice? Has anybody tried them? Is there reloading data available?

Smaug · November 25, 2008, 03:51 PM

Brass is pretty hard, compared to the copper that is normally used for bullet jackets. It would accelerate barrel wear.

If the brass were melted down in bulk with all the carbon & soot cleaned out, it is just recycling.

I've never heard of it. But it seems a bit dicey to me.

Jim Watson · November 25, 2008, 04:10 PM

Yes, I have heard of it. It used to be fairly common, in fact that is how Vernon Speer got started in the bullet business in 1944. All the copper and gilding metal were going to war production, so he set up to swage bullet jackets out of .22 empties. You can buy the tooling to do that but it is expensive and you would have to make a whale of a lot of bullets to make it pay... or to have a source of unserialized bullets in the Obama Caliphate.

Reloading data? Not a chance. Make your own 55 grain .224" bullet and read the dull stuff in the manuals about "starting loads" and "working up".

Dr. Strangelove · November 25, 2008, 04:16 PM

It's actually a fairly common practice among those who swage their own bullets. Here's a link to a manufacture who supplies dies for the process that will work with a normal reloading press.

http://www.corbins.com/prrfjm.htm

I don't know anything about it, I've toyed with the idea of making my own bullets from time to time, but aside from casting a few years ago, I still just buy mine. With prices the way they are, I may look closer into it again soon.

Scorch · November 25, 2008, 04:35 PM

I used to shoot with a friend who swaged his own bullets on a Corbin bullet swaging press. Bullets swaged on a Corbin or other swaging press are capable of very fine accuracy, depending on the consistency of the thickness of the 22LR cases used as the basis for the case. You can also use copper tubing, if you wish. You can make bullets to any weight you desire, and use loading data for that weight bullet from your loading manual.

We also swaged experimental bullets using grease and wax as cores of super high-velocity rounds.

Quote:

Brass is pretty hard, compared to the copper that is normally used for bullet jackets. It would accelerate barrel wear.

It will not accelerate barrel wear any more than regular jacketed bullets. Barrel steel is still harder than either one. 22LR cases are made of brass, which is made of copper and zinc. Commercial bullets use gilding metal for jackets. Gilding metal is made of copper and zinc. Just different proportions of each metal (about 33% zinc for brass, 5-10% for gilding metal). Brass is not substantially harder than gilding metal, just more brittle, which is why gilding metal is used in commercial bullets. Either one has good self-lubricating properties, so they can be driven down the steel barrel without causing galling or ruining the barrel steel.

jaguarxk120 · November 25, 2008, 05:32 PM

Shot hundreds of them in 22 and 6mm at PD's worked very well. MGH was the mfgr.(no longer there) quality was very good as I had no problem making kills out to 350 yds.

The one thing about 22 rf case bullets is that when they hit something, they explode, do not mushroom, just explode.

Tom F.

BeCoole · November 25, 2008, 07:58 PM

What weight do they end up being?

jaguarxk120 · November 25, 2008, 08:07 PM

The 22's are 55grain and the 243's are 80 grain.
It all depends how you select your components, sorting the fired case's and the cutting of the cores.
Tom F.

D. Manley · November 25, 2008, 10:56 PM

Quote:

"...It's actually a fairly common practice among those who swage their own bullets. Here's a link to a manufacture who supplies dies for the process that will work with a normal reloading press."

Not really that unusual for brass jacketing to be used in OEM manufacturing either. Most Montana Gold bullets (which are superb) use brass jackets as does the Remington Golden Saber line. IIRC, Norma used to offer some of their expanding hunting bullets in their rifle line with a light steel-plated jacket gilding.

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · November 28, 2008, 07:56 PM

G'day. I try to keep an open mind.

Quote:

I've never heard of it. But it seems a bit dicey to me.

Quote:

It would accelerate barrel wear.

There seems to be some evidance to indicate that brass jacketed projectiles may be more common than first assumed.

jaguarxk120 · November 28, 2008, 08:06 PM

In the past there were lathe turned brass bullets used for very deep penteration on dangerous game. A-Square offers a monolithic solid I do not know what the material is though. Could one of many different brass alloy's.

November 25, 2008, 02:36 PM	#1
SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2008 Location: Far Nth Wst QLD Australia Posts: 992	spent .22lr becomes .223 jacketed projectile G'day. I was on an "ebay" style site and found a supply of brass jacket .223 HP projectiles. They have been made from spent .22lr cases. Who has herd of these? Is this a common practice? Has anybody tried them? Is there reloading data available? __________________ If you're not confused, you're not trying hard enough! When you're confused, I'll try to use smaller words!!!

November 25, 2008, 03:51 PM	#2
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Brass is pretty hard, compared to the copper that is normally used for bullet jackets. It would accelerate barrel wear. If the brass were melted down in bulk with all the carbon & soot cleaned out, it is just recycling. I've never heard of it. But it seems a bit dicey to me. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 25, 2008, 04:10 PM	#3
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,542	Yes, I have heard of it. It used to be fairly common, in fact that is how Vernon Speer got started in the bullet business in 1944. All the copper and gilding metal were going to war production, so he set up to swage bullet jackets out of .22 empties. You can buy the tooling to do that but it is expensive and you would have to make a whale of a lot of bullets to make it pay... or to have a source of unserialized bullets in the Obama Caliphate. Reloading data? Not a chance. Make your own 55 grain .224" bullet and read the dull stuff in the manuals about "starting loads" and "working up".

November 25, 2008, 04:16 PM	#4
Dr. Strangelove Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2008 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 1,436	It's actually a fairly common practice among those who swage their own bullets. Here's a link to a manufacture who supplies dies for the process that will work with a normal reloading press. http://www.corbins.com/prrfjm.htm I don't know anything about it, I've toyed with the idea of making my own bullets from time to time, but aside from casting a few years ago, I still just buy mine. With prices the way they are, I may look closer into it again soon.

November 25, 2008, 05:32 PM	#6
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	Shot hundreds of them in 22 and 6mm at PD's worked very well. MGH was the mfgr.(no longer there) quality was very good as I had no problem making kills out to 350 yds. The one thing about 22 rf case bullets is that when they hit something, they explode, do not mushroom, just explode. Tom F.

November 25, 2008, 07:58 PM	#7
BeCoole Junior member Join Date: October 2, 2002 Posts: 170	What weight do they end up being?

November 25, 2008, 08:07 PM	#8
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	The 22's are 55grain and the 243's are 80 grain. It all depends how you select your components, sorting the fired case's and the cutting of the cores. Tom F.

November 28, 2008, 08:06 PM	#11
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	In the past there were lathe turned brass bullets used for very deep penteration on dangerous game. A-Square offers a monolithic solid I do not know what the material is though. Could one of many different brass alloy's.