50 bmg bullet question

penlane · September 15, 2014, 07:48 PM

Hi ya'll i've been reloading smaller cal. ammo for years now .But my new venture is making writing pens from 50 bmg bullets /casings. all 06.case variances pens are great . The 50 bmg projectiles are the problem, got 300 pulled bullets from $$$$$$
took them to the machine shop to have drilled {3 different size drills} on cnc lathe,( I think they went thru more carbide bits than bullets and white powder came out of each bullet

)$2. a piece more next time I think they were ball ammo ???
Any how $1500 later don't know if i can use then.
question is "what type 50 bmg bullet without weird stuff in it at a reasonable cost should i get and where is a good place to get them ?." Lead free would be best but solids are to much $$$$.
could some of u fine people give me some suggestions ,info ,sources ,advice .
much appreciated
Derrick

TXAZ · September 15, 2014, 08:05 PM

Hey Penlane,
were there stripes / color bands on the tips of the ones you got?
That will tell you what they were. White powder? Did you maybe get incendiary or MP rounds? Hope not.
If they were hard to drill into, were they AP rounds?

If they were FMJ/TMJ, you should have been able to bore right through them.

A little ID could help, here's a page that shows some .50 nomenclature:

condor bravo · September 15, 2014, 08:59 PM

I thought for sure 50 bmg bullets only could be found at various google internet sources but I couldn't come up with anything. Closest would be a 50 bmg key chain but that would not do for your purpose.

penlane · September 15, 2014, 09:31 PM

Thanks for the replies. There are no stripes / markings must of been ap because the shop said the internal metal when drilling from the base to the tip was supper soft then supper hard then white powder in the tip

about 3/8"all in one projectile .Hope they weren't columbian surplus Couldn't get the powder to burn or do anything not sure what the MP stands for. They looked like fmj's not sure what tmj's are sorry.
They look like the last 4 in pic with no color stripes they have a crimp groove and boat tail.
thanks
Derrick

rmelton · September 15, 2014, 11:46 PM

Penlane, when I make a 50 cal pen I use a 632gr tracer bullet and drill it out on my lathe. Go to http://www.penturners.org/forum/ and we can help you out on your pen.

**Unclenick** · September 16, 2014, 07:22 AM

Penlane,

Jeff Bartlett currently has 647 grain ball bullets at about fifty cents each. You can drill through those, but call him if you are unsure. They are listed at the bottom of this page.

MP is multi-purpose. Anti-armor, high explosive, or other functions combined into one round. That does sound like what you have. I'm surprised the white powder didn't burn, but it could be a filler used to position the hard penetrator.

I'm going to guess these bullets had a color band originally—it's just paint—but that someone cleverly tumbled them in a polishing machine to remove oxides and blemishes and took that color marking off at the same time.

TMJ is total metal jacket, meaning no lead left exposed at the base. It's for areas where lead exposure is not allowed. Usually indoor ranges. I don't think I've seen .50 cal in that configuration, but I haven't looked for them, either.

P.S. I just checked and both AP and Ball use a point filler. Probably limiting the weight for ballistic reasons, like getting a match to the weight of incendiary and tracer ammunition. So I think you have AP bullets with the paint polished off.

rg1 · September 16, 2014, 03:49 PM

Waste of time and lots of money trying to drill 50 BMG bullets and it could even be dangerous. The incendiary in Blue Tips, Silver tipped API, or other exploding bullets could ignite.
Why not just order empty bullet jackets and fill them with an epoxy? Here's one site that sells empty 50 BMG jackets. They seem to have different versions. Some make empty jackets from Tracer bullets. Here's the link to finding empty 50 BMG bullet jackets: ( there may be other sites too)
http://www.cdvs.us/50-cal-hollow-bul...pack-P919.aspx

September 15, 2014, 07:48 PM	#1
penlane Junior Member Join Date: September 13, 2014 Location: AR,AZ,TX,CA Posts: 3	50 bmg bullet question Hi ya'll i've been reloading smaller cal. ammo for years now .But my new venture is making writing pens from 50 bmg bullets /casings. all 06.case variances pens are great . The 50 bmg projectiles are the problem, got 300 pulled bullets from $$$$$$ took them to the machine shop to have drilled {3 different size drills} on cnc lathe,( I think they went thru more carbide bits than bullets and white powder came out of each bullet )$2. a piece more next time I think they were ball ammo ??? Any how $1500 later don't know if i can use then. question is "what type 50 bmg bullet without weird stuff in it at a reasonable cost should i get and where is a good place to get them ?." Lead free would be best but solids are to much $$$$. could some of u fine people give me some suggestions ,info ,sources ,advice . much appreciated Derrick

September 15, 2014, 08:05 PM	#2
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	Hey Penlane, were there stripes / color bands on the tips of the ones you got? That will tell you what they were. White powder? Did you maybe get incendiary or MP rounds? Hope not. If they were hard to drill into, were they AP rounds? If they were FMJ/TMJ, you should have been able to bore right through them. A little ID could help, here's a page that shows some .50 nomenclature: __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

September 16, 2014, 07:22 AM	#6
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	Penlane, Jeff Bartlett currently has 647 grain ball bullets at about fifty cents each. You can drill through those, but call him if you are unsure. They are listed at the bottom of this page. MP is multi-purpose. Anti-armor, high explosive, or other functions combined into one round. That does sound like what you have. I'm surprised the white powder didn't burn, but it could be a filler used to position the hard penetrator. I'm going to guess these bullets had a color band originally—it's just paint—but that someone cleverly tumbled them in a polishing machine to remove oxides and blemishes and took that color marking off at the same time. TMJ is total metal jacket, meaning no lead left exposed at the base. It's for areas where lead exposure is not allowed. Usually indoor ranges. I don't think I've seen .50 cal in that configuration, but I haven't looked for them, either. P.S. I just checked and both AP and Ball use a point filler. Probably limiting the weight for ballistic reasons, like getting a match to the weight of incendiary and tracer ammunition. So I think you have AP bullets with the paint polished off. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle Last edited by Unclenick; September 16, 2014 at 07:30 AM.

September 15, 2014, 08:59 PM	#3
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	I thought for sure 50 bmg bullets only could be found at various google internet sources but I couldn't come up with anything. Closest would be a 50 bmg key chain but that would not do for your purpose.

September 15, 2014, 09:31 PM	#4
penlane Junior Member Join Date: September 13, 2014 Location: AR,AZ,TX,CA Posts: 3	Thanks for the replies. There are no stripes / markings must of been ap because the shop said the internal metal when drilling from the base to the tip was supper soft then supper hard then white powder in the tip about 3/8"all in one projectile .Hope they weren't columbian surplus Couldn't get the powder to burn or do anything not sure what the MP stands for. They looked like fmj's not sure what tmj's are sorry. They look like the last 4 in pic with no color stripes they have a crimp groove and boat tail. thanks Derrick

September 15, 2014, 11:46 PM	#5
rmelton Member Join Date: April 11, 2014 Location: Natchez, Ms Posts: 15	Penlane, when I make a 50 cal pen I use a 632gr tracer bullet and drill it out on my lathe. Go to http://www.penturners.org/forum/ and we can help you out on your pen.

September 16, 2014, 03:49 PM	#7
rg1 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2001 Posts: 1,125	Waste of time and lots of money trying to drill 50 BMG bullets and it could even be dangerous. The incendiary in Blue Tips, Silver tipped API, or other exploding bullets could ignite. Why not just order empty bullet jackets and fill them with an epoxy? Here's one site that sells empty 50 BMG jackets. They seem to have different versions. Some make empty jackets from Tracer bullets. Here's the link to finding empty 50 BMG bullet jackets: ( there may be other sites too) http://www.cdvs.us/50-cal-hollow-bul...pack-P919.aspx