Make your own hollow points?

Enfield303 · October 2, 2000, 11:41 AM

I've heard accounts of cutting small notches into the tip of a bullet to make them act more like hollow points. Has anyone tried this with successful results? If so, would it be possible to drill a small hole into a bullet to "make your own hollow points?"

BMiracle · October 2, 2000, 12:48 PM

Why? You can buy good quality hollow points in bulk from Remington and Winchester that you KNOW will work for the same price as the full metal jackets you are butchering in hope that they MIGHT work. Might prove to be in interesting experiment though. Might work similar to Triton Quik-Shoks if you notch the tops. Makes you wonder though

Contender · October 2, 2000, 01:01 PM

I believe you are referring to "Blocking" a bullet. Cross notches were cut in lead handgun bullets during the gangster era to enhance expansion.

Forster makes a nice hollow pointer for their case trimmer. You can hollow point factory or reloaded rounds to your liking.

http://www.forsterproducts.com/Pages/trim_pointer.htm

DAL · October 2, 2000, 01:18 PM

I may be wrong, but aren't those type of bullets called "dum-dums"? IIRC, some anti-British Indians did this to their bullets to cause horrific wounds to British soldiers in colonial India. Maybe small notches wouldn't cause the type of wounds the Indians were seeking. I think they notched their bullets deeply.

I do vaguely recall seeing some device years ago that allowed you to drill out a cavity in your bullets, but I don't know anything about it. A device like that might come in handy someday if HPs are ever outlawed (hey, you never know).
DAL

------------------
Reading "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal," by Ayn Rand, should be required of every politician and in every high school.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined."
--Patrick Henry, during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution (1788)

GOA, JPFO, PPFC, CSSA, LP, ARI, NRA

Cheapo · October 2, 2000, 06:04 PM

DAL:

"Horrific wounds" from a .303 British? There is no NICE way to shoot someone! It hurts, they'll bleed and they might die.

Yeah, the practice, as far as grinding the nose off to form an exposed-lead flatpoint, got its name from India. Overdo it and you will have an inaccurate bullet core flying through the air and a nice hollow copper-based bore obstruction left behind.

Yeah, bullet expansion will increase the wounding effect, but it's still a bullet wound.

TritonCartridge · October 3, 2000, 05:56 AM

Enfield

BMiracle has the correct solution. There is much more to producing a hollow point that will have reliable terminal performance then just scoring or drill in a cavity. Just a few things than that effect terminal performance are lead content, jacket content, jacket thickness, bullet profile, profile of cavity, depth of cavity, velocity, etc.

Change any one of the above listed criteria, even just a fraction, and a bullet can perform completely differently than what you want it to do (or thought the change would do).

Kind of like just drilling a hole in your head instead of getting the services of a brain surgeon.

[This message has been edited by TritonCartridge (edited October 03, 2000).]

griz · October 3, 2000, 10:24 AM

As long as we are talking about it, has anybody successfully drilled cast muzzleloader bullets? Yes you can buy them but they are outrageously expensive, usually costing much more than any other bullet. I cast my own but want more expansion. The soft lead makes it hard to clamp without deforming the bullet and the drill (I used a center drill) grabbed the lead pretty badly.

Contender · October 3, 2000, 05:03 PM

Griz,

If you are shooting say a 50 caliber bullet,personally I wouldn't worry about expansion. I would choose a design instead that had the largest meplat diameter I could find. Driven fast enough a bullet like this will blow a nice 1 1/2 or larger diameter hole right through say a deer enabling quick bleed out and a good blood trail to follow if need be.

Trying to get that perfect mushroom is hit or miss at best with too many variables. Also, the more the projectile mushrooms the less it pentrates depending on the terminal velocity and animal being hunted. I prefer full penetration over trying to deliver any kind of shock with a large caliber bullet driven by a muzzleloader and by extension a handgun.

True hydrostatic shock delivery to a game animal from a mushrooming bullet is more in the realm of a high powered rifle cartridge.

I've been using hard cast large meplat bullets in all my handgun loads for years now and have never looked back.

Sorry for the "book". Just my 2 Cents.

Clark · October 4, 2000, 09:35 AM

I think there is a fixture for driling 22 loaded ammo.

I have found that it takes too long if I add bullet prep time to reloading.

griz · October 4, 2000, 10:25 AM

Thanks Contentender. So far the only recovered 50 I've seen was on a deer shot head on by a friend of mine. All others have gone through, so I was trying to find a way to get more out of the bullet. Of course we haven't lost one yet so maybe I shouldn't try to fix the unbroken.

Watchman · October 4, 2000, 09:24 PM

I made a hollowpointer and it works well. I use it on my Dillon 550.

The hollowpointer is basically a small shaft with a no. 3 centerdrill in it. I made an oilight bushing to sit in the top of my decapping die while I take a battery powered drill and spin it . I have the bullet held in place with the press, the bullet is in the shell , loaded and in the decapping die with the press handle in the down position . Of course, you must take the decapping stem out first. The bullet is held firmly enough that it does not spin, I put a small collar on the shaft to ensure that the depth of all hollowpoints are the same.

The lead bullets look much like the factory hollowpoints and upon inspection of them after recovering them from the sand after they were shot , they appeared to be no different from factory expansion hollowpoints. I was quite content and somewhat suprised that they appeared to work so well.

Will hopllowpoints ever be outlawed ? Probably. They are already illegal in the state of New Jersey. Eventually, ammunition and possession of firearms will be illegal, it is not a matter of IF, but it is a matter of WHEN...

I have the solution and it works quite well.

October 2, 2000, 11:41 AM	#1
Enfield303 Junior Member Join Date: July 31, 2000 Location: CA Posts: 3	I've heard accounts of cutting small notches into the tip of a bullet to make them act more like hollow points. Has anyone tried this with successful results? If so, would it be possible to drill a small hole into a bullet to "make your own hollow points?"

October 2, 2000, 12:48 PM	#2
BMiracle Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2000 Posts: 159	Why? You can buy good quality hollow points in bulk from Remington and Winchester that you KNOW will work for the same price as the full metal jackets you are butchering in hope that they MIGHT work. Might prove to be in interesting experiment though. Might work similar to Triton Quik-Shoks if you notch the tops. Makes you wonder though

October 2, 2000, 01:01 PM	#3
Contender Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 1998 Location: NY Posts: 680	I believe you are referring to "Blocking" a bullet. Cross notches were cut in lead handgun bullets during the gangster era to enhance expansion. Forster makes a nice hollow pointer for their case trimmer. You can hollow point factory or reloaded rounds to your liking. http://www.forsterproducts.com/Pages/trim_pointer.htm

October 2, 2000, 01:18 PM	#4
DAL Senior Member Join Date: October 15, 1999 Location: Colorado Springs, CO, USA Posts: 653	I may be wrong, but aren't those type of bullets called "dum-dums"? IIRC, some anti-British Indians did this to their bullets to cause horrific wounds to British soldiers in colonial India. Maybe small notches wouldn't cause the type of wounds the Indians were seeking. I think they notched their bullets deeply. I do vaguely recall seeing some device years ago that allowed you to drill out a cavity in your bullets, but I don't know anything about it. A device like that might come in handy someday if HPs are ever outlawed (hey, you never know). DAL ------------------ Reading "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal," by Ayn Rand, should be required of every politician and in every high school. "Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined." --Patrick Henry, during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution (1788) GOA, JPFO, PPFC, CSSA, LP, ARI, NRA

October 2, 2000, 06:04 PM	#5
Cheapo Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 1998 Posts: 986	DAL: "Horrific wounds" from a .303 British? There is no NICE way to shoot someone! It hurts, they'll bleed and they might die. Yeah, the practice, as far as grinding the nose off to form an exposed-lead flatpoint, got its name from India. Overdo it and you will have an inaccurate bullet core flying through the air and a nice hollow copper-based bore obstruction left behind. Yeah, bullet expansion will increase the wounding effect, but it's still a bullet wound.

October 3, 2000, 05:56 AM	#6
TritonCartridge Member Join Date: July 28, 1999 Posts: 98	Enfield BMiracle has the correct solution. There is much more to producing a hollow point that will have reliable terminal performance then just scoring or drill in a cavity. Just a few things than that effect terminal performance are lead content, jacket content, jacket thickness, bullet profile, profile of cavity, depth of cavity, velocity, etc. Change any one of the above listed criteria, even just a fraction, and a bullet can perform completely differently than what you want it to do (or thought the change would do). Kind of like just drilling a hole in your head instead of getting the services of a brain surgeon. [This message has been edited by TritonCartridge (edited October 03, 2000).]

October 3, 2000, 10:24 AM	#7
griz Senior Member Join Date: July 31, 2000 Location: Middle Peninsula, VA Posts: 1,588	As long as we are talking about it, has anybody successfully drilled cast muzzleloader bullets? Yes you can buy them but they are outrageously expensive, usually costing much more than any other bullet. I cast my own but want more expansion. The soft lead makes it hard to clamp without deforming the bullet and the drill (I used a center drill) grabbed the lead pretty badly.

October 3, 2000, 05:03 PM	#8
Contender Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 1998 Location: NY Posts: 680	Griz, If you are shooting say a 50 caliber bullet,personally I wouldn't worry about expansion. I would choose a design instead that had the largest meplat diameter I could find. Driven fast enough a bullet like this will blow a nice 1 1/2 or larger diameter hole right through say a deer enabling quick bleed out and a good blood trail to follow if need be. Trying to get that perfect mushroom is hit or miss at best with too many variables. Also, the more the projectile mushrooms the less it pentrates depending on the terminal velocity and animal being hunted. I prefer full penetration over trying to deliver any kind of shock with a large caliber bullet driven by a muzzleloader and by extension a handgun. True hydrostatic shock delivery to a game animal from a mushrooming bullet is more in the realm of a high powered rifle cartridge. I've been using hard cast large meplat bullets in all my handgun loads for years now and have never looked back. Sorry for the "book". Just my 2 Cents.

October 4, 2000, 09:35 AM	#9
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I think there is a fixture for driling 22 loaded ammo. I have found that it takes too long if I add bullet prep time to reloading.

October 4, 2000, 10:25 AM	#10
griz Senior Member Join Date: July 31, 2000 Location: Middle Peninsula, VA Posts: 1,588	Thanks Contentender. So far the only recovered 50 I've seen was on a deer shot head on by a friend of mine. All others have gone through, so I was trying to find a way to get more out of the bullet. Of course we haven't lost one yet so maybe I shouldn't try to fix the unbroken.

October 4, 2000, 09:24 PM	#11
Watchman Junior member Join Date: August 8, 2000 Location: ARKANSAS Posts: 484	I made a hollowpointer and it works well. I use it on my Dillon 550. The hollowpointer is basically a small shaft with a no. 3 centerdrill in it. I made an oilight bushing to sit in the top of my decapping die while I take a battery powered drill and spin it . I have the bullet held in place with the press, the bullet is in the shell , loaded and in the decapping die with the press handle in the down position . Of course, you must take the decapping stem out first. The bullet is held firmly enough that it does not spin, I put a small collar on the shaft to ensure that the depth of all hollowpoints are the same. The lead bullets look much like the factory hollowpoints and upon inspection of them after recovering them from the sand after they were shot , they appeared to be no different from factory expansion hollowpoints. I was quite content and somewhat suprised that they appeared to work so well. Will hopllowpoints ever be outlawed ? Probably. They are already illegal in the state of New Jersey. Eventually, ammunition and possession of firearms will be illegal, it is not a matter of IF, but it is a matter of WHEN... I have the solution and it works quite well.