Resizing 22LR ammo!

6string · Apr 23, 2018

Hi guys,
I've been reloading for decades, involved in all kinds of esoteric aspects of the game. But, this is a new one to me: resizing loaded 22lr ammo!
Apparently there's a few makers of the tools.
Here's an interesting article:

Waltz, DRock, PacoAcu’Rzr resizing dies bulk 22LR testing : Day At The Range

One of the test guns is a S&W K22, tested at 50 yds!
The results are surprising. Anyone here try this?
I can see the potential for single shot 22 target guns, in which the loaded round is pressed into the rifling. The results with more general purpose arms is impressive.

Best Regards,
Jim

TomkinsSP · Apr 23, 2018

A few years back I bought a two piece die. Put a 40 grain lead roundnose in, smack it like the Old Lee Loader and you have a 100 percent metplat, basically a .22 LR wadcutter.

TheHobbyist · Apr 23, 2018

I have seen a few people over the years take a file with a homemade tool to convert them to basically a lead wadcutter. Serious .22 LR shooters. They have shot tons more ammo than I have (which says something) but I would think you would have to be exceptional to notice the difference. Each to their own.

Might just be something to tinker with.

Milton · Apr 23, 2018

I have the sizer made by Paco,it does work, at least as much as I have tested it in my guns.

Kurusu · Apr 23, 2018

6string said:
Hi guys,
I've been reloading for decades, involved in all kinds of esoteric aspects of the game. But, this is a new one to me: resizing loaded 22lr ammo!
Apparently there's a few makers of the tools.
Here's an interesting article:

Waltz, DRock, PacoAcu’Rzr resizing dies bulk 22LR testing : Day At The Range

One of the test guns is a S&W K22, tested at 50 yds!
The results are surprising. Anyone here try this?
I can see the potential for single shot 22 target guns, in which the loaded round is pressed into the rifling. The results with more general purpose arms is impressive.

Best Regards,
Jim

I haven't. But there are .22 rifle benchrest matches and I know a few folks that are into it. Every thing it can be done to give you an edge, will be done. Resizing, optimizing the bullet tips, weighting every round, sellecting the brand and lots your rifle will perform the best... You name it. They'll do it.

glowe · Apr 23, 2018

So you would be putting a rimfire cartridge in a shell holder that holds the rim only and are pushing and pulling on the case? That would make me nervous.

LoboGunLeather · Apr 23, 2018

glowe said:
So you would be putting a rimfire cartridge in a shell holder that holds the rim only and are pushing and pulling on the case? That would make me nervous.

So, what could go wrong? Or what could go wrong more than once?

Skeet 028 · Apr 23, 2018

I actually have a tool..well case holder that you put a round into and then file it like a file trim die and make a flat nose on the loaded cartridge. They seem to shoot well. I shot a few rabbits with the filed rounds and they hit with authority.

Gotta hunt that thing down cause the wabbit crop is somewhat large this year.

Steve912 · Apr 23, 2018

glowe said:
So you would be putting a rimfire cartridge in a shell holder that holds the rim only and are pushing and pulling on the case? That would make me nervous.

That should make you nervous.

Haven't look at the others, but the Paco tools don't put
pressure on rim.

DWalt · Apr 23, 2018

Maybe everyone else understands what happened here, but I don't.

Mike SC Hunter · Apr 23, 2018

Paco Kelly's .22 stuff has been around for 30 or years.

mello_collins · Apr 23, 2018

Thanks for sharing. Interesting read.

Forrest r · Apr 23, 2018

I use a waltz die and the paco tool to resize/re-shape 22lr ammo. The waltz die makes a hp bullet and a eps (eley eps nose) nosed bullet that are .225" in diameter. Most rifles with sporter chamber benefit from the larger bullet.

The paco tool makes extremely lethal hunting ammo. I use a lot of these nasty nosed bullets made with the paco tool.

I also re-size ammo down to .223" with the paco tool. The small diameter bullet tends to not only feed better/more reliable in a couple of tight chambered match pistols. The groups are tighter/more consistent.

Bakebfr480 · Apr 23, 2018

I reload 22 lr. with cast bullets. I bought all the stuff a few years back during the 22 ammo drought.

Smithpride · Apr 23, 2018

Has anyone done the old trick of turning the empty .22lr casing into a .224 bullet for reloading .223?

RGVshooter · Apr 23, 2018

This is amazing, I never even heard of this. is there any advantage in using these tools for use in a target pistol for 22 steel plate matches?

bigedp51 · Apr 23, 2018

I have seen some target shooters sort their .22 ammo with rim thickness gauges. But I have never seen anyone size the bullet.

G3 Rimfire Rim Thickness Tool and Base-to-Ogive Length Gauge
G3 Rimfire Rim Thickness Tool and Base-to-Ogive Length Gauge << Daily Bulletin

Wise_A · Apr 23, 2018

RGVshooter said:
This is amazing, I never even heard of this. is there any advantage in using these tools for use in a target pistol for 22 steel plate matches?

Not even close. To be honest, factory match .22 will put five or ten shots into a single, smooth hole at 50 feet. CCI Standard is perhaps marginal in some guns for 1.5"/50-yard standards, ammunition like Eley Tenex clearly isn't.

Ditto for feeding. When you have a misfeed using good ammo, it's not the ammo, it's the gun. Most of the guns people wind up using for rimfire steel (Rugers, Buckmarks and the like)--well, they're not bad guns, but you can feel the difference between them and something like a match 1911-22.

Kodiakco · Apr 23, 2018

Wise_A said:
Not even close. To be honest, factory match .22 will put five or ten shots into a single, smooth hole at 50 feet.

And sometimes if EVERYTHING aligns perfectly, one can do this with a custom rimfire bench rifle. Even then a few rounds don't like to play nice and go off on their own. 7 shots (out of 10) in .39" at 100 yards.

Sent from my SM-T377V using Tapatalk

Alk8944 · Apr 24, 2018

Paco Kelly used to post quite a bit on other forums, Lever Guns and Six Guns are two that come to mind. "His" .22 sizing/forming tool was actually designed by Paco's father quite a few years ago.

There are several tools that are intended for different things, but principally changing the nose profile to make the ammunition more effective for shooting game, improved accuracy is a secondary benefit in many cases. The tools are intended for use with standard quality .22 ammunition, not to improve accuracy if used with match quality ammunition.

Here is a link to Paco's web site: http://pacotools.com/ if you are curious about how the tools work and what they are intended to do. I have no financial interest in thses products but have read most of articles on various forums in years past. I have never bought or used any of his tools but have read his srticles and numerous posts from happy customers!

Resizing 22LR ammo!

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