Homemde Copper bullets

[Slicktop]

Is there a hand swager for copper?
I have a hard time procuring lead, have been looking for a sailboat keel.
Anyway I have copper galore but have not tried to form any.
You guys have experience?
.38

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Copper bullets would need to swaged under tons of pressure to form or turned on a lathe to proper diameter and weight...........NOT a home project.

 

[Slicktop]

Thanks
Yes a lathe would do it.. Would be slow and still require sanding to finish.

 

[Slicktop]

Wonder if a 20t hydraulic press with a die could pump them out.

 

[D Brown]

Try Corbin.

Corbin Bullet Swaging Packages

 

[teletech]

If you want solids, that's oging to be a challenge, but if you want jackets, It's not really all that bad. In fact a copper jacket swaging tool was the beginning of RCBS. (Rock Chuck Bullet Swage). There was a bullet shortage on so someone thought using spent .22 brass might work a treat...

 

[Frank46]

Some pistol cases can be swaged into rifle bullets. Lead cores into the case and swaged into bullets. Frank.

 

[cmj8591]

Sound like a great reloading/shop project. I wonder about the alloy used for commercial bullets and if you could duplicate it. I'm thinking that casting a slug and then turning it to the right diameter would work. You could do it on a Harbor Freight mini lathe.

 

[Dave Lively]

As others have stated, copper is hard to work with compared to lead.

When all copper bullets first came out they were notorious for fouling barrels. They must have been made from softer alloys than jacket material so they would take rifling and not cause excess pressure. Doesn't seem to be a problem with commercial all copper bullets now but if you start making your own out of random scrap copper it could be.

Pressure could also be a problem. Excessively hard copper could act more like a barrel obstruction than a bullet.

 

[JH1951]

Copper, last I looked, was around $4.00 / pound, and lead was about $1.00 / pound. Sell the copper and buy the lead.....

 

[CB3]

Having seen the copper bullet swaging process while working for Barnes Bullets, this is not a home project. You would need the right copper also as noted above.

The last time I sold my used brass cases from range shooting, 2 five gallon buckets worth, I got over $220. Sell expensive metals to buy cheap metals. Sailboat keel is a great idea.