What is this? - Strange bullet like thingy...

[s&wchad]

I found this while cleaning my reloading area. I don't know where I got it and am not sure what it is.

It looks like a JSP, except for the flair at the base.
Body diameter = .455"
Flair dia. = .545"
OA length = 1"
Tit centered on the base = .060 high"

 

[Texasflyboy]

My best guess is that this is a relic from someone's swaging efforts long ago (the lead oxidation on the tip). I've seen similar bullets in the past at a friends house and he was heavily into swaging. The flare at the bottom may be a relic from trying to swage too much metal in one pass. The "tit" is likely a relic from the source rod that provided the hollow jacket cup. To me the projectile appears incomplete. Probably had one or more swaging steps to go before the owner got distracted or gave up.

 

[Drm50]

I got several boxes of bullets in plain white boxes only marked Olin Corp.
They came out of estate of big wheel who worked for Olin. They were 25 cal bullets 65gr SP. At the time Win was making a 65gr SP for 25/20 Win.
These “white box” bullets I believe were rejects. They were formed backwards, some unusable flared and split jackets.
I think that might be what OP has, factory reject that made it out into public.

 

[jem102]

I agree that it is a swaging adventure gone slightly wrong.

 

[mikld]

Here' a WAG; a while back there was a bullet with a tit on the base similar to the pic. A zinc washer was swaged to the bottom of the bullet being held in place by the tit. Pic looks looks like an unfinished bullet/washer. Or an unfinished homemade swaged JSP.

 

[Alk8944]

Here' a WAG; a while back there was a bullet with a tit on the base similar to the pic. A zinc washer was swaged to the bottom of the bullet being held in place by the tit. Pic looks looks like an unfinished bullet/washer. Or an unfinished homemade swaged JSP.

Not even a good guess! The "Harvey Pro-tex Bore bullets were swaged lead with a Zinc washer base. The washer served as a gas check and scraper to prevent leading. They were not jacketed as this thing is.

Details are hard to see in the photos, and a weight would help. It looks like someone was trying to size a jacketed rifle bullet down excessively, like .45 to 11mm or smaller for 11MM Mauser or .44-77 Sharps or Remington rifles, without using lubricant . It took too much force and the base "rivited" due to this force, and the punch had a hole in the center that metal extruded into.

I made a die to size 405 grain .45-70 bullets to .446/11mm for my 11mm Mauser, and it worked fine, but I used lubricant while doing it!

That "Whats-it" looks like it is slightly smaller ahead of the first cannelure, what is that dimension?

 

[s&wchad]

That "Whats-it" looks like it is slightly smaller ahead of the first cannelure, what is that dimension?

It measures .450".

 

[Alk8944]

It measures .450".

Yeah, go back to my first post, I would bet someone was trying to make 11MM/.44/77 bullets and didn't have the right equipment and was just trying to "make-do, and it didn't

.450 is within range for a lead bullet for a rifle with a .446 groove diameter. Factory ammunition from back in the 19th and early 20th Centuries can be seen to vary quite a bit from nominal bore dimensions, sometimes by more than .010" instead to the normal .001" or less we know today.

Part of the difference could be due to "spring-back" that often happens when trying to size jacketed or very hard lead bullets Actually you can see lead bullet sized diameters from the same sizing die vary by .001 because of difference in alloy hardness

If you find out anything more logical let me know.

 

[s&wchad]

Thanks for all the replies!

...I would bet someone was trying to make 11MM/.44/77 bullets and didn't have the right equipment and was just trying to "make-do, and it didn't .450 is within range for a lead bullet for a rifle with a .446 groove diameter.

If you find out anything more logical let me know.

Thank you!
I've never done any swaging, but I suspect you're correct. I'm not sure why they didn't pitch it, but I've hung onto it too!

 

[Nemo288]

Kind of amazing it came out of the die (whatever that was) if it was a swaging misadventure.
Maybe there was some lube to begin with but not enough force.
Or the die broke.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

That looks like a Bill Noody's bullet made by Northern Precision with a "base guard." I would love to say I'm smart and know stuff but I saw it in the June 2023 Handloaders Magazine #344.

 

[jem102]

Corbin has what I believe they call a gas check that attaches by that method.


Or, maybe someone just did this for grins to make everybody scratch their collective heads...

 

[Nemo288]

No matter the origin, I'd love to see a round loaded with that thing.
If it's even possible.