Anyone ever convert 22 brass to something usefull?

[Joeyp]

Hi All,

I am just getting into reloading and one of my neighbors invited me over to check out his reloading set up. On his bench he had a pill bottle that had what I thought was a few pieces of 22 brass in it.

When I asked him about the bottle he pulled the pieces of brass out and began a story about his late uncle who was a machinist and avid reloader. The first piece he showed me was a standard empty 22lr case. The second piece was the case modified so the rim was removed and the bottom was closed up and rounded off. There was also a grove left around the bottom of it. The third piece was the modified brass filled with lead almost to the top of the case. The 4th piece looked like a finished bullet. It was basically the top of the lead filled case crimped? , for lack of a better word, to form the cone of the bullet with a little bit of the lead forced out of the top and rounded off. He said the finished "bullets" weighed about 70 or 80 grains.

His uncle would then load these "bullets" in .223 cases and shoot them with great accuracy. His uncle had made the tools and jigs to create these bullets but unfortunately all the equipment was given away by his aunt when his uncle died. He kept these pieces to remind him of his uncle who got him into reloading and to remind him to be resourceful in life.

I walked away pretty impressed by what can be accomplished when someone sits down and puts their brain to work. Anyone else ever do something similar or have any other examples of using 22 cases like this?

 

[jmorris]

google bullet swaging there are several places that sell the equipment. The best thing I ever converted 22 brass to was cash.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Make .224 bullets. That's how RCBS got it's start. Rock Chucker Bullet Swaging. Huntington made a swaging press and die set that took .22 rimfire cases and make them into jackets for .224 bullets.

There are two companies that make these dies for the most part, Corbin and his brother's company RCE, LLC. CH4D makes swaging dies as well as a guy named Blackmon (no website just phone).

I have a jacket making die from RCE, LLC for the .22 cases. My .224 swaging dies are still on order. I have a set of 10mm JHP swaging dies from CH4D. It's fun and low cost. Cartridge brass has been used for jackets for decades. I use annealed .380 and 9mm cases to swage make jackets for 10mm bullets.

Here's an example of the swaged bullets you can make with .22 cases. The one on the left uses a commercial jacket.

 

[ants]

The man in my old home town who swaged .224 bullets from 22lr brass told me that accuracy was generally poor. You can easily make blasting bullets and have a lot of fun, but you can't make match grade bullets.

Have you been getting good accuracy from those?

 

[freakshow10mm]

I haven't shot any. I pulled the pic from Castboolits. They have a dedicated swaging forum over there.

From the guys over there they report 2MOA or less at 100y. If you want target bullets, use commercial jackets or make some yourself with copper tubing and jacket making dies. There's a good handful of benchrest shooters that swage their own bullets. They seem to do quite well with them. I doubt they are using RF cases.

You sure can't polish a turd, but for most shooting, free bullets seems good to me. The lead wire is only a bit of money. Per bullet you are looking at 40gr or so plus RF case makes about a 50-55gr bullet. Jacket is free and a 25lb spool of wire yields about 4,375 cores. $50 for the wire will run about 1.1 cents per bullet. For blasting ammo through your M16 set to WOOHOO! or farm varmints at 200y or so, it's perfect.

 

[Walkalong]

There's a good handful of benchrest shooters that swage their own bullets. I doubt they are using RF cases.

Right. They all buy their jackets.

 

[BikerNut]

Uses for .22 Brass

Solder long brass handles onto then and use them for powder dippers. Cases from .22 shorts, longs, and the extra long CCI Stinger cases measure out good loads for 9mm and .38.

 

[FROGO207]

I use the case for the same particular cal for pistol loading dippers. Just solder a copper electrical wire loop handle on it and be sure to use a casing that can not still be used. I leave the primer in and cut down the neck with a case trimmer till I get the volume wanted. then make a label stating the charge/bullet weight and tape it in center of handle with clear tape. Have several dozen with fav load info. Never go out of calibration either.

 

[interlock]

i like the idea of the bullet swaging from .22 rf brass. if i could afford it i would get a corbin bullet swaging kit to make my own 6mm (from .22) 7mm and 30 cal bullets. i don't think i can make them better than mr Hornady, Mssrs Speer or Johny Sierra. but i would love to have a go

 

[danrickard]

there is a new Swage die company that has hit the market called "Kaine Dies"
they make a complete set of dies needed to convert 22 rimfire cases into 223/224 projectiles. the complete set is only $300 and you can use your normal RELOADING press to use them.

for information feel free to message me, or send email to drickard at gmail.com

 

[Curator]

Vernan Speer got started in the bullet business swaging 22rf cases into .224 jacketed bullets during WWII when civilian supplies dried up. I have a couple of boxes of his original bullets and many have the distinctive "U" on the base. My suposition is that you can make "pretty good' bullets this way but maybe not match-grade ones. Yhe ones I have fired were OK on groundhogs, but 2-3 inch 5-shot groups from My Savage 112SS that normally groups .50 for 5 shots from the bench with Sierra 62 grain MKBT.

 

[68wj]

there is a new Swage die company that has hit the market called "Kaine Dies"
they make a complete set of dies needed to convert 22 rimfire cases into 223/224 projectiles. the complete set is only $300 and you can use your normal RELOADING press to use them.

for information feel free to message me, or send email to drickard at gmail.com

That's great, but did you have to resurrect a dead 2 year old thread to announce your company?

 

[danrickard]

i figured why the heck not.. nobody else seemed to have added anything new to the thread, and there was some development since then.

plus google tagged onto the thread as well..

is there anything wrong with announcing a new company via forum threads?

 

[JShirley]

No, it's fine. Welcome to the forum. It would be annoying if you resurrected an old thread to tack on a "me, too!" post, but you had new info to add. You might also want to start a new thread- just 1- introducing your product. A pic would probably be appreciated by many members.

Incidentally, I was talking to two other staff members at the range two weeks ago about this very thing.

John

 

[Steel Talon]

They make a quick leather hole punch

 

[1SOW]

I've used them for a hole punch too.

 

[Para Cassatt]

I used 1-22 Mag case and 1-LR to make a corbie to attach two 3/4" dowels together making a set of shooting sticks. These work great for seated or kneeling shooting. For standing a pair of wooden paint roller handles will do.

 

[68wj]

i figured why the heck not.. nobody else seemed to have added anything new to the thread, and there was some development since then.

plus google tagged onto the thread as well..

is there anything wrong with announcing a new company via forum threads?

Nah, have at it. I have always liked the concept of using the .22 brass to make jackets. Not sure if I would do it myself, but it is an interesting subject to me. Looking forward to any write-ups and/or pics of the process.

 

[kingmt]

I'm interested as well & would really like some pictures, Company info, & product info. I also agree a fresh thread would help.

 

[colt1911fan]

Id like to see pics as well and more info you have me interested

 

[danrickard]

ok guys. i'll make a new thread with pics of the dies for yea.

thanks much,
Dan

 

[Ritchie]

Rimfire cases and gasoline

What could go wrong? I've used fired .22LR cases for a plug in a motorcycle fuel valve, drilled a small hole in the case head and used it for a metering restriction in a VW fuel return line, oh, and the occasional powder dipper.

 

[kingmt]

I have used them for a EGR position sensor to set the gap on a worn plunger(The new sensor cost about $50 & the case only cost about 5 cents or less. That was back in the early 90's. More recently I cut & flared one to reduce the size of hole in the Lee disk. I mostly turn them into cash tho.

 

[Clark]

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.guns/browse_thread/thread/6d70b045358f3cf3/a52858d65ffbfbe3

July 21, 2001

Glue them together and make a boat.
Turn them over and sell them as new ammo to stupid people.
Glue them to your desk as a pencil holder.
Replace your missing teeth with them.
Make a big pile of them and use it as a radio antena.
When you walk in the woods make a trail with them so you can find your way home.
Ad them to soggy breakfast ceral to make it crunchy.
Or do as my gun club and sell them as scrap metal.

 

[jmorris]

That's great, but did you have to resurrect a dead 2 year old thread to announce your company?

That's not very highroad of you.


I'll look for your new thread Dan.