Reloading Rim fire

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Traffer

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Is there anyone out there who is reloading rim fire ammo?
I tried doing it as a solution to the difficulty of getting 22 rim fire. I was wondering if anyone else is interested in it. :)
 
Yep, its called a 30/30 with a 95 grain cast bullet and 5 grains of Unique or the .38 with 108 gr cast bullet and 4.4 grains of Unique. Both are soft shooting and don't cost much more than 22 rounds.
You can load 22 rounds but it gets time consuming, the hardest part is making a primer paste and very carefully packing it into the base of the case. As I remember some guys are using snap caps to make the primer paste.
 
If someone else was doing it I would be interested in how they were doing it also. I thought that I was replying to the comment by fallout mike. I don't know why it ended up here.
 
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It was sometimes done during WWII, using Bullseye powder or home-made black powder, a paste made from match heads and a round lead ball. The priming compound was pushed into the rim using a dental pick. Loading the rifle required making sure the firing pin wouldn't hit a dent.

So, can it be done? Yes. Is it practical? No.

If you want to do it, you have way too much time on your hands - maybe you should volunteer to help a charity.

Jim
 
I was trying to find out if there was one single person on THG who has ever actually reloaded a rim fire round. Apparently not.
 
I am considering on ordering this sharpshooter kit for the mold as I just got my naa super companion for xmas and so can someone mic the bullets it makes and let me know the diameter of them? as if they are either close or the right size then I could make my own if needed! thanks guys! :)
 
I just read up on that super companion. I thought what I was doing was dangerous. If I were you I would not vary from the prescribed charge etc on that thing. Toy caps are very dangerous VERY VERY dangerous. Not for their explosive force but because they are liable to go off when you don't think they can. The reason I use Armstrong mix (toy caps) wet is because I have had many little piles of cap powder off when using a piece of paper and a credit card to move the pile around. When I was a kid i used to make my own firecrackers with caps. Detonated one with the wooden part of a match stick (didn't think that could set it off). It was about 2 inches in front of my eyes as I was making it. (10 yrs old) My sight came back by the grace of God while my dad was driving me to the emergency room. I have more true stories if you need em.
 
yep traffer I use goex 4f powder for this one and it is fun to shoot :) but I need to know what the bullets mic out at diameter wise? if they are what I need then i'll buy the reloader kit for the mold so I can make my own bullets if naa was to close down or stop selling their bullets they sell for this bp gun! :) but traffer this is one fun little gun!!
 
Have you checked at NOE molds? They have molds from .225 to .228 for the 22. I saw a couple 37 grain bullet molds in a couple different sizes. NOE mold would be a way better mold then the cheap one in that kit.

Lead hardness can also determine bullet size from a specific mold, if you want to do it right get a Lee push through seizer for the diameter you need and size the cast bullets to the size you need.
 
midland man said:
yep traffer I use goex 4f powder for this one and it is fun to shoot :) but I need to know what the bullets mic out at diameter wise? if they are what I need then i'll buy the reloader kit for the mold so I can make my own bullets if naa was to close down or stop selling their bullets they sell for this bp gun! :) but traffer this is one fun little gun!!
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OK, I just measured a few of my molded bullets. They come out at .226 .227. That is from: LEE-2-Cavity-Mold-C225-55-RF-55-Grain-Bullet-223-5-56-mm-90451 that I bought on eBay for $27. But you are not going to use these in your gun. I made a resizing die and a cutter to get them down to any weight under 55 grains that I want with a diameter of .2255. BUT I can size the diameter to about anything I want within reason. ANOTHER consideration for your super companion that seems to me(from watching part of a video on it) is that you need a cupped bullet like a miniball or a pellet. The cup is very important because it is expanded by the gas to make the seal you need in your barrel. The cutting technique I use makes that "cup" in the bullet. It is quite time consuming compared to just using a slug from a mold but it gives the ability to reload 22's to factory performance.
 
Years ago I read about a fellow that did it for one cartridge. He made a bet with a friend for the finest steak dinner at the best restruant in town. he described his process in detail but I didn't copy it. He stated it was the best dinner he ever had with drinks included. I remember he used kitchen match heads for the primer material and used a drill motor to rotate the case until the primer material dried.
 
joem1945 said:
Years ago I read about a fellow that did it for one cartridge. He made a bet with a friend for the finest steak dinner at the best restruant in town. he described his process in detail but I didn't copy it. He stated it was the best dinner he ever had with drinks included. I remember he used kitchen match heads for the primer material and used a drill motor to rotate the case until the primer material dried.
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What was the thing he had to do to win the bet? I wish someone would bet me. I would put up everything I own on certain bets. I haven't chrono-ed my loads but I have done some basic tests like shooting into a block of dead soft lead. Mine clearly show more energy than standard factory ammo with the same 38 to 40 grain slug. There are several vital hurdles I had to overcome to get that performance. And I had to do it by trial and error because there are absolutely no specs on 22 loads out there.
 
Traffer said:
OK, I just measured a few of my molded bullets. They come out at .226 .227. That is from: LEE-2-Cavity-Mold-C225-55-RF-55-Grain-Bullet-223-5-56-mm-90451 that I bought on eBay for $27. But you are not going to use these in your gun. I made a resizing die and a cutter to get them down to any weight under 55 grains that I want with a diameter of .2255. BUT I can size the diameter to about anything I want within reason. ANOTHER consideration for your super companion that seems to me(from watching part of a video on it) is that you need a cupped bullet like a miniball or a pellet. The cup is very important because it is expanded by the gas to make the seal you need in your barrel. The cutting technique I use makes that "cup" in the bullet. It is quite time consuming compared to just using a slug from a mold but it gives the ability to reload 22's to factory performance.
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Why would you need the bullet base cupped if the bullet was sized to fit your barrel? Loading for .22 is no different then loading cast in any other caliber and we don't use cupped bullets.
 
I saw on YouTube where a guy was making .22 bullets and the time involved was huge. It certainly doesn't appeal to me but at the same time I don't fault anyone that wants to do it.
 
There isn't any real difficulty of acquiring all the 22LR you desire from online distributors. There is literally tons available for 10-12 cents per round. No it is not a cheap as it used to be years ago, but then again few things are and it's still the least cost powder burning shooting around.

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/22lr

I think it would be cool to see someone reloading/recreating some of the old big bore rimfires of the late 1880's.
 
Over the shortage I only ran out of 1 brand - Fiocchi Hi velocity.
I bought when ever possible & sold the gun that needed Fiocchi

I have two 22 revolvers.
They'll shoot anything.
But 1 of them prefers Remington Thunderbolt.

Have well over 3,000 rounds of various 22lr ammo.

No need to resort to match heads & black powder.
 
Buying 22 rimfire ammo

In case no one here has noticed the "shortage" is pretty much over. You can now get 22lr pretty regularly in your normal places. The first thought of doing this for me was prompted by the shortage, but I am not doing it because I need the ammo. I wouldn't fire this stuff in a good gun anyway. Not until I can find a non corrosive primer anyway. Which is going to be my nest hurdle to overcome. That will be quite an accomplishment, procuring non-corrosive rim fire primer. If any of you has any ideas let me know. If you have discouraging criticism, please either refrain from harping or try to phrase it well. At this point in my life I don't like people harping at me about doing something stupid and gonna blow myself up. That held me back from dong so much when I was young, I try not to listen anymore. I have survived a long time doing many dangerous things, I will take the necessary precautions.
 
What was the thing he had to do to win the bet?

Reload and fire 1 .22 LR shot to win. Me, I wouldn't go to all that trouble for a meal.
 
well I need to make my own bullets and percussion caps or rather say be able to make both items if needed for my NAA super companion which is a bp gun. so I was hoping someone had some ideas on where to get a mold or have a mold made for these 22 bullets as I need .224 dia, 30gr round nose bullets and be able to make my own percussion caps! :)
 
midland man said:
well I need to make my own bullets and percussion caps or rather say be able to make both items if needed for my NAA super companion which is a bp gun. so I was hoping someone had some ideas on where to get a mold or have a mold made for these 22 bullets as I need .224 dia, 30gr round nose bullets and be able to make my own percussion caps! :)
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I can show you a way to make the bullets but it is time consuming and you will have to make some tools. Not a quick process at all! I have seen a few videos on making percussion caps. Traditional ones nipple types. I don't know if that is what you need
 
Primed Empies

Up until the 1960's and early 1970's Remington offered primed empties for the .22 rim fire Short and Long Rifle. They can still be found for sale on online auctions like Gun Broker, but you will be paying collector prices. The problem is, how were they stored over the years. I bought my last boxes at a Gun show in Wisconsin about 5 years ago. They were used by the Government testing lab in Madison Wi for testing Viet Nam flack jackets with a charge and bits of shrapnel. The guy I got them from said that they were stored in the basement after the tests were over. So basement and viable priming do not go together.
 
joem1945 said:
What was the thing he had to do to win the bet?

Reload and fire 1 .22 LR shot to win. Me, I wouldn't go to all that trouble for a meal.
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It is not really that hard just to get something to shoot out the barrel. You don't even need powder. Fill it with match head powder, and it will work. Don't have to crimp bullet etc. If you knew how you could do it in a half an hour easliy. (with the exception of letting the primer dry. Depending on what you use to wet it, It can take a while.
 
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