machining your own
- Thread starter tony m
- Start date
With the possible ambition to make a commercial venture, I dove deeply down this rabbit hole a couple of years ago when bullets were really hard to find. I drew up a bunch of bullets and contracted a machine shop specializing in production runs of small parts using cnc Swiss screw style machines. I ordered up a big bunch of tellurium copper and we went to town:
My observations are as follow:
The machines themselves are very expensive (more than 100k), and in my opinion require experienced operators if you want to avoid a steep learning curve. If you don't mind a part off nipple on the base of your bullet you can get away with using a relatively simple machine (think Barnes monolithic solid). If you want to take the next step up and do away with the part off nipple then you'll need a machine that has the ability to work on both ends of the workpiece. Because of the cost of these machines (as well as the complexity of running them competently) you are better off contracting out to a production screw machine shop for the first bit while you test your market.
Additionally, the economies of scale are such that you need to be doing runs of 25 to 50k for each diameter of feedstock you're using if you want to have a chance of being competitive.
When done right they produce phenomenally accurate bullets, but the cost in getting there precludes all but those with the stoutest heart, deep pockets, and a relentless pursuit of their overall vision.
My observations are as follow:
The machines themselves are very expensive (more than 100k), and in my opinion require experienced operators if you want to avoid a steep learning curve. If you don't mind a part off nipple on the base of your bullet you can get away with using a relatively simple machine (think Barnes monolithic solid). If you want to take the next step up and do away with the part off nipple then you'll need a machine that has the ability to work on both ends of the workpiece. Because of the cost of these machines (as well as the complexity of running them competently) you are better off contracting out to a production screw machine shop for the first bit while you test your market.
Additionally, the economies of scale are such that you need to be doing runs of 25 to 50k for each diameter of feedstock you're using if you want to have a chance of being competitive.
When done right they produce phenomenally accurate bullets, but the cost in getting there precludes all but those with the stoutest heart, deep pockets, and a relentless pursuit of their overall vision.
