Recovering bullets - How?

sportee

sportee

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Im often loading and shooting heeled and hollwo based bullets but have never tried to recover any to see how well they are expanding or if theyre tilking in the barrel ect...

...what are you guys shooting into to preserve the grooves on the bullet? I could use the wet newspaper method but that mashes everything up...

...would shooting into a box/pail of sand work?? How are you doing it?
 
Im looking for expansion in the barrel...not on impact.

I really want to see how whell the things are gripping the rifling

...Just to clarify...

Wouldnt the phone book method mushroom the bullet too much?
 
Yep, or a snow bank will work, but even Elmer Keith said it's a long process to wait for the snow to melt.
If it is low velocity antique rounds, you may be able to shoot into water without too much damage.
 
:) Shoot'm straight as you can, as vertical as you can. :) Then just catch them when they fall back down. :) Use a catchers mitt. :) Hope this helps. :)
 
sportee said:
I Aint Watin Till April To Dig These Things Out!!
Click to expand...

If there is a foot or so of snow on the range, just hold the gun a few inches above the ground and shoot parallel to the ground. Most of them don't go more than 10 or 15 feet and you can follow the tracks in the snow. Fire 3 or 4 shots several inches apart then walk out a few feet and scoop a ditch accross the line of fire and keep working along until you find the approximate end of travel.

cheers mooncoon
 
If your accuracy is good, they're filling out the rifling, if they are inaccurate and esp. leading the barrel, they are not.....if you are using pure lead or soft mix of pure lead and tin (no harder then 20-10) they will be working, any harder mix and they may not be.
 
Have you tried water?

What about a box filled with plastic grocery bags and/or other scrap plastic? I have used that to stop some low velocity bullets. The plastic 'catches' the bullet when the plastic bags start to pile up in front of it. Often the bullet is protuding out the back of the box in a tangle of plastic.
 
Snow drifts.
You find a big snow drift, set stakes it to show the direction of fire then shoot into the drift.
When the snow melts follow the line the two stakes make and you'll find your bullets in perfect condition laying on the ground.
 
Telephone books that have been soaked in water. A little work to construct, but they sure recover nicely
 
What do the cops use? They need a perfect bullet to examine don't they? I bet it's something like ballistic gel but instead of being firm maybe it's the constancy of jello. When it's warm it's soft and gooey.
 
Years ago I was shooting 12 gauge slugs and actually had one pop back up through the crust on the snow further down range, it was easy to find then. Wet newspapers have been a favourite for years also.
 
I often find perfectly intact bullets in the dirt banks at the range. Grooves are very identifiable and the bullets are not to badly deformed. Some look as if you hadnt shot them at all ( other than the rifling marks).

try dirt.
 
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