Swaging "copper"

giant yetti said:
Has any one thought of swaging pennies or "penny type coinage" into gas checks or bullet jackets? I'm thinking .311 cal.

I'm mostly just curious.
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1st off they would have to be old pennies ! The new ones are zinc with a copper wash, And second they would be too small in diameter to be of any use for Jacket material ! If anealed they might be able to be formed into a check shape but would be too thick to use with current GC shanks on comercialy available boolit moulds !
 
I believe most people making checks are using copper sheeting. Also jackets are made using a copper tubing and lead wire. Cast Boolits forum has a lot of people doing this and some members making tools for it. Some are even making checks out of pop cans.

I'm still just using Hornadu .30 checks for my 308 and 311 boolits.
 
How well equipped are you, as far as a metal lathe and the ability to use it?

Pennies are crap. The few copper ones left in circulation are still crap for this purpose, as they are of varying thickness and will not form very well.

You won't save any money doing this, either.

Take a look at the check making tools that are available. Aluminum flashing is thicker than pop cans and easier to work with. Brass shim stock is available in any thickness you might need, and though it's a bit more coin, it'll work and form really really well. If you want the real thing, you need to track down a supplier of gilding metal or cartridge brass.

But if you think you will save any money at this, you are hallucinating or delusional. You can pick up pop cans on the side of the road and make money faster than you can save it by making your tools and making jackets or checks.

If you want to do it because you can, that's a whole different thing.

Cheers
Trev
 
I HAVEN"T YET DONE ANY SWAGING!! So take this for what it is. Uninformed but interested.
Would it not be just as easy to try soft copper tubing? Should be sufficiently soft and malleable to flow into the die, the swaging pressures should render it a solid piece of material, and it should still be sufficiently hard enough not to cause problems with fouling. Or am I talking out of my hat?
Trev, I am still working through that book. Interesting stuff, though.
 
I am currently building my own swaging press(es) and dies for rifle and pistol bullets . Will also soon be starting on a set of tooling for copper coining and jacket equipment . I have had about enough of being held hostage by the bullet manufacturers . Sorry for the highjack !
 
copper

There is something called, I believe, the Wilkes gascheck. It looks like a copper washer. It is placed in the bullet mold about midway before the lead is poured. Not sure where you are going to get more info on it. Good luck.
 
Fine. Chucky cheese tokens. Thank you to the people with constructive comments! Much apreciated!

As for intent, there is no illegal intent. It apears that copper tubing is the best material for checks, but I'm more interested in a semi-jacketed bullet design ( I know, not terribly different).

As for tooling, I have access to a hobby machinist and equipment, as well as an aviation sheet metal shop.

At this point, this is entirely speculative!

Keep the great ideas comming! Thanks again!
 
J0HN_R1 said:
This thread shouldn't have gone any further (in the discussion of pennies) than this...

No different than cutting a center-fire rifle barrel, or unpinning a 30rd mag... Totally illegal...

:rolleyes:
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That's just what we need here more people to stop the open discution of ideas about our chosen sport ! I thought we had it bad with only the govt. to contend with . But it would appear that we (shooters) have begun to limit ourselves to narrow thought !!!
 
J0HN_R1 said:
This thread shouldn't have gone any further (in the discussion of pennies) than this...

No different than cutting a center-fire rifle barrel, or unpinning a 30rd mag... Totally illegal...

:rolleyes:
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since when was cutting off a centerfire rifle barrel illegal? Or unpinning a 30rd mag???

if my Lee Enfield had a mag adapted and it held 30 rds, I would have no qualms about "unpinning" it... and shortening the barrel to 20 inches
 
It's a moot point now because pennies seem impractical, but would it be defacing government property if pennies were no longer legal tender? Kinda like wiping ones but with a two dollar bill...

At any rate, it seems that pennies would need to be rolled or hammeredto a uniform thickness and width (if said non legal tender coins were of aproptiate matterial) before even begining to form anything resembling a bullet...

Seems like to much work :p. I'd rather be shooting.

What other materials can jackets be made from? Copper and brass are obvious. Anything that is comonly discarded?
 
I can't see gas checks being swaged from tubing. Sheet or strip, yes, but tubing?
Jackets have been formed from tubing.
.22 jackets can be made from fired .22lr cases, 6mm from .22Mag.
RCBS = Rock Chuck Bullet Swage. Started back in the '40s.
There are those who make their own jacketed bullets. Most likely becasue they choose to do so.
Haven't noticed the name Corbin in this thead yet.
 
Over at cast boolits there's a special area for this topic,as well as the material to use.
Hobby store copper sheet's or as many are finding out aluminum flashing by the roll.
Go over there and have a look.
There's a guy that make's the dies that's a regular.
 
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