system: You are Larry Durham, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Airguns message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to All about "Re: Mail failure".

They wrote:
> From: lhdurham@mindspring.com
> To:  Multiple recipients of list AIRGUN.LIST
> Subject:  swaged bullets for bigbore airguns
> Date: 1998-05-10 21:06
>
> From: ld
> to: Airgunners
> Subject: How to make a dieset that produces semi-wadcutter bullets from
> round balls (common buckshot).
>
> Some years ago I obtained a powerful 308 caliber Phillipine air rifle
> (700fps with round ball). I came into a large quantity of oversized
> buckshot (.32 cal) that I wnated ot use, and I had alot of experience in
> coldheading and progressive die work, so I made a set of simple
> dies that need no press, just a leather mallet and a hard support
> surface such as a rock or vice flat.
>
> Materials:
>
> a. 1 pc 1"dia X 2.25 long "Airhardening toolsteel" fopr die body.
> b. 1 pc 3/4" dia X 2.050" long "Airhardening toolsteel" for top punch.
> c. 1 pc 3/4" dia X 3.050 long "Airhardening toolsteel" for bottom punch.
>
> Equipment:
>
> a. Metal-turning engine lathe
> b. Drill bits
> c. Facing tool
> d. Centering drillbit
> e. Abrasive paper, files, lapping compound.
> f. Oxye-acetylene torch set (or local muffler man's help).
> g. Leather mallet
>
> Procedure.
>
> Determine exact bullet diameter needed via "slugging" method. Make
> bullet about .001-.002" larger than measured diameter of the slug.
> The longer the bullet, the smaller the diameter or friction might be too
> high. For longer bullets, make the base cavity deeper ... up to 2/3
> the bullet length for proper obturation.
>
> 1. Face each end of 1" dia die body and centerdrill one end. Never allow
> metal to get hot, or it will harden so it can't be machined.
> 2. Drill a central hole 50% the desired bore diameter thru the center of
> the die body.
> 3. Progressively enlarge the hole until its .015" smaller than the die
> body,
> than ream to within .002-3" of final size, or, lacking a reamer, use the
> closest undersized drill, or bore at slow speed with lots of oil to
> produce finest hole finish possible.
> 4. Measure completed hole size ... hopefully its within .002-3" of final
> desired boresize.
> 5. Chamfer each end of the hole with a shallow-angle taper 1/4" long,
> allowing the lead-in dia to be apprx 1/8" larger than the desired
> boresize.
> 6. Polish and radiuss the chamfers to a mirror finsih with paper
> abrasives.
> 7. Polish the thru hole as straight and smooth as possible using small
> dia sticks wrapped with abrasive paper. Keep checking the bore by
> slugging until its within .0005" of the desired size (slightly
> undersized).
> 8. Face the 3/4" X 2.05" slug on each end, and turn a shoulder 5/8" long
> and .002" over boresize.
> 9. Machine a conical shaped cavity in the end of the turned down punch,
> leaving a flat equalling 10-15% of the bore dia and a shoulder
> on the end, so as to produce a "semi-wadcutter shape when slammed into
> the ball head.
> 10. Polish the face , conical depression, and, finally punch sides until
> it just barely slides into either end of the die with slight twisting
> force.
> 11. Face the shorter punch on both ends, and turn a shoulder .002 larger
> than boresize and .5" long on one end. Maching a
> bullet-shaped projection on the turned end, resembling a torpedo-shaped
> plug about 2/3 bullet dia and 1/2-2/3 the desired bullet length.
> 12. Polish the cavity punch end so its mirror-smooth, and until it can
> just be twisted all the way into either end of the die.
> 13. Measure the final lengths of the turned-down ends of the punches ...
> the sum should not be as long as the die cavity ... trim the
> nose-punch back if too long, or extend the top punch shoulder back to
> reach this optimum "shot-bullet" figure, or about .100 less than
> the die length.
> 14. Put the punches and die on a copper block or firebrick and heat to
> medium-bright cherry red with the torch ... let cool slowly (do
> not quench in oil or water).
> 15. Test all parts for hardness .. a file shouldnt scratch them.
> 16. Re-polish the hole and punch working surfaces.
> 17. Oil the die.
> 18. Put the lower punch in the die and rest it on a hard surface.
> 19. Drop a buckshot (slightly over or undersized) into the leade of the
> die
> 20. Rest the top punch (with conical cavity) on shot top.
> 21. Rap the top punch smartly with leather mallet three times.
> 22. Raise dieset and pull bottom punch out.
> 23. Holding die in hand, rap tiop punch again to eject completed bullet.
>
> VIOLA! Lube and shoot! Die can be "adjusted about .001-.0015" larger by
> polishing if full engagement is not evident on fired bullets,
> but it takes alot more power to shove a flatsided bullet thru if its
> larger .. be careful!
>
> Let me know what you think? ld
>
>  --
>  (Larry Durham)
>          AirPower Information Services BBS * 610-259-2193
>       http://www.airpower.com  Telnet://airpower.dyn.ml.org

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