Wax Bullet Info

[Mayor]

I read that you can fire wax bullets out of a 38spl. I believe it was drill out primer pocket to 1/8 in prime cartridge use 3/8 to1/2 of parifin wax use like cookie cutter to make a bullet that could be fired in the garage. Is this right? And if it is how do you clean a revolver after firing them? Thanks for any help. Mayor

[devster55]

Probably hopps No9 will eat it out. Just soak a patch and run it through

[sofbak]

Have shot thousands and thousands of wax bullets in "draw, point and fire" drills in the garage. Some observations:

1. revolvers don't work as well as semi-autos, but they work. Maybe too much pressure escapes between the cylinder and the forcing cone.

2. Bullet length should be about .050" to .070" longer than the caliber to work well.

3. Clean with a good solvent. I use Ed's Red, but Hoppes would probably work. The key is to run two or three well soaked patches through the barrel and cylinder throats on a jag to get most of the wax out first. DO NOT start with a brush. If you do, the wax scrubbed out of the barrel will gum up your brush big time, and it comes out looking like a black blob.

HTH


[IMG][/IMG]

All that wax is jet black now.... been recycled thousands of times.

[Doheny]

I've shot these in my garage before: http://www.speer-bullets.com/product...g_bullets.aspx

[sl0re10]

I have not done it but I use wax as a shotgun shell component (mostly a lube; but not a projectile); so I'd just add that if it says paraffin; make sure you use paraffin.

Sometimes I buy bees wax and that stuff is tough, hard to melt, and tacky (so I modify it before using it). and/or wax is not just wax.

[RandyD]

I would recommend finding some rubber practice bullets to use instead of wax or paraffin. I bought some rubber practice bullets in 1990, and I am still using them. They do not leave anything in the barrel and they can be used repeatedly.

[gunboat]

Yes, you certainly can --
As you say open up the primer hole - I paint the cases with nail polish to prevent using them for regular loading -
I use canning wax, it comes in nominal 1/2" thick blocks -
Warming the cases helps to cake cut the wax -
Most any solvent for cleaning -
Any wax residue provides a bit of extra lube for first regular ammo --
my tuppence

[rsrocket1]

I've found that there was no need to open up the flash hole if you seat the bullet all the way down the case. What little pressure is generated by the primer goes way up just like seating with powder charged loads which we call "setback". That is enough to drive a cast hot melt bullet through the wall of a cardboard box.

If you do this indoors. Be sure you have good ventilation because all that smoke comes purely from the primer which is lead styphnate.

[Carcassonne]

http://www.waxbullet.com/

I have some for 9mm.


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[Mayor]

Ok Sofbak what do you shoot at or into to be able to reclaim your wax? Thanks

[sofbak]

Ok Sofbak what do you shoot at or into to be able to reclaim your wax? Thanks

A trap/target stand made from several cardboard boxes, and a piece of stainless steel sheet as a bullet deflector

Two identical boxes taped together make up the bottom stand and the bullet collectors:
[IMG][/IMG]

The top half is the target holder and bullet deflector assembly. The stainless sheet is inside the sloped back of the assembly to deflect the bullets into the bottom stand/collectors:
[IMG][/IMG]


The top half comes off so I can empty out the bullets and re-melt them:
[IMG][/IMG]

[Mayor]

Ok I will give that a try. Thanks for your and everyone's help. mayor

[bubbala]

has anyone used lead casting molds to make wax bullets?

[rmatt]

So just how loud is a 9mm primer/wax bullet load? I imagine my neighbors coming over really quickly.....

[rsrocket1]

These were from the Lee 358-158-RF mold

This is what the "real lead" bullets look like from the mold:


You make them sort of the opposite way of lead bullets. You want a cool mold. Room temp is fine, in the refrigerator for a while is better. Putting oil into the cavities like Pam spray or a light wipe of cooking oil with a paper towel helps release the bullets better. Yes they do shrink, but when seating the bullet all the way down to the bottom of the case eliminates any gas from escaping for the first inch of bullet travel at which point, it has gained most of the speed needed to go down the barrel.

A cardboard box with a target on it and a couple of wadded up towels are enough to trap the bullets for reuse. The gun sound like one of those old cap guns with the red plastic pellet caps or a little louder than a paper cap gun or pellet gun.