Simple (and perhaps stupid) "survival reloading" question.

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A strange person

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Is it safe and practical to grind or file down bullets to be shorter and lighter?

For example, let's say I have something like a Ruger GP-100 in .327FM that I use for lobotomizing zombies and hunting coons. I've just run out of bullets, but have found a box of 7.62 Russian ammo (or any other European .30 cal ammo). If I pulled the bullets, ground them down to fit the COL of the .327FM (producing a JSP-ish type bullet), and loaded them, would the result be a reasonably accurate round safe to fire in my gun? I realize that there may be .001" of difference in bullet diameter, but the Ruger convertibles seem to indicate that this difference would not kill accuracy.

Just curious.
 
A strange person said:
Is it safe and practical to grind or file down bullets to be shorter and lighter?

For example, let's say I have something like a Ruger GP-100 in .327FM that I use for lobotomizing zombies and hunting coons. I've just run out of bullets, but have found a box of 7.62 Russian ammo (or any other European .30 cal ammo). If I pulled the bullets, ground them down to fit the COL of the .327FM (producing a JSP-ish type bullet), and loaded them, would the result be a reasonably accurate round safe to fire in my gun? I realize that there may be .001" of difference in bullet diameter, but the Ruger convertibles seem to indicate that this difference would not kill accuracy.

Just curious.
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If you are talking about FMJ bullets you do NOT want to take any metal off the tip (opening up the jacket). The back side of the bullet is open and firing it could push the lead core out and leave the jacket in the barrel obstructing the next shot and possibly blowing up the gun. This is bad juju.

Best thing to do is stock up on the bullets you need (that is what I do).

Dan
 
Zombies? Really??

Anyways, I think the best answer here is NO. Don't mess with bullets to try and "rechamber" them, at least not like this. It's a different cartridge and a different chamber. I'm not familiar with .327FM or why you be zombie hunting with one in the first place, but this is generally not a good practice. I don't see how changing the OAL alone is going to help you chamber a different round. I have to admit my own ignorance on the 327, but like berg said, bad juju. 100 years bad juju!
 
best zombie hunting is with a 12ga shotgun, and when the feces hits the rotary ventilator a good 9mm and a .22LR are solid friends. Ammo is plentiful and light enough to carry enough.

If staying within a home fortress, weight of stuff is not an issue, if your whole world has to be carried on your back while you remain very mobile? Whole other set of concerns Ask any grunt...ammo is heavy! - lol
 
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Get a bullet mould and learn to cast your own.
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+1

That is the most foolproof idea for an uninterrupted supply of bullets during a Zombie Apocalypse.

You can steal lead wheel-weights off the abandoned cars, and melt & cast bullets over the embers of burning corpses.

rc
 
Get a bullet mould and learn to cast your own.
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+1 I've gone off the commercial projectile grid so to speak,I have a good supply of J bullets for most calibers I shoot but I haven't ventured into those boxes in a few years.
 
You would probaly be able to swage the bullits down a few thousand's. But with the cost of the die's, and the amount of labor, it would just be cheaper to buy a few thousand bullet's, and wait for virus to spread.
 
I've just run out of bullets, but have found a box of 7.62 Russian ammo (or any other European .30 cal ammo). If I pulled the bullets, ground them down to fit the COL of the .327FM (producing a JSP-ish type bullet), and loaded them, would the result be a reasonably accurate round safe to fire in my gun?
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NO!
Your sizes are all messed up. The .327 is simply a longer 32 S&W long cartridge. As such the bullet diameter is------------guess what, .327! Any .308 bullet would rattle down the bore of a .327 pistol, it wouldn't even stay in the case!

It's fun to wonder "what if", but you first have to have something that fits in the bore.:what::scrutiny::eek:
 
NO!
Your sizes are all messed up. The .327 is simply a longer 32 S&W long cartridge. As such the bullet diameter is------------guess what, .327! Any .308 bullet would rattle down the bore of a .327 pistol, it wouldn't even stay in the case!

It's fun to wonder "what if", but you first have to have something that fits in the bore.
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No, all of the .32 caliber handgun cartridges, including the .327 Federal Magnum and the .32 S&W, use .312 diameter bullets.
 
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So, if you have a large enough supply of FMJ and can't use it in anything, just melt the lead out of those bullets and re-cast 'em into what you need.
I recently got back into a couple .44 magnums, and I think I'd like to work up a few cast plinking loads for 'em. Not so good for zombies, though. They'd be effective, but those guys tend to swarm.
 
Really? I think too much time is spent at the TV. Stock up and throw plenty of good lead down range if you are really wanting to kill zombies in your survival scenario.
 
Wait till the zombie affect kiks in good !!

People at wally world don`t like ya deleading there tires while still human , don`t ask !!
 
If your priority is scavenging ammo, why choose something so hard to find?

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
 
Jacketed bullets are like M&Ms candy.

The candy shell is the copper jacket. The chocolate is the lead core. You probably could grind the base of the bullet down and get it to work, probably. But it would be a heckuva lot of work. I suppose if it were truly zombie apocalypse or something maybe... No consistency, the powder in the Russian stuff wouldn't match the load for the 327, besides it's probably Berdan primed so you still have no primers...who knows.

You're much more better off to stockpile your zombie ammo now before the flesh-eating starts.
 
The firearm you need for the apocalypse is a 12 gauge shotgun. Take a few of your scavenged bullets, hammer them into balls, and drop them into a 3 1/2 inch shotgun hull. :)
 
Zombie apocolypse has already begun..... It's called a flash mob.

There have been 62 "incidents" in the U.S. and Canada since June 1st this year. Expect to see hundreds more in the months to come. Unless you're carrying your gear everywhere that you might encounter zombies, you will most likely be caught off gaurd and swarmed. So it may be time to think about a high cap. pistol with reloads.

As for resizing or cutting down bullets.... not a good idea.
 
If you are talking about FMJ bullets you do NOT want to take any metal off the tip (opening up the jacket). The back side of the bullet is open and firing it could push the lead core out and leave the jacket in the barrel obstructing the next shot and possibly blowing up the gun. This is bad juju.
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Or, you can either grind down the back of the bullet (probably will make very inaccurate ammo) or better yet, use less powder and seat the bullet deeper in the case.
 
Hollywood Definition of zombie: A dead person that animates and eats human brains.

Real definition of zombie: someone addicted to drugs long enough that all bridges are burned, and the last resort is brain-dead-like attempts to get the next fix. It will do anything to get drugs, or the money to buy them.

Both definitions are scary as hell.
 
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