Loading Wax Bullets

I've seen plastic bullets for sale before but never wax.

A primer only load will send a plastic bullet across the room and is accurate enough to hit the center of a pillow. Even primer only loads are surprisingly loud. I'd use a magnum primer but I'd bet $10 you can't tell the difference between the regular and magnum primer.

I'd think wax would create a mess and have loading problems but maybe not.

Back in the 60's when I was a kid we would take 38 cases with just a primer in them and a block of parriffin wax. Then push the cases into it to make a flush fitting wad cutter of sorts. They were not bad out to ten feet or so.
Sorry not helping you with your post.

I'm not guessing... use either one. You won't be able to tell the difference.

Contact the manufacturer if you want data valid data. Of course they probably won't tell you anything.

Each produce about 2000 PSI. in a normal load the difference between magnum and regular is about 15 to 20 FPS. Not enough to notice a difference.

In Cowboy Fast Draw, they normally use .45 Colt revolvers, at least around here, but they also use .38 and .44 caliber revolvers. The cases are drilled out for shotgun primers, or you can buy the cases already drilled the proper size. There are several sources.

Here's one source:

http://www.cowboyfastdraw.com/gener...lies/i-45-cfda-shotgun-primer-brass-12ct.html

And here's another:

http://www.gunfighter.com/waxbullets/

Hope this helps.

Fred

Here are some FAQ's that will probably answer most of your questions:

http://www.gunfighter.com/waxbullets/cr-faq.html

Hope this helps.

Fred

Fred,
Once again you cease to amaze... You would make RC Proud..

Dan

Make sure to seat the wax bullet before you prime. Wax and brass makes an air tight seal, and you'll find a fresh block of loaded wax rounds have all unseated themselves over night and are sitting on the bench.

-Jenrick

dgod said:

Fred,
Once again you cease to amaze... You would make RC Proud..

Dan

Click to expand...

Thanks, Dan. I have a good friend who is into Cowboy Fast Draw, and I remembered some of what he told me about it, since he lives in another state. I'd probably drop the revolver on my foot if I tried Fast Draw. I'm doing good to hold my own in SASS matches.

Fred

Boy they sure have come along way from what we used.

I played with wax bullets in the 1980s and remember drilling out the flash hole in the cases. Worked well but you have to not let the wax bullet cases get mixed up with regular cases. I like the idea of using 209 primers and the custom cases shown in the links above.

I used straight paraffin at the time but it looks like a mix including some lubricant works better.

Here is some more information on making wax for bullets and modifying cases.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2010/4/12/how-to-make-and-reload-wax-bullets/

ReloaderFred said:

Thanks, Dan. I have a good friend who is into Cowboy Fast Draw, and I remembered some of what he told me about it, since he lives in another state. I'd probably drop the revolver on my foot if I tried Fast Draw. I'm doing good to hold my own in SASS matches.

Fred

Click to expand...

I know better than to even try, fast draw for me is 2 handed...

Straight paraffin, melted in a disposable aluminum pan, and filled to the desired depth will harden so you can press your cases into it for loading. If you find the paraffin too brittle just add a couple of drops of motor oil into the melt. I'd advise melting the wax outside on a bar-b-que pit as melted wax is a great fire danger in the house.
Wax bullets are great fun!

take paraffin wax and melt it in a short metal can or lid. Do this in the oven at around 160 to 200 and keep a close eye on it. Drill out the primer hole off the top of my head seems like 1/8 inch. Make sure to keep these well marked and don't mix with any other brass. After the wax has melted I used around 1/2 inch thick let it harden. Then use the primed case like a cookie cutter to make the bullets. If the wax is to hard it tends to break up so warm in oven or in the sun till it softens somewhat makes it much easier. Then fire away. By the way a cardboard box with an old cookie sheet in it works well as a backstop. It also allows you to reclaim the wax to remelt and use again. I used to store my loaded rounds in the refrigerator to keep them from melting out in the summer.

It's interesting that the shotgun primer yields a velocity almost twice that of the pistol primer, which accounts for it's adoption for Cowboy Fast Draw. It's a timed event, so any advantage along the way is sure to be used.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Yep I read it as faster bullet and not able to confuse your brass after modifying it for safety. Setting up 24 cases (that had been shot about 10 times with lead already) for wax bullet shooting is what I did. Figured they would split soon anyway otherwise and they have lasted for years shooting wax.