How to: Simple High Power Hot Glue Bullets

[gamestalker]

Couldn't you also just fill the brass directly with the hot glue, so as to create a better seal all the way up to the flash hole, thus eliminating free space, which would then maybe increase pressures & velocity? I would think by doing it this way you might not have to alter the primer pocket to accept 209's?

I'm going to cut loose and start trying some various concepts rattling around in my empty chamber.

Thanks, that is awesome for sure!!

GS

 

[25cschaefer]

I think you would have to oil the case so the glue doesn't stick but then you might kill your primer with a wad of glue in it.

Primers are suppose to send a small flash to the powder charge without allowing pressure to come back and pop the primer out. So flash holes are not meant to allow lots of pressure, which propels these light bullets, to transfer through them. This is the reason, in order to get them to come out of the barrel, you must open the flash hole and in order to get them to come out of the barrel with any velocity, you must change to 209s.

 

[blarby]

Interesting.

 

[gamestalker]

I was actually thinking if the case was deprimed, the hot glue might flow evenly into the case being that the flash hole is open, because there is an escape hole for the air. Then prime after hot glue application using a magnum primer?

Actually, this whole thread is leading me down a completely different road, snake loads. Got to get busy trying out an idea or two, get back later with the results.

GS

 

[25cschaefer]

The buckshot load would probably work on snakes and wouldn't take you foot off if you messed up.

 

[25cschaefer]

Range Report

Sorry, no pictures. But I went out to my friendly gun range and shot some glue guns.

For some reason, out of my wife's Taurus snub nose, the bullets were hitting about 10" south of regular bullets, I did not shoot groups because I ran out before I figured it out. They had plenty of power, one of them dented a 2x4 over a 1/4" deep. these were at 10yds

Out of the Rossi 92, at 10yds, I shot 3 rounds touching off the bench - still penetrating 5+ layers of packed cardboard.

I made a rubber buckshot round by emptying a trap load's shot and filling it with 7 000 buck balls, unfortunately, I did not get complete combustion of powder and could locate no holes in the target at 10yds. Much as I predicted.

 

[desidog]

Well, I found the glue gun this weekend, and tried casting some gluellets... it was not particularly rewarding; out of maybe 30 attempts, 75% or thereabouts had glaring inconsistencies - mainly bubbles.

While i was poking around my model making stuff for the glue gun, i ran into some 5/16" dowels... and recalled the late war efforts of the Japanese to make bullets without metal.


i was thinking a wad might be better than the gas check...but haven't experimented yet.

 

[25cschaefer]

I have been experimenting more with this and found I get more consistent "pours" if I push the stick by hand instead of using the trigger on the gun. One long push until I meet resistance and then put a sprew on top with the trigger.

 

[Dudemeister]

I thought I'd try this too. In the past I had use wax bullets in my .45LC, powered by a .209, and the results were mixed. Primarily, accuracy was iffy beyond 20 feet, and they had very little power.

I recently bough an H&R revolver made in 1899, and while the gun is in excellent condition, I've been debating whether to shoot it. So I'll try shooting rubber bullets first.

I bought a Lee .32 mold (311-200-2R), and went about casting some bullets. Like schaefer, I found that the glue gun has a tendency to chew up the glue stick while trying to push it through. That's because of the back pressure, so I found that if you hold the tip at a slight angle to the fill hole, there's enough pressure relief, and the cavity fills nicely.

For my caliber, I can get about 20-25 bullets out of a 10" glue stick, once I weed out the imperfect ones.

Since this is for a .32 S&W Short, when seated the bullet base is about 1/4" from the bottom of the case. I don't think it's feasible to drill these out to accept .209 primers, so I'll try using standard small pistol primers first, with the flash hole drilled out to just under the diameter of the primer (.175 > .125).

If that doesn't work, I'll drill them out to accept large pistol primers.

My only concern is how sticky these bullets feel. They're mostly rubber after all. Do they need any kind of lubrication, or will they get stuck in the barrel?

 

[25cschaefer]

After you let them set up over 24 hours or so, they aren't sticky any more, I tumbled some in Alox just to try it, it didn't seem to change anything except it made it easier to load into the shells.

 

[Dudemeister]

After you let them set up over 24 hours or so, they aren't sticky any more, I tumbled some in Alox just to try it, it didn't seem to change anything except it made it easier to load into the shells.

Never heard of Alox before, but it sounds good. I was actually considering some of the coatings like Moli lube or similar.

Then I remembered the "Bore Butter"/Crisco I used to use when shooting BP, so this image popped in my mind of me at the range dipping the tip of the bullets in a tub of Crisco or lard before shooting them.

 

[25cschaefer]

I finally got around to tinkering with this again; I can resurrect my own thread, right? I have my chronograph working and am going to be posting some numbers from time to time so stay tuned. All velocities will be measured 10ft from muzzle. Bear with me, I am buying a better glue gun, the little hobby one is a pain after you get oil on your hands, I found it extremely difficult to get a good "pour" in 45 cal molds.

I got 720-750fps out of my wife's 2" 357mag using the 148gr wad cutter mold and Winchester muzzle loader 209s, not too shabby. These will smack the side of a coffee can hard enough to crack it at point blank range, big dent, no penetration.

 

[25cschaefer]

38spl, 2inch, 148gr wadcutter mold, Winchester #209 primers (just regular old trap primers): 690-720fps.

45LC, 4 5/8, 255gr RNFP mold, Winchester Muzzle Loader Magnum primers: 470-500fps

45LC, 4 5/8, 255gr RNFP mold, Winchester #209: 430-460fps.

A couple of notes:
Seating depth has a huge impact on velocity, more so in larger cartridges, the difference between seating like a normal load and seating all the way against the primer in a 45lc is a 250fps difference, the closer the faster.

In the 38spl, if I seated the bullet against the primer, the widest spread in velocity in ten shots was 7fps. Even though there were air bubbles in some of the bullets, they flew at the same speed. 7fps is crazy constant considering my Hornady Critical Defense factory loads had a major spread of over 80fps.

At 20ft, firing from a couch with elbows on my knees, I shot a group of about 2 inches with the 45lc Uberti SAA fixed sights, I had about the same group firing weaver stance at the same distance using BVAC Cowboy loads. I was disappointed with myself but I think I may need to sand bag it to see if it is me or the gun. It's funny, I was going to adjust the front sight because it was shooting a foot to the left with the Cowboy loads, now it is shooting 8 inches low with the glue sicks, I need to shoot it more to see what is going on.