is it wise to.....

[quiknot]

is it wise to drill out a lead bullet ( b4 loading of course) to make hollow points from some old lead bullets i have laying around...round nose flat top

 

[The Bushmaster]

I wouldn't do it...Why?

 

[azredhawk44]

Chances of getting it perfectly centered are nil. This induces wobble and inaccuracy in your spinning projectile.

 

[Jim Watson]

Forster makes a hollowpoint attachment for their case trimmer that keeps the hole centered.
http://www.forsterproducts.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=19

You could do it on a lathe with the right size collet and a centerdrill.

Doing it freehand with your Black & Decker will not likely be satisfactory.

 

[asknight]

I've known many folks who've done just that. The two keys are getting the hole aligned perfectly, using some type of die. The one's I've witnessed being made were made using a home-made centering die on a drill press. The other key is to weigh each of them after drilling to get the consistency required for good accuracy.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Lyman used to make a hollowpointer that was used in a drillpress. I have one, but haven't used it in years. I don't know if they still catalog it or not.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[jeepmor]

Give it a try

What could it hurt. Unless your wildly offcenter, the biggest risk I see is drilling too far into the bullet and the high pressure blasting out the thin web remaining and lodging a bullet with a hole in it in your barrel. If lodged far enough, this could cause you some serious injury if not noticed.

Caution would be quite prudent here. But realistically, you'd only effect accuracy due to some lack of consistency of drill depth and centering I'd suspect. I've thought of trying this just to tinker, let us know if it turns out okay.

I wouldn't do this for home rolled defense rounds though, wouldn't be prudent.

jeepmor

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

HOLLOW POINTING

Depending on how soft the bullet, how big the hollow pointing, type of bullet seater and crimping it could damage the hollow point.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Wisdom is relative.

is it wise to drill out a lead bullet

You could probably do it successfully. Now, as to the wisdom of doing it, welllll.....

How many "old lead bullets" are we talking about, here? Are they uniform to begin with, or is it an assortment? Are they corroded, or have they been well stored? Are you willing to do the fiddling around to "get it right" and go to the expense and effort of making or buying the necessary equipment?

With less than several hundred bullets that are uniform and of high quality, I can't imagine it'd be worth your while.

Tell you what I'd do. I'd take the "old lead bullets" to my friendly local recycler, sell 'em for scrap lead, go down the street to my friendly local gun shop, buy some brand-new hollow points, go home & load same, and go out shooting. But that's just me.

Another thought: If the bullets appear to be REALLY old, I'd check with a collector first as to their value before selling them for scrap.

 

[A. Patriot]

If you live in a gun-unfriendly state, and if you used these bullets in self defense, a prosecutor could try to convince a jury that "you drilled holes in these bullets so you would be sure to maim or kill someone". "They don't even use these deadly killer bullets in war!"

I have alway read not even to use reloads in self defense guns for the same reason.

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I agree totally with what A Patriot has said. Unless you plan to hunt with them, they'll be of no more use to you than the standard lead bullets and the expansion you get will likely be marginal. If you actually shot someone with them, a prosecutor would have a field day in court.

 

[NVMM]

Many years ago when I was a kid I would drill a hole in a 44 bullet. Then I would take a 22 short and cut the bullet off flush with the case and insert these 22 shorts into the 44. I remember it being hit or miss but good things happened when I got a solid hit!
Jeez I wonder how we survived childhood.

 

[HankB]

NVMM - once I met a guy at the range who was making his own "explosive" bullets. He'd drill out a conventional JHP, and then disassemble a large number of primers, scraping the priming compound out and packing it into the nose of the bullets.

When they hit the backstop, there was a noticeable flash and "bang" . . . they didn't go off in his gun, at least not while I was there. (Since he had all his fingers attached, I guess they didn't go off during assembly, either . . . at least, not up to that point.)

He offered me a few to try . . . I politely declined. And I was glad he was several lanes down from where I was, with several bulletproof inter-lane barriers between us.

 

[caz223]

Wouldn't it just be easier to drill out the hollow point to a primer size, then gently seat a primer in the bullet? Once it's seated and crimped, of course...
Of course I'm not gonna try it in my guns....

 

[HankB]

Wouldn't it just be easier to drill out the hollow point to a primer size, then gently seat a primer in the bullet? Once it's seated and crimped, of course...

"A" primer doesn't have enough kick. You want to disassemble a whole bunch of them, scraping the priming compound out, and stuffing all of it into one bullet. Makes a more satisfying "bang."

Of course I'm not gonna try it in my guns....

Me neither.

 

[Roadkill]

I've heard about 230g .lrn 45s on top of #4 shotgun pellets with a styrofoam seal on top of the powder.

rk

 

[caz223]

Well, couldn't you just add some powder to that cavity, and use the primer on top to set it off?
Oh, and NO. It's wouldn't be wise to try it.