Playing with hot glue bullets

[BigBore45]

Just made a few up for garage practice. With 45 colt.

Drill out flash hole to 1/8".

Size and prime

Make glue bullet with lee 230 gr tc mold.

Insert bullet and shoot.

Shot about 25 rounds no glue in barrel yet. Accuracy at 20 feet was surprisingly good.

 

[badkarmamib]

Got a new project to try, thanks!

 

[BigBore45]

5 rounds 5.5 inch vaquero at 25 feet.

 

[stoney1666]

glue stick tubes will work in a .45, stick in and cut off, but will make a mess in the bore.

 

[BigBore45]

Update. 50 rounds total. A little glue in barrel. Came out really easy. About 5 passes with chore boy wrapped brush with hoppes #9. A clean patch. Then 5 more passes with brush. Then clean patch. Bore was shining. No glue left.

 

[Reloadron]

Pretty slick and thanks for sharing that.

Ron

 

[HankC]

Wax bullets would be fun too.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2010/4/12/how-to-make-and-reload-wax-bullets/

 

[BigBore45]

Short vid. For noise and kinda accuracy. Holding a phone and shooting is hard lol.

 

[badkarmamib]

I tried the wax bullets tonight. Admittedly, it was crude. I jammed a primed case into the flat of a candle, twisted to break it, chambered, and fired. But it did let me see that it is something that I can do in my workshop, won't wake the neighbors, and I can help my boys get over their flinch. With a little more work on making them uniform, they should be good training. But, the glue looks like it should be even easier to make them uniform, so I am also pricing a mold...

 

[HankC]

Is there a reason that flash holes need to drill open to 1/8"? Is it really needed?

 

[JohnKSa]

The primer is being used as the propellant since there is no powder. The larger flash hole vents the primer explosion forward into the case more efficiently.

 

[HankC]

The primer is being used as the propellant since there is no powder. The larger flash hole vents the primer explosion forward into the case more efficiently.

I understand that, but is it really needed? Once drill open the flash hole, it is pretty much a dedicated brass and better separated from the regular brass.

 

[JohnKSa]

I've always seen it recommended for this kind of activity but I confess that I've never seen any side-by-side comparisons between drilled and unmodified brass. It sounds like it would be a fun experiment to run.

I was poking around trying to find some test results but instead of finding any test results, I found another explanation for why the primer holes need to be drilled larger.

Apparently at least part of the reason to drill the holes is to keep the pressure down in the primer pocket. Normally recoil will reseat the primer after the pressure backs it out a little bit. But if there's no recoil, the primer may be left sticking out enough to tie up the action.

 

[Stumper]

Yes drilling out the flash hole is necessary. Failure to do so can stick plastic/glue/ wax bullets in the bore. Filling the bore with plastic bullets is a problem( I discovered this about 35 years ago)

 

[bullseye308]

Also if shooting in a revolver not drilling the flash hole could make the primers back out and lock up your gun. Hot glue bullets are a blast.

 

[BigBore45]

Also if shooting in a revolver not drilling the flash hole could make the primers back out and lock up your gun. Hot glue bullets are a blast.

This is why. I tried it without drilling and it was locking up the revolver.

 

[BigBore45]

I tried the wax bullets tonight. Admittedly, it was crude. I jammed a primed case into the flat of a candle, twisted to break it, chambered, and fired. But it did let me see that it is something that I can do in my workshop, won't wake the neighbors, and I can help my boys get over their flinch. With a little more work on making them uniform, they should be good training. But, the glue looks like it should be even easier to make them uniform, so I am also pricing a mold...

Wax works too. If you get a baking sheet and melt the wax in the baking sheet and make it around 1/2" to 1" thick. Then let cool and dump out. Then just use a primed case to cut the wax bullet like a cookie cutter and fire.

I have read were it is easier to do the wax first and then prime so the case isn't air tite when you insert the wax.

 

[SASS#23149]

"Also if shooting in a revolver not drilling the flash hole could make the primers back out and lock up your gun"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ that

I have special brass made for shotgun primers, no press needed to seat the brass. Google 'brass for fast draw', should locate it,
I also use the wax bullets, I inherited over a thousand, they will last me quite a while.

 

[Jonesy814]

I have made wax bullets for my 38 special. I melted wax in a small tray and it ended up being about 3/8 inch deep. I just press the brass into the wax to load. If you don't drill out the flash hole the primers WILL back out. I used some brass that I had crushed the mouth of the case on when learning to reload and others that developed a slight crack. I cut them off straight with a dremel so they are a bit shorter than regular brass but it doesn't matter