Friends..please educate me on this...
I read that you can use "wax bullets" for revolver practice at home.
From what understand (which could be very little), is that you can use a spent shell, insert primer, wax bullet.
1. I'm assuming that the primer is inserted by using a reloading machine.
2. That no gunpower is used...
3. Not sure where to get the wax.
4. Can anyone explain to me how this is done, using the most basic tools. I don't reload, but am willing to buy a reloading machine (a simple one) so that I can do this.
5. Is there a step by step instruction available.
As previously stated, there is a lot of information on the web about wax bullets.
I've been shooting them since the late 1960s
Bullets are easy to make and use, but there are a couple of Caveats.
The first one is that
you need to enlarge the primer flash hole.
Modifying cases for wax shooting is simple, simply drill out the primer flash hole with a 1/8” drill.
If you don't enlarge the flash hole, the primer will be driven back and bind the cylinder.
Naturally, these cases are marked and NEVER used with powder loads again.
There is no need to resize your brass if it will still fit into the chamber of the gun.
If you don't now reload, primers can be removed by putting the fired case on a large nut (Nut & Bolt type nut) and driving out with a small nail.
I melt canning wax and pour into a flat plastic wrap lined pan to about ½” depth and let cool.
When still soft, I cut the block of wax to just larger than my largest loading block.
(I shoot wax in 38/357, 41, 44, and 45, so I cut my blocks to fit any size I might need)
These blocks are wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the back of our freezer.
Naturally, I let them return to room temperature before loading.
When ready to use I put the wax on a dish and zap in the Microwave until it is rubbery.
The
unprimed brass are placed in a loading block and the ½” wafer of soft wax is placed on top.
A piece of wood slightly larger than the wax is placed on top and the wax is forced down into the cases.
I put a heavy 50 Cal. ammo can on top and press down.
(The late Bill Jordon put the cold wax over the cases and squeezed them into the cases using a shop vise.)
Peel off the unused wax and save for later.
A quick clean up with a paper towel and they are then primed and ready to shoot.
Primers can explode if mishandled, so I would suggest that you buy a small hand priming tool... Lee makes a good one.
The other Caveat about using wax bullets (or the Speer plastic bullets) is that
you need to do a detail clean of the barrel after shooting, before using live ammunition.
The reason is that there is fine ground glass in the priming compound.
This is consumed by the high heat and pressure of firing a cartridge.
In this case those temperatures and pressures are not reached so the fine grit stays in the barrel.
The wax (or Speer Plastic) bullets are soft enough to absorb this grit rather than scrub it against the barrel like a jacketed bullet would.
A good cleaning before shooting live ammunition keeps the glass from abrading the bore.
(Think about what they bead blast with?)
Wax bullets are great for indoor practice (still need good ventilation).
Just hang a beach towel from the ceiling of your garage with the top edge about seven feet above the floor.
Hang your target about six inches in front of that at about four feet off the floor.
Wax bullets will pass through the target and be caught by the towel.
(The loose hanging towel is not rigid so it can be pushed back by the light weight wax bullet absorbing it energy.)
A box on the floor under the towel catches the fallen bullets for re-melting and reuse..
It is as simple as that.
Note: they will go through 1/8" plywood, so don't think they are something to play with.
Stinging a marauding dog at 15-20 yards will cause a lot of pain, but is not likely to cut the skin.
Up close, hit in the right spot they can possibly be lethal.
Steve
