Wax bullets

[mike_o8]

I just bought a Sig P239. Previous to that, I had a .38 specail. I have read a lot about wax bullets. My question is this: Although I would have to cycle the slide myself each time, what is the disadvantage of using wax bullets powered by primers? I am a fairly obsesive compulsive person, so if it causes any thought of damage to my gun, I wouldn't do it. Any thoughts?

-Mike


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I don't have a quote yet.

 

[RyanM]

Get rubber bullets instead. Search on MidwayUSA for X-Ring rubber bullets. They come in .357/9mm, .44, and .45 calibers. There's a guy on E-bay who occasionally sells hypodermic syringe plungers which fit 9mm and .40 cal guns, too. You should check and see if your gun will hand cycle empty cases first, though.

The main problem with wax bullets is that they make a mess on the target end.

 

[unspellable]

wax, plastic, rubber bullet loads

Another point is that primer powered loads require an oversized flash hole just as blanks do, or else you suffer primer set back. Relatively easy to drill them out your self, but a bit time comsuming. I wish they were more readily available on the market. Starline sells 45 Colt cases with over sized flash holes, but they insist of selling them in lots of 1000, a bit more than I really want.

Theer is a special wax for wax bullets. They are commercially available. I have not had any trouble with wax fouling.

 

[LHB1]

The only person I ever personally saw use wax bullets was Bill Jordan of the Texas Border Patrol. He was a guest at our club many years ago and gave a pistol handling/shooting demonstration using wax bullets. They didn't work well in the hot sun of Corpus Christ, TX! Think I would recommend rubber or plastic bullets instead and even better if they come with matching cases having oversize flash holes.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[RyanM]

Speer makes plastic cases in .38, for use with ridiculously undersized plastic bullets. From what I've heard, the rubber X-rings work fine in the Speer cases. I think they're only available for .38, unfortunately.

 

[unspellable]

wax & plastic

That's one reason for the bullet grade wax compound, higher melting point.

The Speer plastic bullets are caliber or bore sized rather than groove sized as a regular bullet would be. They ride on top of the rifling and take very little impression from the rifling. Thus, with a proper backstop such as a terry cloth towel suspended from its upper corners, they can be retrieved and reused.

 

[trickyasafox]

heres a good wax shootin article:
http://yarchive.net/gun/ammo/waxbullet.html

 

[miko]

I do not understand why one may be worried about lead poisoning while shooting wax bullets. Any ideas?

miko

 

[bakert]

I do not understand why one may be worried about lead poisoning while shooting wax bullets. Any ideas?

miko

miko, my understanding is that the main exposure to lead is from the lead styphnate in the primers especially when shooting indoors.

 

[pete f]

I used to use a sheet parafin mix that i got out of the old and faithful american rifleman when it was a gun magazine and not a political mouthpiece. I called my mom for the recipe but it was canner's parafin with an additive or two poured out in a shallow pan. when hardened, primed cases were just pressed into the parafin and then sorta twisted rolled out. outsides were wiped with a papertowel and loaded into dads model P they shot well at 15 feet into a cardboard box with a piece of the newspaper as a target. nice clean round holes.

when my mom finds it I will post it.

 

[quiettype]

I have done thiswith 9mm. If you're obsessive compulsive enough it works,but it ain't really practical.
1.Pour molten parafin(canning wax) into a frozen .357 mold and then drop into cold water.Eventually you will get the hang of it.
2.When dry,superglue to aluminum foil,then trim neat little squares of aluminum(keeps the wax base from melting).
3.Insert projectile into primed case with a Lee loader.

You WILL have to single load into the chanber.
The primer fumes ARE toxic.
Clean bore and chamber after use.
Be sure of your backstop.
These will penetrate walls,break glass.
I have killed mice at 10 feet.It kind of knocks them back a couple feet.
Pretty accurate but not practical.

 

[mike_o8]

thanks

Thanks for all the input. That was exactly what I was looking for.

 

[miko]

Aluminum oxide - the thin film that covers all aluminum exposed to air - is one of the hardest substances known to man. I would think twice before shooting anything aluminum out of the barrel. The aluminum foil feels soft but so is steel wool - and nobody would recommend using that as a wad.

Speaking of, why not use a felt or paper wad underneath the wax "bullet"?
How about dacron fiber fill, that reloaders occasionally use to fill the void in the case?

miko