Wax bullets

Take total control of your projectiles by casting your own!
donhuff
1000 Shots
1000 Shots
Posts: 1650
Joined: 03 May 2013 10:14
Location: LaGrange Georgia
Has thanked: 7 times
Been thanked: 339 times

Wax bullets

Post by donhuff »

I'm going to use them for testing primers. Gonna put one in a fired case, with a primer and no powder, and then shoot it across the chrono.

List your velocity guesstimates and we'll see who is the closest. And the winner gets a free dinner at Outback steakhouse! (restrictions WILL apply)

The bullets are from a Lee 358-125 RF mold. I reamed out the grease grooves, that's why they look funny. Left to right,The two black ones are from the stock mold, then reamed, then powder coated some funny yellow-white speckled color (all my left over powder). They weigh in at a hefty, 11 grains. Speaking of color. I wonder if I should powder coat them? I wonder if curing the powder at 450* for 15 minutes, then dropping into cold water, will "temper" them? The big bullets to the right of the pic, are from an old NEI mold one of my shooting buddies gave me back in the early 90s when all this heavy bullet stuff started. He wanted to try them but did not cast, so I got the mold. We found out that in a super blackhawk, a 340 grain bullet KICKS!

All you guys with quick load can't use the program for your guess, cause well, that would be cheating :lol: Though, I would be interested in how fast one of them would go with a full load of unique behind it.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Don Huff

to bad those that know it all, cant do it all!
16" SS 92 357
20" BL 92 357
20" SS 92 44
20" BL 92 44
20" Bl 92 45C
20" Bl 92 454
SS Rio Grande 30-30
Bl Rio Grande 45-70
User avatar
mr surveyor
1000 Shots
1000 Shots
Posts: 1608
Joined: 16 Mar 2013 11:20
Location: NE Texas
Has thanked: 486 times
Been thanked: 292 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by mr surveyor »

I'll play

with mag primer and drilled flash hole .... 362.953 feet per second

standard primer with factory flash hole ..... 297.406 feet per second


that's the voice of inexperience mumbling .... just to be mumbling :lol:


JD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guns - They aren't really yours until you void the warranty!
User avatar
rman
500 Shots
500 Shots
Posts: 673
Joined: 18 May 2014 11:47
Location: Kansas
Has thanked: 160 times
Been thanked: 125 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by rman »

412 fps (I can taste that steak already!) :D
At my age, there IS nothing better than shooting.
User avatar
Tuco Ramirez
500 Shots
500 Shots
Posts: 859
Joined: 08 Apr 2013 10:50
Location: Fredericksburg TX
Has thanked: 70 times
Been thanked: 99 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by Tuco Ramirez »

This should be a neat test...... I will say 265 fps.
When you have to Shoot; shoot, don't talk.......
"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." Thomas Jefferson


Image
f100cleveland
Posts: 140
Joined: 12 Mar 2013 17:22
Location: S. MN
Has thanked: 7 times
Been thanked: 19 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by f100cleveland »

300 fps with mag and 275 fps with standard. You pay mileage when I win so I can come down for my steak?
donhuff
1000 Shots
1000 Shots
Posts: 1650
Joined: 03 May 2013 10:14
Location: LaGrange Georgia
Has thanked: 7 times
Been thanked: 339 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by donhuff »

Well, I shot up what I had yesterday, and the results are kinda surprising.

Also surprising was how close all of you were to the correct speeds.

It wasn't a real good test, as I did not have any small pistol magnum primers. I had SRM but no pistol. I usually use the rifle ones anyway, but the test showed me why I need to stop doing that. I had one CCI 450 that I had to snap 4 times to make it go off! They really do have harder cups. And judging by the firing pin dents, the CCIs all have thicker/harder cup material. The SRMags were tougher than the SPP by a small margin. The only other brand that I had were Federals, and they are claimed to have the softest cups. But the dents in the Fed SPP, and the Fed SRMP, were much deeper than the two CCIs were.

I did not have but one primer out of 40 that backed out. And it was just a tiny bit. So I really do not see a need to drill out the flash hole and ruin your brass. Maybe it's worse in a revolver where it might lock up the cylinder.

Also surprising was the total lac of accuracy with the 357. At 22 feet, I was getting 10 to 16 INCH groups. The 44 did better with it's longer bullet, but the target was full of holes by the time I shot it, so I don't know how it grouped. But they were going in the general area of where I was aiming.

357 125RF wax 9 shots per string

fed SP.................275 avg............276 ES, 133 SD

CCI SP.................280 avg............280 ES, 91 SD

CCI SRMag............430 avg............182 ES, 62 SD 500.3 fps Hi,318 Lo

Fed SRM-match......308 avg.............103 ES, 31 SD (match primers really are more consistent!)

so it looks like the magnum ccis can have up to twice the power of a standard. I can see how that might throw your reloads all out of whack, say if you ran out of one and used the other to get by.

And just for JD I shot a few of the 44s

Fed LP................329 avg............19 ES, 14 SD

CCI LPMag............388.................43 ES, 23 SD

Boy, the large primer were way more consistent than the small ones were. And the increase in power was not as big as it was with the small ones. But, I did change brands. Next time I do something like this, I'll try to have the same brand std and mag, large and small.

So.....who won?
Don Huff

to bad those that know it all, cant do it all!
16" SS 92 357
20" BL 92 357
20" SS 92 44
20" BL 92 44
20" Bl 92 45C
20" Bl 92 454
SS Rio Grande 30-30
Bl Rio Grande 45-70
User avatar
rman
500 Shots
500 Shots
Posts: 673
Joined: 18 May 2014 11:47
Location: Kansas
Has thanked: 160 times
Been thanked: 125 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by rman »

I don't know - just buy us all a steak. :mrgreen:
At my age, there IS nothing better than shooting.
User avatar
mr surveyor
1000 Shots
1000 Shots
Posts: 1608
Joined: 16 Mar 2013 11:20
Location: NE Texas
Has thanked: 486 times
Been thanked: 292 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by mr surveyor »

rman wrote:I don't know - just buy us all a steak. :mrgreen:


rman, remember don did say "(restrictions WILL apply)"...... he just didn't give us all the fine print :lol:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guns - They aren't really yours until you void the warranty!
User avatar
akuser47
Founding Member
Founding Member
Posts: 5070
Joined: 12 Feb 2012 11:43
Location: ohio
Has thanked: 1266 times
Been thanked: 482 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by akuser47 »

Strawberry scent?Did I win lol I kid I'm guessing the aroma therapy loads you choose. Lol Sorry had to. I think it would be pleasent to smell fruit every shot.
Image
Live Free,Ride Free, Or Die Fighting, For The Right, To do So!
User avatar
rman
500 Shots
500 Shots
Posts: 673
Joined: 18 May 2014 11:47
Location: Kansas
Has thanked: 160 times
Been thanked: 125 times

Re: Wax bullets

Post by rman »

akuser47 wrote:Strawberry scent?Did I win lol I kid I'm guessing the aroma therapy loads you choose. Lol Sorry had to. I think it would be pleasent to smell fruit every shot.
When I shoot 3" mags from the bench in my BPS, I smell something - I don't think it's fruit though... :shock:
At my age, there IS nothing better than shooting.
Post Reply