I'm on a quest for cheap .510 blasting bullets for my 500ar. I love the military pull down bullets, I can get them for $0.40/each but feeding from the mag is a no go. Here is my idea: what about cutting the tip off them? This would do two things; i) bring the weight down closer to 600 gr, ii) allow feeding from the mag. Could this be done safely and inexpensively? Would it work? I'm afraid cutting though the AP tip might not work but you could do it on an FMJ I'm sure.

If you cut the tips off (as many did after World War II in an effort to make sort points out of military FMJ's) you have a bullet with a jacket which is open on both ends. There is a risk that you could shoot the core out and leave the jacket in the barrel, where the next bullet would wreak havoc with it.

Starting to remove metal from the base, particularly the boat tail, would do little to reduce the bearing area and would reduce the weight significantly more per fraction of an inch than cutting the tip.

I can visualise a lathe setup using a collet and a cutoff tool which could do this job on a production line basis.

Most of them are boat tails aren't they .......

Turn them around PT, backwards and seat them deeper, they will work fine.

I used them to help me fireform 500 AccRel brass

Regards S&F

quote:

Originally posted by ShortandFat:
Most of them are boat tails aren't they .......

Turn them around PT, backwards and seat them deeper, they will work fine.

I used them to help me fireform 500 AccRel brass

Regards S&F

I played around with this to. If you turn them around you lose a ton of case capacity, you have to seat them really deeply to get a full bullet diameter into the neck of the case. this would probably work with the 500a2, 510wells, 500mbogo or jeff but don't think it would work with the 500ar.

I like the idea of cutting bases off but don't have an access to a lathe or have any idea how I would do this even if I did. What about a metal blade in a chop saw, strait up bubba style.

Dont know what velocity you are working with but I just ordered
some hardcast gas checked bullets from Beartooth bullets in 416 to use just in fun loads. Roughtly 50 cents apiece. in fact I plan on working up Trailboss loads for real cheap and easy fun.

SSR

M17-tracer-643gr = $0.29/each. Thats pretty cheap! I've got some beartooth cast bullets now that are 590gr but they are plain base and very soft. I think they are more for the Sharps rifles. I haven't shot but a few of them, none on paper so I haven't been able to get a good feel for them. Problem is they are $0.49/each. Not bad but I'm just looking for something better or other ideas.

I tried cutting tips off but not that easy. I load single from top of magazine (500A2), haven't tried seating backwards but should work fine for reduced loads, which is what I shoot anyway with pulled milsurp. Cast gas checks a good low cost alternative too.

I guess maybe the best would be "backward". So the question now is, how much of, and which powder I should use. I would love to get 2000fps with the 619gr APIT seated at mag length or less backwards. How do I figure case capacity with the APIT's seated backwards? Once I have that then put it into quickload and figure out some decent powder options to try? Talk about a boat tail bullet! Take a look at the pic, this will give you an idea of how much room the bullet will take up backwards.

quote:

Originally posted by ptaylor:
M17-tracer-643gr = $0.29/each.

I don't think you want to alter tracers in any way. They are dangerous to deal with under the best of conditions, and sawing on them or turning them down could create a really explosive situation.

Just buy a Barrett and you can use those bullets as is!

I have been playing with some APIT rounds lately and can tell you those penetrator cores are tough on band saw blades. They will go through 3" of mild steel and when you find one stuck through and hanging out the back, the tip will be sharp enough to cut your finger on.

Wasn't there a guy in AK that was cutting the nose off of the mil-surp bullets, and THEN turning them around? I think it was for a levergun wildcat, just can't remember the facts right now.

I seem to remember he got good penetration on bears with that altered bullet.

I use cheap hard cast lead bullets in my 510 Makatak...Beartooth has a nice 535gr, Buffalo Arms lists a few others.

LUCK

Lee makes a cheap aluminum mold for a 50-70 bullet. Basically any bullet mold that will drop a 500 gr Plus bullet at .511 will work. You must be .001 over groove size and have a very hard bullet. Cast your bullets from pure Linotype metal, dont size at all and lube with SPG. Over 30-40 grs of XMP5744,no filler, they give great accuracy.-Rob

- the 640/650 gr bullets don;t cut very well.. steel core!

and the jacket falls off .. no, seriously

I know the 500S&W bullets are fairly cheap, you can bump them up to .510 in the right swaging dies. You can even make the 500 grainers spire point with the right dies.

Cheers John

I like Ranger Ricks, a little more pricy then .50 per bullet but they do the trick

http://www.lsstuff.com/ranger-rick/

Here we go. 605gr APIT, COAL = 3.36", 85 gr WC-844.

Is this going to be a safe load?
They feed great out of my mag.

Don't know if APTI backwards are safe or not, regardless if the powder charge. I know if the "I" of APTI flashes in the barrel nothing good can come of it.

OTOH if they make it out of the barrel safely they ought to make a great impression when they strike something hard. And be damn sure it isn't someplace a grassfire would make you somewhat unwelcome.