TALKING OF PELLETS..........

[SNAKEBITE]

I work in Engineering and am wondering if it is worth desiging and making my own pellet. The only reason I want to do it is because I can. and idle curiosity?

 

Has anyone thought of or indeed done this?

 

I have a variety of materials to choose from and was going to do a batch of about 50 off (30 for r&d and 20 for hunting) just to see if it could be done.

 

PLease give me your comments!!!!!!!!!

 

(or laugh in my face!)

[dunganick]

i would certainly try it if i had the opertunity, but its just something that intrests me

 

if i were you i would do a much bigger product run than 50, 500 min, and try experementing with something very unusual.......like a deacent hollow point, maybe in more of a conventional 'bullet shape' and a deacent sized hollow

 

please PM me your progress.....i'm v intrested

[PTaylor2k4]

one like the dynamics and exterminators but more of a bullet shape head, like magnums

[Devilishdave]

Excelent idea M8 but get a pellet you like and try to recreate that for your first crack at it and you should get somthing worth while. Then try somthing a bit more adventurouse. like some hollow points etc. you might want to play with skirt sizes as that will effect the obturation (sealing of the barrel) but if you over do it you will have friction issues. think about the quality of lead you are using. be sure to use the same lead for a whole batch.

 

Good luck

 

Dave

 

PS I would be intrested to see how you get on with this little venture.

[the last engineer]

I like the idea ,only a little worried over the hollow point idea,i recall reading somewhere about air displacement from hollow points from airgun ,something to do with buffeting ,pellet slowed dramaticaly ,Iwill try to find the article .

 

Maybe stay in the ballpark of conventional projectile shape's first ,as Ddave said the interferance of skirt to bore is critical as to the proficency of pellet .

 

Seeing as your in the trade try other materials ,I wouldnt restrict yourself to lead only ,note prometheus ran "nylon skirts" steel insert well and also make a zinc pellet ,I'm not to sure if its still around ,havent seen any here for a while .

 

Good luck in your venture , post any results

 

 

Martin

 

my apolls :*) :*) just found this article on the subject,will try some more

 

HOLLOW POINT: The hollow point design is somewhat of a combination or extension of the wadcutter shape. The theory behind their development is the need for a reliable, expanding pellet that assures one-shot kills at shorter ranges and a lower velocities. The shape also provides the efficient flight characteristics of the wadcutter and combines with that the increased mass and knock down power of the round nose. I have used hollow point pellets to get rid of blackbirds that nest in my overhangs and they provide reliable, one-shot kills without over penetration. They can be used in air pistols and air rifles that have lower velocities with outstanding results. Many shooter consider the hollow point to be somewhat of a compromise but I think it is a pellet that really fills the need if you own only one airgun and want to employ it both as a plinker and as a sporter. Hollow points can be used in magnum powered air rifles and accuracy is very good especially at increased ranges because of the medium length driving band found on most hollow points. Again, if you want to use a hollow point pellet in a pistol try to select one with a short driving band for the best results.

 

 

 

sorry back again ,seems I got this the wrong way round ,the hollow point has a better airflow than the "normal "pells

 

try this link Snakebite

 

http://www.beemans.net/airgun_projectiles.htm

 

good luck again

Edited January 15, 2005 by the last engineer

[SNAKEBITE]

Back in the mid to late eighties I remember a pellet called (I believe.) "Sussex sabo"

It was definatly something "sabo".

\The design was a pellet in the shape of a convetional bullet but was held within a plastic cage that fell away from the projectile after firing leaving the pellet to strike home.

 

Does anyone remember this design? And if so what happened to it?

 

This is one design that I was thinking of exploring but might have trouble with the plastic cage.

 

Thanks for the feedback and I will keep you all posted.

[rarms]

I wouldnt bother, unless using the plastic sabot or lead you will have trouble making the skirt expand when the air hits it.

[SNAKEBITE]

I wouldnt bother, unless using the plastic sabot or lead you will have trouble making the skirt expand when the air hits it.

Are you familiar with the pellet I described?

If so do you know any more about it?

[Devilishdave]

Yeh used to get Sabbots in the Mid 80s with a copper insert the penetration was fantastic but the accuracy was ****.

 

The army use the same principal on its Chalenger 2 to fire a massive tungsten bolt . Armour Piercing Fin Stabalised Discarding Sabbot. (APFSDS).

 

It could work but I think it would require considerable development. The Army sabots are devistatingly accurate but that is the result of billions of pounds of development and unlimited resources.

 

If you were going to go down the Sabbot route you kneed to think about seperation of the case from the projectile. To gain accuracy you must get the seperation to occur consistently at the same distance from the barrel without interfearing with the forward travel of the projectile. Somthing along the lines of the promethius but with the metal projectile held in the plastic outer with less friction so it could fall away might work. This would get the same muzzel velocity os a standard prometheus but you would not get the same drag if the plastic sheeth was to drop away early on!

 

You would be hard pressed to beat lead for its kinnetic properties though. for shooting animals you dont need hard projectiles to penetrate. From experiance a promethius will go straight threw a rabbits upper body and it will run off. if it is a good distance from a burrow it will drop any way as the heart rate increases and the shock eventualy takes over but the energy imparted and tissue damage done is minimal. I would not recomend this kind of ammo for animals.

 

Dave

[cooky]

Pics can bee seen here click for pics

[SNAKEBITE]

Thanks guys for you help.

I am going to drop the "sabbot" idea for the moment and concentrate on a conventional style pellet.

 

Fancey going for an alternative material though.

 

Keep you all posted

[Snotty]

Making the die could be fun, how about a lost wax casting in EN1A followed by polishing with a brass form and then case hardening? Either that or spark erosion, can't seee you cutting a diabolo with a cherry

 

I think you stamp in a snip of lead wire. I may have pictures of a Victorian gadget to stamp out .577 Minie's, maybe you could scale that?

[Devilishdave]

Best kinnetic propertys would be with gold but it is a bit on the pricey side

 

Dave

[Devilishdave]

Might be worth making a hard tip which on impact will slow faster than the lead sarounding it causing the lead to significantly spread out causing more shock and giving similar results to a large caliber projectile on impact but giving the benifits of the smaller calliber proj in flight.

 

Dave

Edited January 17, 2005 by Devilishdave

[roblade]

question 1. WHAT RIFLE ARE THEY GOING OT BE USED IN

 

questioin 2. WHAT CALIBRE ARE YOU USING

 

question 3. WHAT PURPOSE ARE THEY GOING OT BE FOR? (HUNTING OR TARGETS)

 

question 4. HOW MANY DIFFERENT BRANDS OF PELLETS HAVE YOU EVER USED

 

each of those questions needs to be addressed before you consider making your own.

 

many people have tried to produce thier own pellets some sucsefuly some not so, and some even went on to suply to the retail trade! but all are in aggreement that its cheapest to buy known brands.

 

looking back on your most recent thread you say your using wasps and im sure i read your using a chinese rifle.

 

the money and time you would spend on making these pellets would be better spent earning money so as you would be able to get a decent set up.

 

please dont talke this as having a go at you, but you doi need to try the broadest range of pellets as you possibly can and then start to think how you could impove on the current desings

 

all the best

 

ROB

[old rooster]

If you end up with anything better than Crosman Accupells can you please let me know ;-)

 

The Accupell gives fantastic grouping and one of it's other great properties is that the inside of the head is flat so when out lamping at night you can see where the pellet goes. Bit like tracer, it's amazing how bright the reflection is through the 'scope !!.

 

I too am an engineer and have made all sorts of things for sporting purposes, I don't usually make things that I feel are already available at reasonable price and to a quality I'm happy with however as life is too short to be used up on too many "loss leaders" IMHO.

 

I've some .22 Rabbit Magnums which are in effect just like a .22 rimfire bullet, never got them to go that well in a spring gun, even the awesome Original 52 but I'm thinking of trying them in one of the precharged guns. I hunt with my air rifles so I'm looking for flat trajectory with good killing power and good consistency. First started using the Accupells when I kept getting **** results in the 52 with other pellets. I believe there is more antimony in these than some and this helps the rifling to stand up better in more powerful guns. They made a massive improvement and I was getting regular good clean kills at 40 yards where the pellets still had enough energy to go right through a rabbits head !!.

 

Would be interested to hear your results for all that.

[rarms]

By my previous post I meant that unless the metal/material u use to make the pellet is soft you will have probs because a lead pellet works by the skirt being forced out into the rifling of the barrel, with a harder metal you wouldn't get this conventianly.

 

This is why the tin dynamic pellets have a serated thin skirt so that they exapnd outwards.

 

I would use your skills to make something more generic, a silencer maybe?

[SNAKEBITE]

looking back on your most recent thread you say your using wasps and im sure i read your using a chinese rifle.

 

the money and time you would spend on making these pellets would be better spent earning money so as you would be able to get a decent set up.

 

please dont talke this as having a go at you, but you doi need to try the broadest range of pellets as you possibly can and then start to think how you could impove on the current desings

Thanks for the advice Rob! and no I'm not taking it as you having a go!!

 

Yes I do have a Chinese rifle. However I do have my eyes on a BSA Lightning!!

I am fully aware of the limitations of the rifle but is my stubborn streak coming out when I try to get the best out of what I have.

Money is the biggest object at the moment!!!

 

I will not be spending money on developing these pellets as I am fortunate enough to be able to "**** around" in the slack moments I have at work.

[old rooster]

I've got a very nice barrel you can have, forget about the pellets and make yourself a good pre-charged air rifle.

[fert]

does anyone use airarms pellets. i do in my bsa supersport.had it for10 years now seems to do the trick. looks like im not as hardcore as you lads. still got open sites on my gun.

[SNAKEBITE]

looks like im not as hardcore as you lads. still got open sites on my gun.

It's what you do with it not what you've got that counts!!

 

Not that having nice kit is a bad thing though!