# Bullet pen question



## snyiper (Feb 23, 2011)

Ok I have settled on the 30 cal as my preffered bullet be it a 06 0r 308 my question is 2 fold: 1st what type of dies do I need for my lee reloader to remove the primers and is there a way to expand the necks on the shells when you use pen nibs? It always seems the nibs are a little larger than the neck but only on some shells. Any good advice here? I could go with bullets but I am not set up to drill on my lathe yet and nibs are easier right now.. Thanks for any advice.


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## PaulDoug (Feb 23, 2011)

I use the one that removes the spent primer and the one that re-sizes the neck to fit the bullet in the original caliber.   I don't know enough about reloading to know the names.  I don't know if there is one to expand the neck.  I know there are reloaders here that can answer.  If not got to the Lee website and ask the question.  I think you can e-mail them from their site.


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## jttheclockman (Feb 23, 2011)

snyiper said:


> Ok I have settled on the 30 cal as my preffered bullet be it a 06 0r 308 my question is 2 fold: 1st what type of dies do I need for my lee reloader to remove the primers and is there a way to expand the necks on the shells when you use pen nibs? It always seems the nibs are a little larger than the neck but only on some shells. Any good advice here? I could go with bullets but I am not set up to drill on my lathe yet and nibs are easier right now.. Thanks for any advice.


 

Here we go again. This comes up time and time again. I strongly urge you to read the posts from the past on this subject and you can do a little research in the library and also using the search button on top. The reason I suggest this unless you are a professional ammo handler you better know what you are doing with shells with live primmers. Anyone here giving info is taking a risk about this. There are many people here that sell cartridges or have the knowledge to help disassemble them for you. You may want to reach out to them. Do yourself a favor. We want you around without injury.


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## snyiper (Feb 23, 2011)

John I am sorry if I was not clear that was my mistake. I am a avid gun enthusiast and even so much so the only way I will remove a bullet from a shell is down range. All my shells I buy or aquire are either deprimed or once fired I do not want anything to do with a live primer. That being said I would like a easier way to remove spent primers other than a hammer and punch. I purchased a reloader for the sole purpose of sizing if I do bullets and depriming. My problem is The copper nibs I use are a little larger than the neck and was asking if there was a way to safely expand the neck a little, otherwise I will need to make a swadge of sorts. I do appreciate your advice on the matter and plan to fully adheare to it.


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## pssherman (Feb 23, 2011)

Glenn,
The die that you are using to resize the casing should have a mandrel with a hardened steel pin at the end. This mandrel is attached at the top of the die and has an adjustable length. That pin is what pushes out the spent primer. There is also a "bulge" on the mandrel so that when you remove the casing from the die, it will slightly expand the neck. But, it may not be enough expansion for the copper nibs.

I use "pulled" military bullets for the nibs. The ones I use have a steel liner under the copper jacket. This allows for the lead to be melted out and the hollow bullet can then be drilled from behind using any drilling method. The drill bit to use is #45 (tight fit) or #44 (looser fit). I first started by using a pair of pliers to hold the bullet tip and a dremel tool for the drilling.

If you have any other questions, PM me and I will try to help. After making more than 2000 of the cartridge assemblies, I'm kinda getting good at it now.


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## studioso (Feb 23, 2011)

i know nothing about bullets, the bullet pens I make are the "fake" reproduction kind: but to expand the neck, can't you use the tools plumbers use when joining 2 pipes? there are all sort of expanding tools. I believe the operation is called swaging

there are many videos on youtube on the subject.


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## jttheclockman (Feb 23, 2011)

snyiper said:


> John I am sorry if I was not clear that was my mistake. I am a avid gun enthusiast and even so much so the only way I will remove a bullet from a shell is down range. All my shells I buy or aquire are either deprimed or once fired I do not want anything to do with a live primer. That being said I would like a easier way to remove spent primers other than a hammer and punch. I purchased a reloader for the sole purpose of sizing if I do bullets and depriming. My problem is The copper nibs I use are a little larger than the neck and was asking if there was a way to safely expand the neck a little, otherwise I will need to make a swadge of sorts. I do appreciate your advice on the matter and plan to fully adheare to it.


 

Good to hear Glenn that you have this knowledge. Have seen it too many times here about people wanting to help but if you are not experienced at doing that stuff it is not something to mess with. I only use the boattail bullets so they sort of seat themselves when pressed in and then I crimp them. I am sure you could use somesort of tapered punch. Once the nib gets started, being the brass is soft it should slide in without too much resistance. Sorry can not help more. Good luck.


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## Sylvanite (Feb 23, 2011)

Glenn,

I'd suggest you pick up a good reloading manual, such as Lyman's 49th Edition.  It will have all the information you need on the tools and procedures to disassemble and reassemble rifle cartridges.  It describes what each die does, and how to adjust them.  The manual is also a wealth of information about the component sizes and cartridge dimensions.

If you are using the "Lee Loader", which uses a hammer to operate, I suggest you upgrade.  A Lee "Reloader" press is inexpensive and about the minimum you need to assemble your own ammo.  For each caliber, you'll need a set of dies and a shellholder.  Lee RGB dies are bare.  Lee Pacesetter dies come with a powder dipper and shellholder.  Each sizing die has a decapping pin (for depriming), but I also like to use the Lee "Universal Decapping Die" to deprime shellcases without resizing.

A slimline nib should be a pretty close match for a resized 30-06Spg or 308Win case.  A euro nib is too big.  Some brands of brass are thicker and will have larger case mouths after resizing.  Military brass, in particular, will tend to have thicker walls.  If you still wind up with narrow necks, you can get larger diameter expander balls.

Once you start making your own cartridges, however, I suspect you'll switch from kit nibs to real bullets.  Then you won't need to worry about matching the kit diameter.

Regards,
Eric


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## snyiper (Feb 24, 2011)

Thanks for all the info. I do have the Lee Reloader I now need to get the dies and perhaps either Boattails and or try some of the pulled military bullets. Where is a good place to get used brass and these bullets? Im not looking for many right now but if I can find 20-50 of each I could get a plan together. I will get the reloading book to read up on the processes, who knows I may want to try and load my own "ultimate" deer cartridge one day!!!!


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## bobjackson (Feb 24, 2011)

PSSherman is the man to ask. I buy already made cartridges with bullet nibs from him.


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## snyiper (Feb 24, 2011)

I have as well, Paul is great in that aspect I just am pushing the envelope to do it all myself...nothing wrong with Pauls set up and the price is awesome but we all tend to want to do it all!!!!


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## pssherman (Feb 24, 2011)

snyiper said:


> .........try some of the pulled military bullets. Where is a good place to get used brass and these bullets? Im not looking for many right now but if I can find 20-50 of each I could get a plan together......... load my own "ultimate" deer cartridge one day!!!!



Do NOT use military bullets for hunting cartridges. They are illegal for hunting and do not provide a quick kill.

In small lots the cost per piece can get quite high. I buy them in auctions with lots of 500 -1000 at a time. If you want a small amount of them, PM me for pricing.


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## Sylvanite (Feb 24, 2011)

For reloading components and supplies, Midway USA is a good place to start.

Regards,
Eric


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## Rmartin (Feb 24, 2011)

I prefer to buy brass unprimed. The nickle plated looks good with a chrome clip too. I like to use the 3006 because it's just the right lenght for the slimline brass tube when using a hollow point nib. Also, it's very easy to prepare Hornaday hollow point bullets for the nib. I drill from the back just through the copper shell and then melt the lead out.


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