# Drilling Bullets - Please Help



## THarvey (Apr 4, 2012)

I seem to remember a tutorial on drilling and cleaning bullets for pen tips.  I cannot find anything in the library.

I have a few 7mm bullets I sould like to drill and remove lead for pens.

Can someone help with instructions or link to tutorial.

Thank you.


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## MarkD (Apr 4, 2012)

There are several articles regarding making bullet pens in the library. Here is the link:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f139/iap-library-pens-77365/


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## THarvey (Apr 4, 2012)

Thanks,

I think Seamus' article is the one I remembered.


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## keithlong (Apr 4, 2012)

Hey Tim,
If you use the Full Metal Jacket bullets, you can melt the lead out with a hand held torch, then you only have to dfrill the hole in the small end. The copper jackets work well for nibs.


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## THarvey (Apr 4, 2012)

keithlong said:


> Hey Tim,
> If you use the Full Metal Jacket bullets, you can melt the lead out with a hand held torch, then you only have to dfrill the hole in the small end. The copper jackets work well for nibs.



These bullets are not hollow all the way through.  The back of the bullet is copper.

I have four to play with to get one pen out.  Hopefully, one of these will pay off.

Thanks.


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## Sylvanite (Apr 4, 2012)

Tim,

If you run into problems, drop me a line and I'll help you out.

Regards,
Eric


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## THarvey (Apr 4, 2012)

Sylvanite said:


> Tim,
> 
> If you run into problems, drop me a line and I'll help you out.
> 
> ...




Thanks Eric.  You can count on it.


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## tool-man (Apr 4, 2012)

Sand the back end of the bullet (if it is copper) on a belt sander or disc sander first, exposing the lead inside.  Then with the large end of the bullet facing down heat with torch.  The molten lead will drain out by gravity.

I have also had better luck enlarging the hole in the tip of the bullet by drilling from the back end of the bullet.



THarvey said:


> keithlong said:
> 
> 
> > Hey Tim,
> ...


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## dogcatcher (Apr 4, 2012)

I use a little automatic transmission oil for a lubricant.  ATF keeps the bullet cooler and I rarely have a problem when I use it.


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## JamesB (Apr 4, 2012)

maybe it's just me, but I'm scared of drilling, and especially melting, lead especially with little kids running around.  I'll just keep buying stuff from people here.


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## rherrell (Apr 5, 2012)

Drill out the copper in the back with a 1/4" bit and then melt the lead out with a propane torch, that's how I do it anyway.


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## THarvey (Apr 5, 2012)

JamesB said:


> maybe it's just me, but I'm scared of drilling, and especially melting, lead especially with little kids running around.  I'll just keep buying stuff from people here.



That's my preference too.  This is a special build out landscaper, where I work.

He brought me a 5 gallon bucket of antler a few weeks ago.  He aske me to build a pen using a "Hornady 7mm" round, like he hunts with.  He brought a few casings and bullets yesterday.


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## THarvey (Apr 5, 2012)

*Another ignorant question*

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, so far.

I guess you can tell, I have never done this before.  Plus, I don't reload, so I have never thought about the construction of the bullet.

Another question:  How thick or strong is the copper bullet, once the lead is removed?  Should I be concerned with crushing the bullet in my chuck?

Thanks for bearing with me while I try to learn.  :biggrin:


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## Dorno (Apr 5, 2012)

I also drill from the back of the projectile through to the tip and yes I believe that buy pouring the lead out it will weeken the casing so just be carefull and check each step.

Cheers    Ian


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## tool-man (Apr 5, 2012)

I hold the bullet (after lead removal) in a collet chuck. It is tightened well, but not super duper tight. You will only be drilling out a very little bit of copper on the tip, so just enough to hold it. Although I have not tried I suspect you could crush the bullet with a pair of vice grips if you applied enough force.


THarvey said:


> Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, so far.
> 
> I guess you can tell, I have never done this before.  Plus, I don't reload, so I have never thought about the construction of the bullet.
> 
> ...


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## Sylvanite (Apr 5, 2012)

THarvey said:


> He aske me to build a pen using a "Hornady 7mm" round, like he hunts with.



Hornady makes several different bullet styles.  Some of them, like the Interbond, have pretty stout copper jackets.  The A-Max is fairly strong too.  The V-Max, which is intended for small, thin-skinned game, has a thin jacket designed for rapid expansion.  There are other types as well.  To some degree, your level of success will depend on which bullet you use.

I don't know for sure about crushing a hollow jacket, as I drill my bullets rather than melt the lead out.

I hope that helps,
Eric


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## nava1uni (Apr 5, 2012)

If you are melting lead you should wear a respirator.  Lead fumes are very toxic and if inhaled can affect your neurological system.  Please be careful if you are melting lead.  If you inhale enough you will have to do chelation therapy.


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## lorbay (Apr 5, 2012)

I use the Sierra full metal and gut the back end off with a skew chisel and then use a torch to melt it out. Then there is a tiny hole at the tip to start your drill in. Easy Peazy

Lin.


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## THarvey (Apr 6, 2012)

Okay, made my first attempt before I left the shop this evening.

Chucked the bullet, drilled out the back and cut the tennon to receive the 7mm tube.  that was easy.

Torched the bullet to melt the lead out.  Quick and clean.  So far, so good.

Checked the size for ink cartridge.  The cross refill passes all the way through.  The parker has too much play.  The inside diameter of these bullets is nearly double the diameter of a 30 caliber.

I will make another attempt tomorrow.  I think I will need to drill through the bullet, leaving the lead in place to fill in the gap around the ink cartridge.

Thanks for all your helpful comments and tutorials.  This has been much easier that I thought it would be.


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## Sylvanite (Apr 7, 2012)

Don't worry about the interior hollow of the bullet jacket.  What's important is the hole you drill in the tip.  That, and the transmission are what hold the refill in place.

I hope that helps, 
Eric


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## lorbay (Apr 8, 2012)

THarvey said:


> Okay, made my first attempt before I left the shop this evening.
> 
> Chucked the bullet, drilled out the back and cut the tennon to receive the 7mm tube.  that was easy.
> 
> ...


You can always make the hole in the tip of the bullet smaller by placing it in a collet chuck (tip out) and use the flat side of any turning tool (I use my skew) and roll it around the bullet on the under side outwards to the tip ( kind of like metal spinning) and pretty soon the hole gets smaller.

Lin.


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## seamus7227 (Apr 8, 2012)

You could always spend a little more money and buy solid copper bullets. Then you wouldnt have to worry about all these troubles with the lead.


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## THarvey (Apr 9, 2012)

seamus7227 said:


> You could always spend a little more money and buy solid copper bullets. Then you wouldnt have to worry about all these troubles with the lead.



So far I have not spent any money on these.  I might consider that on 30 calibres, but the 7mm is probably a one-off pen.


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## THarvey (Apr 9, 2012)

lorbay said:


> THarvey said:
> 
> 
> > Okay, made my first attempt before I left the shop this evening.
> ...




That is worth a try.

Drilling and leaving lead in did not work much better.  The lead melts too quickly refills part of the gap.


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## Sylvanite (Apr 9, 2012)

The melting point of lead is 700-800F, depending on the alloy.  Your drill bit should not be getting anywhere near that hot.  Lead is, however, quite soft and (as far as metals go) somewhat sticky.  If you drill without lubrication, the swarf will tend to stick in the drill flutes and clog up the bit.  Then it will smear or bind.

Copper is even stickier than lead.  Personally, I find jacketed lead bullets much easier to drill than solid copper bullets (although I do both, as well as steel core).

I don't quite follow the desire to spin the point hole smaller.  Are you using a hollow-point bullet with a very large hollow?  If so, then switch bullets.  Drill the tip with a #44 bit for Cross-style refills or a #38 bit for Parker-style.

I hope that helps,
Eric


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## THarvey (Apr 9, 2012)

Sylvanite said:


> The melting point of lead is 700-800F, depending on the alloy.  Your drill bit should not be getting anywhere near that hot.  Lead is, however, quite soft and (as far as metals go) somewhat sticky.  If you drill without lubrication, the swarf will tend to stick in the drill flutes and clog up the bit.  Then it will smear or bind.
> 
> Copper is even stickier than lead.  Personally, I find jacketed lead bullets much easier to drill than solid copper bullets (although I do both, as well as steel core).
> 
> ...



The swarf is sticking to the jacket and along the path from the drill, not the bit itself.

I just have a few bullets the individual gave me.  I have not purchased any, at this point.  The hollow of the bullet is quite large, a cross refill (not just the ballpoint) will pass through the opening with the lead removed.

The one I drilled, I let slip in the chuck and drilled of center.  I continued to understand how the lead would respond.  I have thought about drilling through copper jacket, under power, then turning the lathe by hand to drill through the lead.

I am not giving up yet.  Still learning.  I can alway buy bullets if needed.

I do want to do a few 30 calibres.  Do you have a recommendation (brand or type) for bullet to use?

Thank you.


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## Sylvanite (Apr 9, 2012)

I have had good sucess with every 30cal bullet I've tried, except Nosler Ballistic Tips.  The Ballistic Tip bullets have a polymer tip that (when removed) leaves behind a hollow point that is too big, even for a parker-style refill.  I wouldn't try drilling a tracer bullet and avoid steel-core bullets when I can.

I hope that helps,
Eric


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## lorbay (Apr 9, 2012)

THarvey said:


> Sylvanite said:
> 
> 
> > The melting point of lead is 700-800F, depending on the alloy.  Your drill bit should not be getting anywhere near that hot.  Lead is, however, quite soft and (as far as metals go) somewhat sticky.  If you drill without lubrication, the swarf will tend to stick in the drill flutes and clog up the bit.  Then it will smear or bind.
> ...


I use the Sierra full metal and gut the back end off with a skew chisel and then use a torch to melt it out. Then there is a tiny hole at the tip to start your drill in. Easy Peazy
Send me your addy and I will send you a couple all ready to go so you can see what I did. Let my know what refill you will use so I can drill the right size hole.

Lin.


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## THarvey (Apr 9, 2012)

lorbay said:


> THarvey said:
> 
> 
> > Sylvanite said:
> ...



Do you have 7mm?  The ones I am working with are Horady 7mm.  I did as you described on the first one, the hollow point is much larger than the ink.

Addy on it way.  Thanks.


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## THarvey (Apr 21, 2012)

lorbay said:


> You can always make the hole in the tip of the bullet smaller by placing it in a collet chuck (tip out) and use the flat side of any turning tool (I use my skew) and roll it around the bullet on the under side outwards to the tip ( kind of like metal spinning) and pretty soon the hole gets smaller.
> 
> Lin.



Worked great.  Thank you.



lorbay said:


> I use the Sierra full metal and gut the back end off with a skew chisel and then use a torch to melt it out. Then there is a tiny hole at the tip to start your drill in. Easy Peazy
> Send me your addy and I will send you a couple all ready to go so you can see what I did. Let my know what refill you will use so I can drill the right size hole.
> 
> Lin.



Received the bullets this week.  Thank you.

Thank you all for the suggestions and encouragement.  This was actually easier than I thought it would be.

This is why I love this place.  Always someone with a solution they're willing to share.


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