WARNING - Firearms ammunition is a dangerous material and should only be handled, used, and/or re-loaded by persons of LEGAL AGE who are COMPETENT TO DO SO !!!
In these days of civil unrest and rampant crime, those of us who have decided to arm ourselves with handguns are faced not only with the outrageously escalated prices of good high capacity weapons like the Beretta, Ruger and Taurus 9mm's, ( All currently ov500.00 ) but the high cost of ammunition with which to practice gun handling and short(combat)range target shooting. Locally, the usual price for 9mm Luger full metal jacket ammunition is about 2 cents per round.
There seems to be no solution to the weapons cost problem except careful shopping for used guns through private sale or gun shows ( Probably best in light of the Brady Bill and more forthcoming legislation from the Anti-Gunners), but practice ammunition can be prepared for about two cents per round.
The technique involves replacing the spent primers in used brass cartridges, and re-loading the brass with wax bullets.
Replacing the primers is a quick and easy procedure, and the wax reloading can be as simple as pushing a cartridge into a block of wax.
The re-loaded bullets are as accurate as full loads up to 15 or 20 feet, and are much safer to use in practice and familiarization sessions, especially if practicing "Quick Draw" or Snap-Shooting techniques. The bullets will easily hole paper and cardboard targets, dent cans, drive off stray dogs, etc. However they probably WILL NOT punch through a pair of jeans or a shoe, or even well calloused skin. If accidentally trigger a round while fast drawing, you WILL NOT blow your foot off!
They WILL sting like hell though, and could easily destroy an eye! They seem to have about thme power as a good air rifle, so practice safe gun handling techniques AT ALL TIMES. Remember - most firearms accidents are caused by "Safe" and/or "Unloaded" guns!
SUPPLIES:
Used Brass Cartridges:
Used cartridger ( Spent Brass ) is available in most calibers from well stocked sporting goods ( Gun ) stores.
Also, always police up ( pick up and save ) the spent brass from your shooting sessions with normal ammunition.
At the local discount sporting goods store, spent pistol brass costs 6 cents each, anpears to be indefinently re-usable.
New, primed brass is also available if you want to experiment with a minimum of fuss. Locally, it costs 10 cents each ( 9mm ).
Be sure to get the proper size brass for your weapon - it is possible, for instance to jam a .40 caliber S&W / Ruger cartridge into a 9mm automatic and then need to have it extracted by a gunsmith. Take the gun along and check the fit.
Primers:
Primers are available in several sizes, and you will need the ones which fit your spent brass.
The 9mm Luger full metal jacket rounds make by Winchester use a "Small Pistol" primer. The Winchester "Hydro-Shok" hollow point rounds appear to be larger possibly a " Large Rifle" primer. If you have your choice of sizes, get brass which will accept the larger primers.
The larger the primer, the more power your re-loaded wax bullets will have, but even the "Small Pistol" primers have sufficient power for practice ammunition. Ifyou are shooting .45's, .38's, .357's, or even .25's, most of these cartridges will accept a "Large Rifle" primer.
Locally, primers cost 1.7 cents each ( $17.00 / 1000 ) in all sizes. The nice person behind the ammunition / re-loading counter can help you select the proper primers to fit your spent brass. Always use the strongest primers you can get to fit your brass.
Wax:
This is the easy part - go to your local supermarket to the canning supplies section, and buy 1 pound boxes of parrafin wax. It comes in a box like butter quarters, and typically has 4 slabs of wax which are just about the right thickness for re-loading.
TOOLS:
Only simple tools are needed - the only thing you really should have is a set of medium or large size Vise-Grips or water pump pliers.
A decapping tool and die will make things easier and more convenient, and only costs about $2.50.
Hammer
Long thin finishing nail
Block of wood drilled to accept back end of brass cartridge with smaller hole drilled through to let caps drop out
* These only needed if tou don't get the de-capping tool and die.
Oven to heat and soften wax ( kitchen stove or convection oven )
PROCEDURE:
De-Capping:
1. Using either the de-capping die and tool, or wood block and nail, insert the point of the or the thin end of the tool into the open end of the spent cartridge and work it into the little hole in the center of the back end of the cartridge - this is the primer pocket.
NOTE:DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DO THIS TO A CARTRIDGE WHICH HAS A LIVE PRIMER IN IT !!!!! ( as would be the case if you bought new, primed brass)
ALWAYS CHECK TO SEE THAT THE PRIMER HAS BEEN FIRED! THERE SHOULD BE A ROUND DENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRIMER FROM THE FIRING PIN ! ATTEMPTING TO PUNCH OUT A LIVE PRIMER COULD RESULT IN SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH !
2. Using the hammer, tap lightly on the de-capping tool or nail to drive the spent primer out of the end of the cartridge. The first time is the hardest, as the primer has been sealed in tightly by pressure from the burning gunpowder - after using wax bullets, the primers can usually be tapped out with the heel of the hand. It usually makes the most sense to punch the primers out of all your spent brass before moving on to the next step.
Re-Priming:
1. Examine one of the primers - you will see that it has an open end with a little piece of metal in it, and a closed, rounded end. The open end goes into the cartridge first, so that the closed end sticks out of the back of the cartridge.
If you have any doubts, look at a regular bullet - that's what the end of the cartridge should look like when you are done.
2. Set the opening of the Vise-Grips, or the water pump pliers so that you can squeeze the long dimension of the cartridge when you close the handles. (Don't squeeze hard - you will deform or crush the cartridge and ruin it!)
NOTE: FROM THIS POINT ON, YOU SHOULD BE WEARING REASONABLY HEAVY CLOTHNG ON YOUR BODY, AND SAFETY GLASSES OR OTHER EYE PROTECTION - IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY SET OFF A PRIMER THERE WILL BE SMALL METAL BITS FLYING EVERYWHERE.
THERE IS NOT A LOT OF POWER HERE, BUT IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO DAMAGE AN EYE!
3. ( This is the tricky part ) Set a new primer into the pocket (opening) in the end of the cartridge with the open end of the primer facing INTO the cartridge, and press on it with your fingertip to get it to stay in place. The primers are small, slippery, and sometimes difficult to start this way - practice makes perfect ).
4. GENTLY! (This is also a tricky part) use the Vise-Grips or water pump pliers to squeeze the primer into the pocket.
NOTE: COMMON PLIERS, NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS, ELECTRICIAN'S OR LINEMAN'S PLIERS ARE REALLY NOT SUITABLE TO USE FOR THIS - YOU CANNOT APPLY THE STRAIGHT LINE SQUEEZING FORCE REQUIRED. )
DO NOT SQUEEZE SUDDENLY OR HARD! - YOU COULD SET OFF THE PRIMER!
Slow steady pressure is what you want !!!. If the primer gets cocked to the side,or is not going in straight, tease it around with the pliers until it slides straight in. The primer must be squeezed all the way into the pocket, or the cartridge may misfire because the primer is not solidly seated. ONCE THE PRIMER APPEARS TO BE MOST OR ALL OF THE WAY STRAIGHT IN,SQUEEZE AS HARD AS YOU CAN WITHOUT -REPEAT - WITHOUT DAMAGING THE OPEN END OF THE CARTRIDGE. This is about the right amount of force needed to fully seat the primer and insure reliable firing. ( This is all a lot easier than it might sound, and a little practice will allow you to re-prime a hundred cartridges during an episode of Gilligan's Island. )
NOTE: IF YOU SHOULD ACCIDENTALLY LOAD A PRIMER BACKWARDS - WITH THE OPEN END FACING OUT OF THE END OF THE CARTRIDGE - YOU CAN TRY TO PRESS IT OUT AS WITH A SPENT PRIMER, BUT DO NOT -DO NOT - DO NOT TRY TO HAMMER IT OUT.
IF IT WON'T COME OUT WITH GENTLE PRESSURE, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY DISCARD THE CARTRIDGE - REMEMBER - IT ONLY COST ABOUT A NICKEL, AND EYE SURGERY COSTS A LOT MORE - A LOT MORE! ABOVE ALL, DO NOT TRY TO FIRE IT IN YOUR GUN - ESCAPING GASSES AND METAL PARTICLES COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY!
Reloading the cartridges:
1. Set your oven to the lowest possible temperature setting and warm the wax blocks until they are fairly soft, and can be easily bent without breaking.
( NOTE: This is not REALLY necessary - it just makes things a lot easier - cold wax is difficult to penetrate. )
2. Set a warmed block of wax on a flat surface and press the open end of a re-primed cartridge all the way through the block so that the cartridge is filled with wax.
CONGRATULATIONS ! You have just finished your first wax bullet reload.
If you just can't wait, load the bullet into your gun and bust a target (from 15 to 20 feet seems to be about right).
3. Press all the rest of your Re-primed cartridges throught the wax blocks to fill them.
4. Set aside, or in the freezer if you are in a hurry, to cool and harden.
5. Optionally, you can melt the wax completely, and pour it into the cartridges, which will fill them completely, and make a heavier bullet. This may, or may not be better for accuracy and impact, depending on gun type, barrel length, cartridge size, gun condition etc. You will have to experiment to find the optimum wax load.
If you are filling with melted wax, be sure the wax is NOT TOO HOT !!!!
PRIMERS CAN BE SET OFF BY HIGH HEAT, BLOWING WAX ALL OVER THE PLACE AND INTO YOUR FACE !!!!!!!!!
You should be able to stick your finger into the liquid melted wax without burning it. If it burns your finger, wait for it to cool off until it is still liquid but does't burn.
Set the filled cartridges aside to cool and solidify, or put into the freezer if you'e in a hurry.
If you would like to try this ammunition, but want to avoid all the hassle, just buy a couple of new, primed brass cartridges, press them through a wax block and fire away - total cost to try is about $2.00
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As noted, These re-loads are about as powerful as a good air rifle, and the ballistics of the wax bullets are acceptable out to about 20 feet. When used in a revolver, you can fire the whole cylinder, but in an automatic, the cartridges will have to be loaded into the barrell one at a time, and manually ejected as the primers do not provide enough recoil energy to operate the action. This is most conveniently done with the magazine removed. Save the brass for more re-loads.
There is another advantage to this ammunition - it makes very little noise when fired. This means that, along with the low power, it is safe and comfortable to use in the house - a benefit for city dwellers who may otherwise have to pay for range time, or explain to the neighbors ( and maybe the cops ) where all the noise is coming from. Also, firing outside, even in suburban situations does not attract unwelcome attention. Since you are only driving wax through the barrel, there should be little or no wear on the gun from these loads.
Once you have paid for the brass, the only costs are about 2 cents per shot for primers and wax, so anyone should be able to afford to get in a lot of practice.
Most of the corrosion problems affecting handguns arise from either rust or primer residues - even though the primers are listed as "non-corrosive". After a practice session, the weapon should be cleaned of primer residues. This is most easily done by spraying out the barrell and cylinder with WD-40 until it runs clear and then swabbing with a cleaning brush, then oil and store the gun as usual.
