Homemade 0.177 caliber pellets. I’m not sure what to expect, but it should be fun The off the shelf Daisy pellets weighed in at exactly 0.5 grams on the scale, and my CNC turned aluminum pellets came in at about 0.4 grams, despite having quite a bit more mass. I’m hoping they have some serious penetrating power. I’ll give you guys an update after I try them out.
I've been through a whole array of .22 pellets to try and find the most consistent. Those look awesome! Eager to see how they do.
Thanks. I'm a little nervous about the aluminum galling up the barrel, but I figured it's worth a shot (or 33). The aluminum is 7075 grade which is on the hard side, as far as aluminum alloys go. I have some copper I can try out on the next batch too.
Very cool. Definitely interested in how this works out. There is a lead bullet called Rat Sniper if I recall that is for 25 caliber pellet rifles. I'm starting to move into air rifles. Not as a replacement for powder burners, for something different and cheaper to feed. Even reloading isn't cheap anymore.
Update: I’m going to have to change the geometry on the O.D. of the pellet. Although I was able to accurately hold the size to match the Daisy pellets, because of the length of engagement when it hits the rifling, and harder pellet material, it jams halfway through the barrel. What I’m going to do is leave a narrow band of engagement in the front and rear of the pellet to catch the rifling. What I did from the start was turn a tapered pellet that was 0.176 at the front and 0.177 at the rear, and add 4 grooves along the O.D. thinking it would be enough clearance. Obviously I need a little more. Not a huge deal since I still have the machine set up Redo my geometry, load a new program and try again tomorrow.
I’ve got a long cycle time with the current job on my machine, and the operator of the lathe across the aisle is out on vacation, as is my supervisor
Out here it’s still called government work, or G-Job for short. I can tell you that nobody works harder than the guy sneaking something in on lunch, or the one who comes in a couple hours early to knock something out before everyone gets there
I tell them that all the time. Nice job Eric. They look great. I’ll be interested on the final report.
OK so, if you notice the shape of the rear of the pellet. The way it works is a slight press fit as it goes into the barrel. The lead is soft and self sealing/lubricating so it forms to and slides easily thru the barrel IMO I would go to a 6061 T0 aluminum which would be a much softer material. I would also add the recess in the back for flexibility, The pointed end would need to be a smaller, .020 microns in diameter and the rear end would need to be flared to acquire a seal and not create too much drag. A lot more machine work and multiple steps.
I was thinking 6061 would be better myself. All I had on hand in 1/4” round stock was 7075, so that’s what I ran with. The nose of the pellet has a 0.015” radius on it as it is, so it’s reasonably sharp. I agree there’s too much drag. Doing a secondary turning/drilling/boring operation on the back side will be tricky after I relieve the middle of the OD. Not much to hold by. The best approach might be flaring out the backside with a punch until I get the right diameter, which will take quite a bit of experimentation on my part. I’ll see what I can do though, thanks.
