My first cartridge case pen

[rincewind03060]

This is my first rifle cartridge pen. It's made from a .308 case. The upper part is bloodwood. If I were to do it over again, I'd shorten the upper part to be more in proportion with the shorter .308 case and I'd use a plain clip or one of the rifle clips.

 

[Sylvanite]

Looks great Bob!

 

[Dalecamino]

Real nice Bob ! My cousin gave a few of these blanks , but I have no idea where to start . Do you have any recommendations for me where to learn ? What kits etc. ? Thanks for sharing your photo ! [8D]

 

[toolcrazy]

Very nice.

Chuck,
Most of the cartridge blanks I've seen will use a slimline parts. You will need to use a caliper when turning the blank so you get the proper size of the junction.

 

[Dalecamino]

Thanks Steve ! I have Mics . Will that work ? [8D]

 

[bitshird]

Originally posted by dalecamino

Thanks Steve ! I have Mics . Will that work ? [8D]

Chuck, Mic's will work, just have to be careful how much anvil you get on the blank, caliper's work better because of the knife edge of the throat,unless your doing a straight turn, a taper is hard to measure at a specific spot. You can also use European parts, if you're soldering in the tubes or gluing them the Euro's work better with the longer bottom tubes, but use copper kits,

 

[Dalecamino]

Thanks ken ! Shoot , I've got calipers too . I just forgot , 'cause I never use them . I'd better look around this place ! Thanks for the info . [)] [8D]

 

[rincewind03060]

All,
Thank you for the kind words.

Chuck,
I used a slimline kit. Because this particular cartridge (.308) is shorter than the slimline tube and the tube sticks out the back of the case, I had to make the upper body longer than usual so that there would be a length of hole without tube to slide over the extra tube sticking out of the cartridge. It didn't occur to me at the time that I could shorten the upper body tube and blank to keep the original proportions of the slimline kit.

Eric Rasmussen of Little River Crafts (see Sylvanite post above) makes and sells some very nice pre-drilled cartridge & bullet assemblies. If you ask him real nice, I'm sure he would be willing to send you a link to his excellent instructions on how to assemble a kit.

Eric,
Thank you for the advice. I trued up the upper part of the pen on a diamond hone and it fits much better.

 

[wdcav1952]

Nice work, Bob. Cartridge pens are fun. I like your attitude of "how I can improve the next one."

 

[Dalecamino]

Thanks Bob ! I might as well dive in ! I'll get in touch with Eric & see what's up . Glad you're happy with yours . Very impressive ! [8D]

 

[stevers]

Nice job, love the real bullet.

 

[Ligget]

Lovely pen![]

 

[rincewind03060]

Chuck,
I re-read my last post and I may have been ambiguous.
I made my own cartridge blank. I didn't one buy from Eric.
My praise for his product was based on the pictures he has posted on his website and on his instructions for assembling a slimline kit with one of his cartridge blanks. He does some things better than I did (like using boat tail bullets to center the tube - I drilled out the flat backed bullet - an extra step that Eric didn't have to take) and he powdercoats his blanks which is something that I haven't attempted yet. I was able to borrow the reloading equipment from a friend, so I'm making my own. Otherwise I would be buying from Eric myself.
But, I wasn't speaking about his product based on direct experience; I thought I'd better make that clear.

 

[rherrell]

Bob, you don't need reloading equipment to make cartridge pens if you use new brass.

 

[Sylvanite]

Bob,

Thanks for the compliments and I'm happy that the diamond hone worked out for you.

Chuck,

I have assembly instructions for slimline and cigar cartridge pens on my website in pdf format. Just navigate to the "Supplies" url in my signature to find them. The instructions assume you use a cartridge from me, but I hope may still prove useful to you.

To all,

Just to be clear, Bob did not use one of my cartridges in this pen. He drilled and seated the case and bullet himself - and it looks like he did an excellent job.

I do use some specialized reloading equipment to make my cartridges, but as Rick points out, that is not absolutely necessary. You can also use new (or resized) cases and seat bullets with a drill press, arbor press, pen press, vice, or even with the lathe tailstock. Alternatively, you could use fired cases and simply glue (or solder) the bullet in place.

In my process, probably the most important tool (besides the lathe) is a set of center-bits (about $5.00 from Harbor Freight). Next up would be the collet chuck (I use a Beall chuck). Together, these enable me to drill the components with a minumum of runout. The reloading press probably comes third on my list. I use a RCBS Rockchucker, but an inexpensive Lee Reloader press (which can be purchased with a set of dies for around $50.00) would be just as effective.

So, if you want to try making cartridges for yourself, the up-front costs are not really very high.

Regards,
Eric

 

[Sylvanite]

Oh, and I forgot to say so earlier, but the diameter of a 308 Winchester or 30-06 Springfield case head is reasonably close to a euro centerband. If you have a set of eruo bushings, you can use those for the upper barrel.

Regards,
Eric

 

[Dalecamino]

Thanks Bob & Eric . May be some time before I get into this . But I said I would dive in & I will as soon as I can . Thanks for posting the info ! [8D]