Advice & Help

[bmac]

A friend of mine wants me to make a pen for her mother from one of the shell casings from her fathers military funeral. I have done this several times with no problem, but this casing is a lot smaller than the norm. I have some ideas, but the tip has me stumped. I haven't seen any pen kits with tips as small as this casings neck.

I have added a picture with the approximate sizes. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

Bobby
Louisiana

 

[ldb2000]

I would get a small length of 360 brass and make a nib . The brass can easily be turned with normal turning tools on a wood lathe . You just need a chuck of some kind to hold the brass rod on the headstock and a drill chuck for your tailstock

 

[workinforwood]

Figure out what kind of casing it is and then you can search for a bullet to use as a nib. Try for a hollow point. Open the back of the bullet and then heat it with a torch until the lead falls out. With a drill bit barely larger than the refill tip, drill the hollow point, then press the bullet into the casing with your pen press or drill press.

 

[KenV]

Looks like the military blank version of the 223 Rem that fits the M-16

There are some who sell brass kits who can probably fix you up with a bullet for the nib

I like the brass bullets drilled out for ball points - and use the 7mm fittings.

 

[Sylvanite]

I agree that it looks like a blank for 5.56 NATO (a.k.a. 223 Remington). What does the headstamp say?

My inclination would be to trim and resize the brass to 5.56 NATO dimensions and use a .224 diameter (yes, 223 Rem uses a bullet 0.224" in diameter) bullet drilled out for a Cross-style refill as the nib. You could use a slimline kit slightly modified because the cartridge is shorter than the stock slimline lower section.

If you need help assembling the cartridge, let me know. I should be able to put together a 223 round for you.

Regards,
Eric

 

[bmac]

Thanks for the advice. It is greatly appreciated. I was thinking it was about the size of the 223 Rim, but wasn't sure. The markings on the rim are un-readable. Several co-workers are big time hunters so I'm pretty sure I can get a bullet from one of them.

Again, thanks for the help and advice.

Bobby
Louisiana

 

[Sylvanite]

The markings on the rim are un-readable. Several co-workers are big time hunters so I'm pretty sure I can get a bullet from one of them.

Commercial 223 Remington brass typically has a headstamp of "223 REM" and the initials of the manufacturer. Military 5.56 NATO brass typically has the initials of the manufacturer/arsenal and the year made. It often also has a cross inside a circle (the NATO emblem). Some examples are:
"223 REM / R P" - 223 brass made by Remington (Remington/Peters)
"223 REM / F C" - 223 brass made by Federal (Federal Commercial)
"L C / 6 3" - 5.56 NATO brass made by Lake City (for the US Armed Forces) in 1963
"IMI (or TZ) / 8 2" 5.56 NATO brass made by Israeli Mility Industries in 1982

223 REM is not a popular hunting caliber. It's too small for deer, and not flat-shooting/fast enough for varmints. Your hunter friends might not shoot it. It is a popular fun caliber though, so good luck. In addition to drilling the bullet, you will probably also want to trim the brass. The neck on a regular case is shorter than neck on a blank.

On a whim, I drilled out some Sierra Matchking .224 62g HPBT bullets I had laying around, so it certainly can be done. I also checked to make sure I still had a trimmer and sizing die for 223 REM (I used to reload that caliber et. al.). I haven't ever made a pen from a 5.56/223 case, but I don't see any problem with it.

Regards,
Eric