Drilling moly bullets

[Codesman]

I have been trying to drill out a moly bullet for use in a nickel 30-06 casing. Every time I place in talon chuck it mars the finish. Does anyone have suggestions? Also what could be applied to bullet to keep from scratching. I do not PC at this time but am considering it later. Is there anyone that sells just the 30 cal moly bullets that are PC?

Shawn

 

[alamocdc]

Shawn, I turned a wooden collet for use in my scroll chuck before I got my Beall. I still use this collet with the Beall b/c it works well and doesn't mar the casing. The graphic below is the view from the end of the collet. It is basically about 3/4" in diameter w/a hole through the middle for gripping the casing. This gets chucked into the pin jaws of the scroll chuck. It holds the casing tight b/c of the relief cuts at each end. The solid lines show relief cuts in the end facing toward you. The dashed lines show the relief cuts in the opposite end. If you make the cylinder (collet) 2" long, the relief cuts should be no longer than 1 1/4".

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[Sylvanite]

Shawn,

Before I got a Beall Collet Chuck, I used a homemade wood collet in a scroll chuck. I've since gone to the Beall chuck exclusively. It will hold a moly-coated bullet without leaving marks.

I have 30 cal moly-coated bullets that I can drill to order. If you wind up needing some, send me an email and we'll work something out. If you want a complete powder-coated cartridge, drilled out for a slimline or cigar kit, I sell those at the weblink below.

Regards,
Eric

 

[Codesman]

Thanks for the comments. I will give that a try.
Eric, thanks for the PM I will contact you in the furture for an order.

Shawn

 

[Sylvanite]

Shawn,

If you want a bit of wood collet advice, here's what worked best for me.

Start with a piece of hardwood - something that is hard, but still elastic. I used teak, but that is just because I have a box-full of it. Turn it round, to 3/4" or so. Cut slots on one end or both, as alamocdc has shown. Use a bandsaw, or other very thin kerf blade. Mount the cut dowel in your chuck, and put an alignment mark on it. That makes it easier to get repeatable concentricity. Tighten the chuck jaws so that the cut end closes tightly. Now put a 1/4" drill bit in your tailstock and drill through the dowel. If you have a center-bit, use it to start the hole. If not, just try to keep the bit from wandering.

A .308 (30 cal) diameter bullet needs a 5/16" collet. After drilling to 1/4" and opening the chuck jaws, the hole should open up to about 5/16. Now you can insert the bullet, snug up the chuck, and you'll get a nice, firm concentric grip on the bullet.

Good luck,
Eric