This article written by Manton Bodsford, appeared in the Mar/Apr 1997, #126 issue of the Fouling Shot.
Bullets recovered after firing can provide clues to load performance and help in final load adjustment. To date, nobody has successfully seen what happens inside a gun, as the bullet proceeds from cartridge case to free flight. While I can't do this either, I do the next best thing which is to recover my bullets to see the indications of what happens.
Of course I resort to the usual pre-recovery observations as well. What shape are the bullet holes? How's the group? What do the primers look like? Is there carbon on the brass? Is there any lube on the neck of the case, or on the target? What are the chronograph results and barrel condition, etc.? I also recognize that, if you have an accurate load, there is little reason to check the bullets. They are already working just fine. I feel the most benefit comes when you think all is okay, but the load won't shoot, or results are less than acceptable. Observing the recovered bullets allows me to determine what is happening, rather than just guessing. Factors such as the type and quantity of powder used, filler effects, wad benefit, alloy suitability, and bullet quality, are all factors that I routinely check.
Bullets recovered after firing can provide clues to load performance and help in final load adjustment. To date, nobody has successfully seen what happens inside a gun, as the bullet proceeds from cartridge case to free flight. While I can't do this either, I do the next best thing which is to recover my bullets to see the indications of what happens.
Of course I resort to the usual pre-recovery observations as well. What shape are the bullet holes? How's the group? What do the primers look like? Is there carbon on the brass? Is there any lube on the neck of the case, or on the target? What are the chronograph results and barrel condition, etc.? I also recognize that, if you have an accurate load, there is little reason to check the bullets. They are already working just fine. I feel the most benefit comes when you think all is okay, but the load won't shoot, or results are less than acceptable. Observing the recovered bullets allows me to determine what is happening, rather than just guessing. Factors such as the type and quantity of powder used, filler effects, wad benefit, alloy suitability, and bullet quality, are all factors that I routinely check.
So how do I stop my bullets without damaging them beyond recognition? Many places in the west are surrounded by vast areas of public lands with extensive deposits of clay soil. Southeastern Arizona where I currently reside is no exception. The dense clay soil turns to glue when wet and powder when dry, and stops bullets without major damage to them When the clay is dry and loose, a long pointed bullet fired into it, at velocities between 1100 and 1200 fps, tend to turn sideways upon entry, bending the nose, usually coming to rest against one side. 1bis leaves the other side clean and undamaged. Flat nosed bullets fired between 1300 and 1500 fps tend to mushroom, leaving the base and a portion of the body useable for observations.
Fig. 1 SAECO bullet No. 645 fired 'Mth charges of AA 57 44 (left) and H4198 (right) exhibiting powder dented bases. 
Fig. 2 Gas cutting around the base band can be seen on the bullet on the right, fired over a charge of AA 5744. Clay is great, but if you don't have it, bundles of newspapers or damp phone books can be used. I\re read of shooting into snow banks and waiting for the spring thaw to recover bullets; however, there is a bit of a wait involved with this method.
Recently my focus has been primarily on plain-based bullets for the .38-55 and .45-70, and launched by black powder. I am also interested in smokeless powder loads for straight cases. I like loads that are economical, accurate, and easy on my shoulder.
Recently my focus has been primarily on plain-based bullets for the .38-55 and .45-70, and launched by black powder. I am also interested in smokeless powder loads for straight cases. I like loads that are economical, accurate, and easy on my shoulder.
Reduced powder charges have been used for years, for modest velocity from straight walled and bottle necked cartridges. I've been using Accurate Arms #9 for target velocity loads in both the .38-55 and .45-70 with good results. Accurate Arms 5744, Hercules 2400 and RL-7, Unique, IMR 4227, 4759, 4198, 4759 and similar Hodgdon powders are all suitable. They are a bit pricey, however, so when I see a bargain on powder, I take advantage of it and enjoy the challenge of assembling efficient, safe, loads with it.
Powder in stick or kernel form is hard on plain-based bullets. Primers blast the small charges of powder against the bullet base before the powder can ignite. The recovered bullets shown in Fig. 1 exhibit this damage; clear impressions of the powder granules can be seen. Interestingly, the powder dents are always at the top portion of the bullet base as it lies in the chamber. Release of gas across the bullet base cannot be equal at the muzzle if the base is heavily or unevenly textured. Use of flake or ball powders minimizes this problem.
Powder in stick or kernel form is hard on plain-based bullets. Primers blast the small charges of powder against the bullet base before the powder can ignite. The recovered bullets shown in Fig. 1 exhibit this damage; clear impressions of the powder granules can be seen. Interestingly, the powder dents are always at the top portion of the bullet base as it lies in the chamber. Release of gas across the bullet base cannot be equal at the muzzle if the base is heavily or unevenly textured. Use of flake or ball powders minimizes this problem.
Fig. 3 Lyman bullet 375248 protected by a com meal filler and fired over a charge of H4198. The flame temperature of the burning powder can contribute to poor bullet performance by gas cutting the base band (Fig. 2 ), resulting in uneven gas release around the bullet base as it leaves the muzzle. In addition, vaporized lead is blown past the bullet and up the barrel; this is generally believed to be a cause of leading. Even ball powders with cooler flame temperatures can cause this problem.
BULLET BASE PROTECTION - The next fix, after I've selected the best powder, is to protect the bullet base. A gas check you say? Sure, but I want to use plain base bullets. I've tried wads of tablet backing, disks cut from milk cartons, and low density plastics. Paper wads suffer partial shredding from the firing blast and, for some reason, plastic did not work.
BULLET BASE PROTECTION - The next fix, after I've selected the best powder, is to protect the bullet base. A gas check you say? Sure, but I want to use plain base bullets. I've tried wads of tablet backing, disks cut from milk cartons, and low density plastics. Paper wads suffer partial shredding from the firing blast and, for some reason, plastic did not work.
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I feel the best protection in smokeless loads is enough com meal between bullet and powder to yield a compressed column of powder and filler. Stick powders do not damage the bullet base with a protecting layer of filler in place; ignition is improved and recovered bullets exhibit a finely textured base with clean sharp edges (Fig. 3). Remember, this is for straight walled cases. You might want to refer to Ken Molohan's write up in TCB-122, for successful filler of use in bottle necked cartridges, and check TCB-125 for his warning on the danger of fillers.
I have also successfully used gas check bullets without the gas check. I simply leave the gas check heel covered with lube after sizing. With the 375449 Lyman bullet and 14 grains of AA #9 in my .38-55, the lube provides just enough protection to prevent gas cutting and yields a serviceable load.
I have also successfully used gas check bullets without the gas check. I simply leave the gas check heel covered with lube after sizing. With the 375449 Lyman bullet and 14 grains of AA #9 in my .38-55, the lube provides just enough protection to prevent gas cutting and yields a serviceable load.
Fig. 4 Lyman bullet 457483 fired without a gas check, using black powder. ALLOY SUITABILITY - Optimum bullet performance results when bullet hardness is selected to suit rifling depth, width, pitch, and velocity. My alloys are typically soft lead/tin mixes and vary from 40: I to 20: 1. My guns with shallow grooved barrels need a bit harder bullet than those with more substantial lands. Recovered bullets easily show if they are the proper hardness for the velocity. The width of the rifling marks begin to widen at the bullet frontal portion as the alloy strength is exceeded. A harder alloy or less powder is the solution. If pressure data is available for a load, the alloy suitability can be checked using the formula, chamber pressure equals Brinell Hardness multiplied by 1422.
Fig. 5 SAECO bullet no. 645 exhibiting rough textured bases after being fired unprotected over black powder. BULLET QUALITY - I have been able to improve the quality of my bullets as a result of examining them after recovery. One particular batch of Gould 457122 hollowpoint bullets, cast using a bottom pour furnace, looked good but did not shoot well Examination of the recovered bullets revealed voids near the surface of their bases. The pressure of the powder igniting exerted sufficient force to collapse the thin layer of lead hiding the imperfections. I've gone back to the dipper and air bubbles rarely occur now.
BLACK POWDER LOADS - Selection of black powder is not as complicated as smokeless; for traditional black powder users the choice is between Elephant Brand and GOEX. Black powder is always used by the case full; granulation regulating the burning rate and pressure, needed for the caliber, bullet weight, and intended use. FFF g granulation is most often suggested for calibers under .45. Forty-five and larger calibers use FFg and Fg to advantage. However, it is not uncommon to use FFF g in larger calibers or larger granulations in smaller bores.
The best advice I've read is from Ned Roberts ( The Muzzle Loading Cap lock Rifle) who said " . . . it should not be an extremely rapid burning powder - such as is best for shotguns - as this causes too much upsetting of the lead bullet and results in poor accuracy." Robert's statement tells us that undesirable things can happen if we do not match powder granulation and bullet hardness. And, sure enough, recovered bullets fired with black powder do exhibit dramatic changes. Longitudinal compression is very evident, with lube grooves compressing and undersize nose sections slumping and expanding. A test of the 457483 bullet fired without a gas check resulted in the gas check heel expanding enough to be touched by the rifling (Fig. 4 ). A test of the 64 5 SAECO bullet, cast of pure lead and paper patched, had the lube grooves totally compressed, appearing only as lines on the recovered bullet.
BLACK POWDER LOADS - Selection of black powder is not as complicated as smokeless; for traditional black powder users the choice is between Elephant Brand and GOEX. Black powder is always used by the case full; granulation regulating the burning rate and pressure, needed for the caliber, bullet weight, and intended use. FFF g granulation is most often suggested for calibers under .45. Forty-five and larger calibers use FFg and Fg to advantage. However, it is not uncommon to use FFF g in larger calibers or larger granulations in smaller bores.
The best advice I've read is from Ned Roberts ( The Muzzle Loading Cap lock Rifle) who said " . . . it should not be an extremely rapid burning powder - such as is best for shotguns - as this causes too much upsetting of the lead bullet and results in poor accuracy." Robert's statement tells us that undesirable things can happen if we do not match powder granulation and bullet hardness. And, sure enough, recovered bullets fired with black powder do exhibit dramatic changes. Longitudinal compression is very evident, with lube grooves compressing and undersize nose sections slumping and expanding. A test of the 457483 bullet fired without a gas check resulted in the gas check heel expanding enough to be touched by the rifling (Fig. 4 ). A test of the 64 5 SAECO bullet, cast of pure lead and paper patched, had the lube grooves totally compressed, appearing only as lines on the recovered bullet.
Fig. 6 Recovered SAECO bullet 645 fired over black powder with base protected with a milk carton wad. BASE PROTECTION - Impact of the powder during ignition causes a battered surface across the bullet base (Fig. 5 ). Shooters of the late 19th century commonly used wads of some sort to protect their bullets. A wad of cardboard or soft, porous blotting paper was used over a case full of powder; although, I feel that a blotting paper wad was used primarily by target shooters, who breech-seated their bullets, to keep the powder from dribbling from the case as it was chambered.
Many shooters, myself included, use wads to protect the bullet base from powder cratering and gas cutting. A .020 inch-thick wad cut from a milk carton does a good job (Fig. 6). The bullet base is still affected to some degree when using a wad, but it remains fairly smooth and clean.
Many shooters, myself included, use wads to protect the bullet base from powder cratering and gas cutting. A .020 inch-thick wad cut from a milk carton does a good job (Fig. 6). The bullet base is still affected to some degree when using a wad, but it remains fairly smooth and clean.
An added advantage of the protected base is that identifiers, written on the base of my bullets with indelible pen, are still readable after recovery. I can identify various alloys used and bullets fired for a particular test.
Recovered wads also have a tale to tell. I have found them directly in front of the firing position to as far as fifty meters down range. Most are recovered flat but some show the results of side forces that compress and wrinkle them (Fig. 7). I have not yet ascertained if the wrinkle occurs during firing or after the bullet leaves the barrel, but the wrinkling strikes me as a negative condition. Although many black powder cartridge shooters use wads, there are exceptions.
Recovered wads also have a tale to tell. I have found them directly in front of the firing position to as far as fifty meters down range. Most are recovered flat but some show the results of side forces that compress and wrinkle them (Fig. 7). I have not yet ascertained if the wrinkle occurs during firing or after the bullet leaves the barrel, but the wrinkling strikes me as a negative condition. Although many black powder cartridge shooters use wads, there are exceptions.
Fig. 7, Milk carton wads recovered after firing. Several exhibit the wrinkling problem. Paul Matthews states in his book, How To's for the Black Powder Cartridge Shooter, that Master Class shooter Adrian Filer does not use wads, preferring to "keep it simple". BULLET QUALITY - Bullets need to be good to take advantage of the burning characteristics of black powder that produce very low standard deviations in velocity. I only perform a visual inspection of my bullets - all dipper cast. If it looks good, it is good! The lack of imperfections observed after recovery confirm the validity of this approach. After I switched to dipper casting I haven't noticed any imperfections revealed by firing.
I can remember being too young to accompany my dad on the yearly deer hunting trip. One year I asked him to bring me back a fired bullet. He shot a Model 94 Winchester in .30-30, so recovering a bullet was a bit of a chore for him He brought me one, but it was not the cylindrical form with rifling on it, that I expected. It was squashed out of shape and exhibited the knife marks it suffered on removal from a dead tree stump. This was my first encounter with a spent bullet.
I admit to still having a fascination for discovering what has happened to my fired bullets; I've learned a great deal from them There is one last benefit to recovering fired bullets: recycling. After shooting several pounds of expensive lead/tin alloy it is nice to return home after a range session with a significant portion to reuse. @
I can remember being too young to accompany my dad on the yearly deer hunting trip. One year I asked him to bring me back a fired bullet. He shot a Model 94 Winchester in .30-30, so recovering a bullet was a bit of a chore for him He brought me one, but it was not the cylindrical form with rifling on it, that I expected. It was squashed out of shape and exhibited the knife marks it suffered on removal from a dead tree stump. This was my first encounter with a spent bullet.
I admit to still having a fascination for discovering what has happened to my fired bullets; I've learned a great deal from them There is one last benefit to recovering fired bullets: recycling. After shooting several pounds of expensive lead/tin alloy it is nice to return home after a range session with a significant portion to reuse. @
