Author Topic: Short Range Practice for $1.25/50 or Less (Read 6098 times)

only1asterisk · « **on:** January 24, 2012, 10:32:40 pm »

How?

Gummy Bullets, AKA Gloolits:

Faster and cheaper than cast, these are made high temp glue. They weigh about 9% of whatever a lead bullet would weigh cast from the same mold. They run on primer power, with no powder required and are about 85% reusable.

The tooling is minimal, a nonreloader could be setup to produce Gloolit ammo for a given caliber for around $50. Second and subsequent calibers would be about $20.

WeTheArmed.com

StevenTing · « **Reply #1 on:** January 24, 2012, 10:40:51 pm »

I need more info. Could you use these for force on force training?

THE NORSEMAN · « **Reply #2 on:** January 24, 2012, 10:53:10 pm »

A new take on the old speer plastic bullet concept. Looks interesting.

only1asterisk · « **Reply #3 on:** January 24, 2012, 10:53:52 pm »

Quote from: StevenTing on January 24, 2012, 10:40:51 pm

Could you use these for force on force training?

I wouldn't. They'll penetrate heavy clothing and do damage.

coelacanth · « **Reply #4 on:** January 24, 2012, 11:08:30 pm »

We used to use wax.

only1asterisk · « **Reply #5 on:** January 24, 2012, 11:10:57 pm »

Quote from: THE NORSEMAN on January 24, 2012, 10:53:10 pm

A new take on the old speer plastic bullet concept. Looks interesting.

Except that this can be done for a fraction of the cost for wider variety of guns.

only1asterisk · « **Reply #6 on:** January 24, 2012, 11:18:07 pm »

Quote from: coelacanth on January 24, 2012, 11:08:30 pm

We used to use wax.

I've done that too. Both work. I think the glue bullet has better accuracy and longer range potential.

THE NORSEMAN · « **Reply #7 on:** January 24, 2012, 11:26:47 pm »

Just an FYI, wax slugs with a powder charge applicable to a standard style slug WILL put one heck of a crater in a cement wall. So don't monkey with this folks. Primer powered only. No powder.

coelacanth · « **Reply #8 on:** January 24, 2012, 11:28:09 pm »

True, but my start up cost was the cost of the wax. And an old pie plate. Melt the wax in the pan, let it cool. Just shove a fired case in like a cookie cutter, wipe the end of the case with your finger and set it aside. Prime them in a hand held tool and you're good to go. That's what we did with all the old canning paraffin we sponged off my grandmother.

Somebody got the bright idea a few years back to market the old Hollywood wax bullet set up with brass cases in various calibers set up to handle #209 shotshell primers. They came packed with a hundred hard wax boolits. Those actually had some steam behind them and would raise a pretty nice welt if you got hit with one.

only1asterisk · « **Reply #9 on:** January 24, 2012, 11:41:53 pm »

I didn't have any costs, already having everything but the glue and glue gun (both sourrced from my wife's craft supplies).

Quote from: coelacanth on January 24, 2012, 11:28:09 pm

True, but my start up cost was the cost of the wax. And an old pie plate. Melt the wax in the pan, let it cool. Just shove a fired case in like a cookie cutter, wipe the end of the case with your finger and set it aside. Prime them in a hand held tool and you're good to go. That's what we did with all the old canning paraffin we sponged off my grandmother.

Somebody got the bright idea a few years back to market the old Hollywood wax bullet set up with brass cases in various calibers set up to handle #209 shotshell primers. They came packed with a hundred hard wax boolits. Those actually had some steam beh :ehind them and would raise a pretty nice welt if you got hit with one.

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #10 on:** January 25, 2012, 01:41:57 am »

Cast out of Hot Glue?

mwcoleburn · « **Reply #11 on:** January 25, 2012, 01:50:40 am »

My pops has a nice scare right between his eyes from a wax bullet, his buddy thought it would be funny to get him after they called time and he took his mask off

only1asterisk · « **Reply #12 on:** January 25, 2012, 10:05:29 am »

Quote from: GeorgeHill on January 25, 2012, 01:41:57 am

Cast out of Hot Glue?

Yup!

LoneStarNational · « **Reply #13 on:** January 25, 2012, 10:29:07 am »

Will these cycle an autopistol, or is this limited to revolvers and manually cycling the slide?

only1asterisk · « **Reply #14 on:** January 25, 2012, 12:20:12 pm »

Quote from: LoneStarNational on January 25, 2012, 10:29:07 am

Will these cycle an autopistol, or is this limited to revolvers and manually cycling the slide?

They aren't going to cycle the slide on anything as is, but I have some ideas.

StevenTing · « **Reply #15 on:** January 25, 2012, 12:21:59 pm »

When the OP said Gummy, I was thinking like gummy bear consistency. That's why I asked about force-on-force training. But if they're as hard as hot glue sticks, ouch.

only1asterisk · « **Reply #16 on:** January 25, 2012, 12:39:04 pm »

Quote from: StevenTing on January 25, 2012, 12:21:59 pm

When the OP said Gummy, I was thinking like gummy bear consistency. That's why I asked about force-on-force training. But if they're as hard as hot glue sticks, ouch.

They look like gummy bears and are quite squishy compared to lead.

LoneStarNational · « **Reply #17 on:** January 25, 2012, 12:41:23 pm »

Quote from: only1asterisk on January 25, 2012, 12:20:12 pm

They aren't going to cycle the slide on anything as is, but I have some ideas.

Super-light springs, or more involved?

only1asterisk · « **Reply #18 on:** January 25, 2012, 12:57:45 pm »

Quote from: LoneStarNational on January 25, 2012, 12:41:23 pm

Super-light springs, or more involved?

Much more.

only1asterisk · « **Reply #19 on:** January 25, 2012, 02:14:14 pm »

Materials list:

High Temp Glue Gun: Surebonder H280 from Northern Tool $14.99 w/ free shipping
You can get by with a $5 model from WalMart

Glue Sticks: 7/16x10" or 7/16x12" High Temp $4-5/Pound
You'll have to do some shopping for the best deal on these.

Bullet mold: Lee 2 cavity from Midway or Titan $19.50
These are less than ideal for casting lead, but work well for glue.

Other materials: Q-tip, lube, toothpick, .125" drill bit, razor blade, depriming/priming method.

Casting

Preheat your glue gun.

Lubricate your mold cavities with the q-tip. Vegetable oil works fine, This may need to be reapplied occasionally. Some people use cooking spay like PAM. This seems to last longer, but veg. oil is easier to remove from my molds. This is only really important if you also intent to cast lead.

Shoot the first cavity full of glue. Do this as quickly and smoothly as possible. Leave a heaping pool of glue on the sprue plate. Much of this material will be drawn down as the glue sets. Failure to provide this extra material will result in an inclusion in the base of your bullet.

Wait a few seconds or your glue gun to catch up. This is especially required for the cheaper ones.

Shoot the second cavity same as the first.

After 60-90 seconds, depending on the size of you mold, open your sprue plates and remove your gloobits. Your first couple might be a little ugly for the cold mold and excess lube, but don't let that stop you.

Remove the excess glue from the sprue plate and mold some more. I haven't used a mold that didn't produce perfect gloobits on the second or third cast.

Loading:

Deprime fired case.

Open flash hole with .125 bit. This is important to keep primers from backing out.

Prime. Small rifle primers can be substituted for small pistol. Some people use large rifle instead of large pistol, but to do this properly requires modifying the primer pocket.

Insert the gloobit. I have no trouble doing this by hand. You may want to push the projectile as far into the case as possible when loading for revolvers.

Firing

Lubricate your barrel.

Load and fire as normal. A soft backstop such as scrap carpet will aid in recover of reusable gloobits.

xsquidgator · « **Reply #20 on:** January 26, 2012, 06:18:54 am »

There is a type of soft, easily-meltable plastic called Aquaplast that's good for this. (http://www.q-fix.com/product-head-neck/product-head-neck-6.html)

It's used in radiation therapy to construct custom plastic masks for patients receiving radiation in the head and neck area. The plastic is soft and malleable when placed in 140F water, but hardens back up when it cools to room temperature. I know a guy who reloads who used to make plastic bullets out of this stuff kind of like the wax bullets, primer only. He said it worked really well in a 38 and made fun plinking. Being medical, the stuff is expensive, so you'd have to get the material a local clinic throws away. But it's free if you get a few sheets of it that are being thrown out...