In today’s post I will show how I make DIY hot glue bullets for inexpensive indoor training.
One of my childhood memories of my dad was his reloading practice ammunition for his service revolver. I remember it because I was upset when he used it to shoot a stray dog. To explain he told me it was only a waxed bullet, so it did not injure the dog, only hurt him so he would not come back.
I remember not being very sure if I accepted the idea behind shooting the dog, but I clearly remember thinking how I thought the wax bullets were cool, and I want to make some.
A lot of old school shooters still know how to pour wax into a shallow container and then use a shell casing to cut a wax projectile out of the hardened wax. Today, I am going to show you a new technique that makes a similar training bullet but has the advantage of being reusable as well as more area to engage the rifling.
Equipment and Materials
- Hot glue gun and sufficient hot glue
- Bullet mold
- Drill and 1/8 drill bit
- Mineral or vegetable oil
- Revolver brass (will not cycle in a semi)
- Primers and priming tool
Procedure
- Put cleaned and deprimed brass in a vice and drill out primer pocket to 1/8 inch. This keeps the primers from backing out as much. You must keep this separate from your other brass, as it is DANGEROUS to ever reload this modified brass with powder.
- Using a cue tip, lightly coat inside of bullet mold with oil. I used vegetable for this video, but mineral also works. This will not help out the seasoning on your mold, so the next time you cast lead you may cuss a little, so I would suggest casting a lot each time you do this so you don’t do it often.
- Using the glue gun, squirt hot glue inside of mold until it is forced up and out into the sprue plate. Some suggest not using the sprue plate and trimming excess form mold with a knife, but I found it easier to use plate.
- Let cool
- Remove rounds from mold and wipe off excess oil
- Use a priming tool to insert primer in to modified casing.
- Hand press the plastic bullet into case mouth
- Load into revolver and shoot into a safe backstop. I used a box filled with newspapers. It is minute of popcan accurate in a basement or other semi-confined space. This will eat up an aluminum can, and can break a window.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES USE THIS FOR LIVE FIRE PRACTICE AGAINST PEOPLE.
It is not simunitions, and it is not safe. I am the guy that reloads used propane bottles, and makes steam engines. I have a pretty high tolerance for risk, and I would not EVER allow anyone in my house to practice “man on man” with these bullets, the risk of injury or mistaking them for live ammo is just too great.
If you are using regular primers, there may still be a small amount of lead from the primer, but this is a great way to practice firearm fundamentals. A thousand primers is still under $50, so for a little money you can get a lot of practice. Its also a lot easier to go downstairs to your basement than to drive out to a range so maybe glue bullets will cause you to train more. Just do me a favor and don’t shoot stray dogs.
