A dumb idea?

[M8ball]

This is probably a dumb idea, but I’m sure someone else has probably thought of it too. Let’s say you’ve got an 1886 in .33 WCF, and you’ve used the Hornady 200 gr FN for years with good results. Now, of course, you’ve got a problem because this bullet’s discontinued. Let’s say you’re too cheap to get into casting or don’t want to use cast bullets for whatever reason. If you took some .338 spitzers (something with a thin jacket, not one of the thicker jacket, controlled expansion variety), carefully chucked them in a lathe and cut the tips off to duplicate the meplat of the 200 gr FN, wouldn’t that work? Obviously, you’d need to start with a bullet heavier than 200 grains to get close to the original Hornady, but if you had the same front dimensions, and the weight was somewhat close, it seems to be this would be a good way to get back to shooting.

Anybody attempt try this?

[Foggy]

I think you could leave a jacket in the barrel  I was going to make cheap hunting rounds out of some 303brt ball by exposing the lead core and was told by a gunsmith that would happen.
Have you tried some of the lead bullet out fits someone got to be casting the size you need.
Just a thought

[moxgrove]

I know it has been done to cut 270 spitzers to 250 grain flat points for use in a 375 winchester. The big thing ould be to leave enough of the ogive intact to keep the core in. Kind of like a roll crimp .

[MSP Ret]

for many years in Maine frugal hunters would file the tips off of FMJ military rounds to create a exposed lead soft point of sorts. They killed many deer that way too....<><....

[Clodhopper]

for many years in Maine frugal hunters would file the tips off of FMJ military rounds to create a exposed lead soft point of sorts. They killed many deer that way too....<><....

Used to do that with the 7.62 rounds for my M14 while I was on my senior trip to South East Asia.  The Lt. told me it was against the Geneva Convention rules.  I told him to fire my butt and send me home then!  It seemed to work well on human sized game.

[qajaq59]

I tried that filing the ends off once just for laughs and the accuracy really sucked.

[SHOOTALL]

how would the jacket and lead separate ? or the jacket stay in the bbl ? wouldn't the expanding gases push the jacket to the lead and out the barrel ? as one ? a weak jacket might get separated from the lead in flight if it was of poor construction and bullet speed was well really fast for the bullet ! where does this gun smith work ? believe i will avoid him !

[Rangr44]

[how would the jacket and lead separate ?]

FYI - Some FMJ bullet jackets, especially military, are swadged on from the front, leaving part of the lead core exposed at the base.

When you cut off the nose of one of those puppies, you have essentially an open-ended tube with lead in it.

With pitted rifling especially to create drag on the jacket, the core could preceed the jacket towards the muzzle - with the jacket sometime staying in the bore, because the pressure driving it was relieved when the core departed.

[If you took some .338 spitzers (something with a thin jacket, not one of the thicker jacket, controlled expansion variety), carefully chucked them in a lathe and cut the tips off to duplicate the meplat of the 200 gr FN]

I think I'd rather try it, if at all, with a solid copper slug like the Barnes.

[SHOOTALL]

that would be a stretch !and the entire front of the bullet would need to be filed off past the point where it starts to taper !

[EsoxLucius]

It will work with the .338" Hornady 250 grain Spire Point, however the jacket may be too stout for your application.  You just cleanly cut off 50 grains off the front and you will have your 200 grain flat nose.  You can even use the cannelure for crimping.