Anyone interested in .224 150 grain ULD RBT compressed tungsten powder jacketed reloading bullets?

[Tyler Malys]

I've been thinking about manufacturing 150 grain, ultra low drag (ULD), rebated boat tail (RBT), compressed tungsten powder, copper jacketed reloading bullets in the .224 caliber. It seems like they'd be about about as long as 90 grain .224 reloading bullets with a lead core. DRT ammo manufactures compressed tungsten powder reloading bullets, ammunition in weights that are standard for caliber and claims exceptional accuracy given high uniformity of the compressed core.

Somewhat like 6.5 Creedmoor extends the accurate range respective to 308 Winchester, while having similar powder charges, my thought has been that these proposed 150 grain .224 bullets loaded in 22 Creedmoor or similar could further enhance that capability for precision applications, provided stabilization, etc. could be worked out.

I'm not confident in these numbers, but according to GPT, Tungsten can be purchased for around $22/lb, while lead is stated to be worth around $1/lb and copper around $4.5/lb. However, it seems like there are 7,000 grains of weight in a pound. 7,000/150 approximately equals 46. 22/46 approximately equals $0.50 of tungsten per reloading bullet.

What do you all think, is this a project worth pursuing? Would you buy this potential precision product if cost was around $1.50 per reloading bullet?

 

[44 AMP]

What do you all think, is this a project worth pursuing? Would you buy this potential precision product if cost was around $1.50 per reloading bullet?

Other than as a technology demonstrator (the ability to make such a thing) I'd say whether or not its worth pursuing would depend on what you invest in it, vs. what you get out of it.

Would I buy, for $1.50 a bullet?? No. Nor would I buy for $.40 a bullet, or any other price, simply because I have nothing that can use such a bullet, and no use for something that could.

First point, none of the reloaders who run .22 rounds smaller than the .22 Creedmoor can use it. I don't do long range target shooting, my .22s are for varmints, and none of them has the twist rate, or case capacity to effectively use the proposed bullet. It's a niche concept, for a very narrow application, so forget about mass market appeal.

I load for .22 Hornet, .221 Fireball, .222 Rem, .223 Rem, and .22-250. Your bullet has no use for me. The people it would appeal to get a lot written about what they do, but really, how many of them are there? Not a lot, and literally what they do is a game. Most of us don't play that game, so we're not your market.

There's more involved in whether or not your idea will be successful than the cost of the materials alone.

Good Luck, I wish you well, but what you're looking at isn't something the general public would use, even if they happen to have rifles that could.

 

[Unclenick]

Tyler,

Welcome to the forum. Please pop over here and introduce yourself.

Be aware that if you ever get to the point of selling these items, selling things on the board is limited to active members. But a theoretical discussion now is fine.

It would take some analysis to decide if such a bullet would be interesting. The added recoil may be an issue for some, as might sight settings, and it might need an adjustable gas block in an AR. But I don't see a reason it couldn't be made to work in principle.

 

[Shadow9mm]

150g .224, same length as a 90g.

Why?

90g are generally too long to load in an ar magazine? Whats your target cartridge or use? What is the point in making it heavier for the same size? How are you going to generate load data?

150g in a 223 would be not dissimilar to my 150g supersonic 300blk.

But i cant see a use case for myself. If it were me, id make sure it fit in an ar mag and ignored making it as heavy as possible.

If it were me,

 

[Jim Watson]

History
Once upon a time there was a company making half tungsten bullets. The front half of the core was lead to give expansion on game. Round nose, not LR target bullets. This let them show a 300 gr .30 in a 220's jacket. They spoke of a 150 gr 6mm in a 105 jacket, too.

One of the Corbins has in the past provided supplies for tungsten powder cores.
http://www.bulletswage.com/powder.htm

 

[jetinteriorguy]

I've been thinking about manufacturing 150 grain, ultra low drag (ULD), rebated boat tail (RBT), compressed tungsten powder, copper jacketed reloading bullets in the .224 caliber. It seems like they'd be about about as long as 90 grain .224 reloading bullets with a lead core. DRT ammo manufactures compressed tungsten powder reloading bullets, ammunition in weights that are standard for caliber and claims exceptional accuracy given high uniformity of the compressed core.

Somewhat like 6.5 Creedmoor extends the accurate range respective to 308 Winchester, while having similar powder charges, my thought has been that these proposed 150 grain .224 bullets loaded in 22 Creedmoor or similar could further enhance that capability for precision applications, provided stabilization, etc. could be worked out.

I'm not confident in these numbers, but according to GPT, Tungsten can be purchased for around $22/lb, while lead is stated to be worth around $1/lb and copper around $4.5/lb. However, it seems like there are 7,000 grains of weight in a pound. 7,000/150 approximately equals 46. 22/46 approximately equals $0.50 of tungsten per reloading bullet.

What do you all think, is this a project worth pursuing? Would you buy this potential precision product if cost was around $1.50 per reloading bullet?

Heck,you never know. I remember when rocks were sold as pets.

 

[Unclenick]

A bullet of the proposed size would be for single-loading in most guns. It would not be like a 150-grain 30 of any kind because the sectional density and therefore the BC would be about one and a half times higher, if the 30 had a proportional shape. If the form of the 30 is less streamlined than the 90-grain 22, the difference will be greater still.

Using QuickLOAD and GRT, it appears that at matching peak pressure, despite the lower starting velocity, the theoretical 150-grain 22 would buck wind better at 1000 yards than the 90 would.

 

[tangolima]

High BC is indeed the point. I wouldn't mind getting some to monkey with. But most likely won't buy many more on regular basis. It probably would require something like .22 Creedmoor to reach its peak potential.

-TL

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