Topic: Mushroomed Projectiles

[Courtney Allsbrook]

Looking for ways you all safely work with mushroomed projectiles. I have included an image for reference. When the pedals are separated it seems a tad bit easier to expose the L/G; however, this one in particular is a little tricky.


Thanks in advance!

[Jill Therriault]

Using a hockey puck-turned-armorer's block, a punch, and a mallet, I've unfolded the sides of jackets.  Stick the bullet base first into the center hole of the puck.  Using the punch and mallet, tap it into the hole, forcing the edges of the jacket back up towards the nose.  The rubber of the puck won't mess up any IC on the jacket, and the punch is only hitting the lead core.


Does the core seem like it could be wiggled out of the jacket?

[Skip Richardson]

I'll second the hockey puck trick. We too have those here (although I don't have a fancy HK one).


I use these as well:


https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/general-gunsmith-tools/shop-supplies/soft-jaw-pliers/


We probably go through a pair of inserts a year (give or take) and I try to keep at least two replacements on hand. They work pretty well when the jaw inserts are fresh.


I too have used the punch and hockey puck method to reform bases of bullet jackets as well.

[Eric Warren]

Yep, I also used smooth jawed (or soft jawed) pliers unless it is as bad as yours Courtney, then I have found the armorer's block trick as suggested by Jill and seconded by Skip to be quite successful!


HTH

[Paul Murphy]

You can make a mold of the mushroomed bullet and then make a resin casting in the mold.  You can cut the "overhangs" (on the resin bullet) away with a cutter and have the "obscured base" open for microscopic examination - no damage to the original bullet.

[Sean Daniel]

I use smooth jawed pliers in one hand and a kevlar dipped glove on the other hand. Sometimes the jackets are sharp so the glove helps protect against that, especially if it's thicker jacketing material that requires more force

[Michael Haag]

Side note...  Watch out for the term "mushroomed", even though, I get it, it looks like a mushroom. 


People poorly interchange "mushroomed" and expanded, and that is definitely not expanded.

Not a great term regardless, but that is hard damage, not expansion/soft damage.


 

[Bob Kennington]

There is a round white nylon "bench block" made that is perfect for this.


I used one successfully for almost three decades--nearly wore it out!


One very slick "bench block" is available in polymer for $13:


(Gunmagwarehouse is the source--tiny URL follows but it works).


https://gunmagwarehouse.com/breakthrough-clean-technologies-armorer-s-bench-block-tool.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla&gclid=CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8g3TQ8y_F9j7D8oQzxUWZO3JGu-KZKJV7Mgqek0JZqKO2CFpouYXPxoCftQQAvD_BwE