Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    Yes, I know it sounds funny. I know it sounds like a joke. Get all your werewolf jokes out. Someone has asked me to load about a dozen .357 pure silver (supposedly anyway, not sterling, I asked) heads he has into functional rounds. He is mainly looking at this as a novelty that he doesn’t plan to shoot because he thinks they will be cool to have.

    My question to everyone is does anyone have any idea what silver will do, if anything, to my carbide die. My guess is the seating die is the one I’m asking about more than the crimping die? From what I could find online silver doesn’t seem to be too much different than lead or copper and pure silver is softer than sterling which is silver mixed with copper to make it harder. Go ahead. Let me have it.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    The seating die hardly touches the bullet. It doesn't take much force to seat them. I think it would be no problem.
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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    I'd be most highly concerned about a pressure spike , depending on the powder used. I'm thinking a pure silver bullet is much harder than a hard-cast lead alloy or copper-jacketed bullet.

    The Lyman cast bullet handbook shows some loads with bullets cast from straight Linotype , one of the hardest common lead bullet alloys.

    Small amounts of silver are used to harden lead soldering alloys.
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  4. #4
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    Have you seen the bullets? Are they the length of a bullet or the length of a finished cartridge?

    I bought a bunch of those a couple of years ago in different calibers and IIRC they are the length of a finished cartridge. Haven't dug them out in ages.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    If he was asking you to seat them with no powder of any kind, no primer or spent primer, for just novelty items to sit on the coffee table or whatever, I'd say no problemo.

    As functional rounds? Big time NO GO. I've never seen load data that would apply.
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  6. #6
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    Probably best to measure them for diameter before you try it as well, since it isn't likely that they tried to make them as precisely as bullets need to be. The load data question is a good one too, they are going to be much lighter than lead so you will definitely need to weigh them.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    I tried not to be heavy handed earlier.

    Allow me to add. There is only one "function" for a "functional round." And this friend wants you to assemble them??

    Don't be involved. It's kid stuff and can have a bad ending. And I'm not talking about the assembly part.

    Like I said, no powder, no primer, different story.

    Thats my story and I'm stickin to it.

    Obama. AYFKM?! / Pravda vit'azi.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    Here you go.......Looks like casting them is a PITA so if you buy them make sure they are pure .999 silver and sized a couple thousands under. I would keep to low pressure target loads. You don't need a magnum load for werewolves, in the movies they go down with just one shot. Even with a muzzleloaded pistol.

    Target loads should work for the chick vampires too but for the top vampire you might have to shoot him more than once.



    http://www.hurog.com/articles/silver...rbullets.shtml

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    I hear the concern. I haven’t decided I’ll do it and if I did I’d of course weigh and caliper them for diameter. If they didn’t match up to what a .357 head should be I wouldn’t do it. Apparently he’s a machinist and he says they are pure. I’m wondering if he didn’t machine them because, from what I’ve googled, casting silver is a PITA as it shrinks as it cools. People that have tried casting silver bullets have wound up with ugly wrinkled looking bullets.

    Doing some more research I found this: https://www.mgsrefining.com/blogs/tags/silver%20bullets
    And searching also shows lead with Brinnel hardness of 5 and silver is 24.5.

    Fun discussion at the very least.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Loading silver bullets... Yes, I know.

    Quote Originally Posted by Delkal View Post
    Here you go.......Looks like casting them is a PITA so if you buy them make sure they are pure .999 silver and sized a couple thousands under. I would keep to low pressure target loads. You don't need a magnum load for werewolves, in the movies they go down with just one shot. Even with a muzzleloaded pistol.

    Target loads should work for the chick vampires too but for the top vampire you might have to shoot him more than once.



    http://www.hurog.com/articles/silver...rbullets.shtml
    Not if you get the vamp in the heart though.

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