Bore Rider Bullets???

[larryw]

OK, more education needed here please from you all that now what your doing with lead..
What is a "Bore Rider" bullet? They all ride in the bore??
What are they for, Specific type of firearm or application?
Bore rider's for handguns??
Yep, your right, I have no idea what I'm talking about,
but i'm trying to find out......

[akuser47]

In general a bore rider bullet has a base of the groove diameter and a bearing surface of the land diameter. It is a favorite type of bullet in cast bullet circles where some casters double size their bullets. However it requires a bit of serious setup by the shooter to make or have bullets that precisely fit two deminsions inside his barrel.
Bore riders are for making heavy hitting rounds for a particular caliber being used. I. General for a big game take down.

[larryw]

So, for primarily a handgun guy, with one little .303 British,
there of no us to me, right?

[akuser47]

Not really as your barrel might need to be 8 " at min. To obtain ballistics that are usable. I'm no expert though maybe others can give more info.

[larryw]

So, how ever thick the base driving band is,
that's all that get's engraved by the rifling's,
the rest is just skimming along on the lands??
I really don't think I want that kind of sizing
headache, even for my 10 1/2'' 44????
But it sure is interesting...

[Ranch Dog]

AK has provided a very good description of the bullet. Bore riding bullets can serve quite a few purposes; let's see some examples…





The top is my 25 ACP bullet and the bottom my 7.62x39 bullet. Both of these designs use the bore rider to provide utility. With both of these cartridges, it is common to see several groove diameters. Look at the diameters forward of the driving bands; the 25 ACP's bore rider's base is .251" and the 7.62x39's .308". These bullets can be sized anywhere from this minimum to the maximum body diameter, .255" or .313" respectively, to accommodate a large range of the diameters found with these cartridges.

Here are my two 30-30 Win bullets, the first is the original and the later my revision. In this bullet, a bore rider is used to provide a greater cartridge length.





The first bullet was designed around older Marlin 336A which needed a greater diameter of .311". With this diameter, there was little problem fitting a bullet nose in the leade and throat that tapered to the .308" groove. There was a problem with the bullet being used in SAAMI cut chambers such as the modern Marlins, Mossbergs, Rossi's, and Winchesters. These rifles have a bit of a leade, .310" is appropriate, but not much throat so if the original design is used the brass must be trimmed to fit the crimp groove as the overall length is greatly reduced. To fit the throat, at best the bullet would only weigh about 150-grains when keep the base inside the neck. I did keep the .311" greater diameter as the bullet was a total replacement for the original. This would allow it to fit the other Marlin when sized to .311" and all other applications when sized to .310".

In all the designs, the alloy used dictates bore rider diameter. When designing a mold it is important to identify a target alloy because different alloys can change the final diameter as it responds to the mold. There is no way to size that nose once it is dropped. Within the identified alloy, heat can effect diameter especially when the mold blocks are aluminum. Too much heat and the bullets will be non-concentric (out of round). This happens as the aluminum expands but is confined by the sprue plate lock. The only way for the mold to respond to the heat is by bowing out away from the confines.

[larryw]

I love it when he talks like that!!!! RD, are there any places for rent reasonable
that are real close to you? I would love for you to adopt us so I could pick your
brain all the time?? LOL.

Well, I don't pretend to understand this totally but I do see the benefit of
only being engraved in 2 small places instead of the entire side of the bullet.
But, if they don't drop with the desired front diameter, how in the heck
would you do a 2 step sizing to get the driving bands to one dimension
& the front another?? seems like a nightmare to me??

& for heavy hitter hunters out of my 10 1/2'' 44 mag, what differences
would you expect me to see over regular store bought or home cast??
How about 38 / .357 also??? & is there any special considerations
when loading them??
I know, I know, "Cotten picking' newb??" Hey, everybody has to start somewhere.
Just took me longer than most to start casting??????? I'm trying..

[Ranch Dog]

I love it when he talks like that!!!! RD, are there any places for rent reasonable that are real close to you? I would love for you to adopt us so I could pick your brain all the time?? LOL.

Haahh! You might find that the rooster sitting on my porch is more interesting!

Well, I don't pretend to understand this totally but I do see the benefit of only being engraved in 2 small places instead of the entire side of the bullet. But, if they don't drop with the desired front diameter, how in the heck would you do a 2 step sizing to get the driving bands to one dimension
& the front another?? seems like a nightmare to me??

You are really not missing anything. There is always a front driving band, it is a dramatic step down to the start of the ogive. You control the bore rider with alloy and temperature.

& for heavy hitter hunters out of my 10 1/2'' 44 mag, what differences would you expect me to see over regular store bought or home cast?? How about 38 / .357 also??? & is there any special considerations when loading them??

There would not really be a need for them with revolver where you are simply dealing with a cylinder. They are a better fit with rifle chambers that have a lot of features (freebore, leade, step, and throat).

I know, I know, "Cotten picking' newb??" Hey, everybody has to start somewhere.
Just took me longer than most to start casting??????? I'm trying..

It is all good, I mean, what else would there to be to talk about!

[larryw]

Thank's RD, I didn't think there would be much of a use in handguns??
Like anything else I take a large interest in, I just cant seem to get
enough info / data crammed into my head to satisfy me?????
But I sure am liking this casting adventure so far, although, I have
yet to cast a single slug on my own , all the reading & info is great..
As soon as I can get a few extra $ put away, I will get a thermometer,
then look out!! Oh boy the questions I can see coming out of
me then LMAO... Thank's again P-S Rooster?? I have to confess,
anything "Out of the city" is interesting & fantastic to me.

[62chevy]

Larry you are going to have a barrel of fun casting and then figuring out what is good and what is not good and some times not good is okay to shoot. Remember fit is king and hardness matters when it matters.