Interesting bullet observation

jonk

September 20, 2002 19:12

Awhile back I bought a lot of 1000 FMJ lead core bullets cheap, pulled. 147gr. Recently I noticed that most can be picked up by a magnet, about 80%. I thought perhaps they were AP. So I cut a few open. Lo and behold, they were both lead core. In fact, the jacket itself, though copper in appearence, must have a lot of iron in it as the magnet picked it up even after I melted the lead out of the bullet pieces. This could account for Wolf and others listing bullets as "lead core" though they are magnetic. I don't know if the jackets are bimetal layers or alloy or what but I have never seen this in commercial ammo. Anyone else discover this?

"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf

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  leeblackman

  September 20, 2002 23:29

  Sounds pretty common to me if they are mil surplus. More than likely its just a soft steel aloy. Remember they were trying to make that ammo as cheap as possible, and copper isn't the cheapest of metals.
  
  If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.
  
  The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

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  Iconoclast

  September 21, 2002 04:31

  Jon,
  
  In cartridge collecting, "GMCS" is an awful common abbreviation: gilding (sp?) metal clad steel. The US has done this at times, but we are about the only nation which doesn't do it routinely in military ammo. You didn't indicate it, but if these were of SovBloc or Red Chinese origin, mfg sources & methods are essentially one & the same, so regardless of whether they were pulled from military or commercial ammo, they would be GMCS & will definitely react to a magnet.

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  allen griggs

  September 21, 2002 04:33

  This sounds just like the milsurp ammo I have for the Mosin-Nagant. Made in Russia, it is called copper washed. Same weight slug. It is primarily lead with a very thin steel jacket which is copper plated or, "copper washed". On mine the case is copper washed steel also. It has the appearance not of pure copper like a penny but slightly faded copper.

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  v35

  September 23, 2002 20:28

  Cases and bullets are made of deep drawn steel. Cases are lacquered to prevent rusting and bullets have a thin copper or brass plating to both resist corrosion and serve as a lubricant in the bore.
  I believe the Germans were the first to develop non-strategic steel 9mm ammo during WW2. The U.S. also made 45ACP cases in steel.
  After the war the Russkys moved entire German plants to Russia along with the people who ran them. I believe the steel small arms ammo manufacturing technology developed from this.

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