Hole Punches

[RussB]

Where can I find a decient hole punch at an affordable price.
I have a couple of punches I use for BP shooting. One is a .457, the other is a .459 I got these from ??? somewhere in Idaho, a few years back and they work fine.
However, they are about $20+ each. And I don't use them for anything but my 45-70 cartridge rifle.
I'm thinking there muct be a commerical source available for things like a .495, .540, .578, .670, etc, etc, for wads in some of my ML rifles.
McMaster Carr has some punches at a very reasonable price, but nothing anwhere near the sizes I'm looking for. Albeit a 1/2" may work fine in a .50 cal.
Anyone using "wads" that hasn't paid an arm and a leg for their punches?
I do cut / mangle some once in a while, when I feel I just gotta try something new. But there has got to be a better way!
Would love to hear of a source.
Thanks, Russ

 

[cayugad]

Russ this is where I bought one set of Hollow Hole Punches. I also bought a set somewhere else on line but was not impressed with their quality and deleted the site.

Then when I was out looking through a store common here called Northern Merchandise which is a handyman everything you like to play with store at cheap prices... they had a set so I bought them. I think they were a whole $1.95 for a set.... ::

When I make wads for the .50 caliber I use a 1/2 inch punch and a 9/16th for the .54 caliber. Actually a little bigger then the bore works better. I make them out of the felt insulation that is used around door and windows. You get it at the hardware store. Then I bore butter them. Sometimes it works better if you use two of them. For the price I can make them for I do not mind...

hope this is what you were looking for...

Harbor Freight Hollow Hole Punch

 

[RussB]

Very Good Cayugad! We do have a Harbor Freight in Olympia, WA...roughly 45 mile from me. Boy! That makes me feel much better!
I'm going to browse around a bit on their web page, I would guess I can order right off the page....
Good show.
Many thanks, Russ

 

Russ,

I thought I saw you were a gunsmith in an earlier post. Can you make one on a lathe? When I want a punch, I take a piece of O1 rod and drill it close, bore to desired size, relieve a hole in the side to drive out the wads, then heat treat. I have made a few this way and since my time's not worth much, it's easy to spend it on tools for myself :crackup:

 

[cayugad]

I am sure glad we do not have a Harbor Freight close by where I live... my pocket book could never take the strain.

 

[RussB]

Russ,

I thought I saw you were a gunsmith in an earlier post. Can you make one on a lathe? When I want a punch, I take a piece of O1 rod and drill it close, bore to desired size, relieve a hole in the side to drive out the wads, then heat treat. I have made a few this way and since my time's not worth much, it's easy to spend it on tools for myself :crackup:

Anvil...You are absolutely right....I "were" a gunsmith. And, Yes, I could probably turn one out in in a fairly short time if I still had a lathe, or even a mill.
When I retired, I sold just about everything in the shop that would sell. I did keep my buffing wheels, one set of bluing tanks, a small drill press, a few parts, and all the stock blanks I had accumulated over the years, mostly because they didn't want these items, and I couldn't sell them in the classified adds.
I still have my hand tools, and I still occasionally turn out a stock....without a mill....all by hand.
I do have to wonder, even if I had the tools, if I could beat $10 or $15 for five or six punches. Not that my time was ever worth all that much either, and it certainly ain't worth much since I retired.
I am lucky enough to still have access to a lathe on occasion, and it may be that I have to make a few to get the sizes I want. Even with the price of bar stock nowadays, and the "rental fee" I would be obligated to pay on the lathe, I would probably be ahead of the game, dollar wise.
You are right, if you have the means to do it yourself, do it.
BTW: what kind of price would quote me on five of the "right" size punches?
Russ

 

Russ,

Shoot me a note offline and tell me what sizes you want. I've got some large drill rod floating around in odd sizes - maybe this will be a new business for me ::...Anvil

 

[RussB]

Anvil...Check your PM.
Russ

 

Russ...I sent you a response.

 

[Zonie]

Anvil: If I was designing them, I wouldn't use something fancy like O1 or O2. I think 1018 or 1020 would work fine if you case hardened the cutting surfaces.

 

Zonie,

I agree and need to do a little research to see what conventional manufacturers are using. Simple carbon steels are usually employed for these kinds of tools. 4140 might be just fine and is easily obtainable.