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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A meeting of two rivers...

The Hawkesbury River Bullet Company comes to The Hunter Valley.

ARTICLE SOURCE: Paul Jones, Guns Australia July/September 2001

When I took up pistol shooting back in the mid-1960's, options for reloading were really limited. Yes, we could buy some powders, primers etc, but we were limited in project availability.

Most of us opted to buy a mould and then become scrap metal merchants in order to procure supplies of lead or wheel weights or if you were really lucky, linotype material. Then what followed was many hours of sitting over a hot lead pot, breathing lead fumes to cast projectiles for your next shoot. Of course we had to size and lubricate our product as well.

Some years later, the “winds of change” blew in and we suddenly found that commercial manufacturers have stepped in to fill the cast projectile void in this country and begin to offer economically viable alternatives to home cast projectiles without the hassles of chasing scrap metal, the occupational health issue of lead, and expenditure of time.

One such commercial operation which entered the market and supplied cast lead projectiles was Hawkesbury River Bullet Company (HRBC), and Australian shooter, particularly those who reload handguns, will be familiar with the hard cast “lead” projects that have been manufactured under this brand name.

This company has been around many years and until 2007 was originally located in the Kirrawee region of New South Wales. Mr Ken Woods, owner of the business passed away around that time, and manufacturing of the cast lead projectiles was ceased.

Drew Kelvin of PC Projectiles was approached by the executors of Ken Wood’s estate, seeking expression of interest to purchase the Hawkesbury River Bullet Company’s equipment. Mr Kelvin not only purchased the equipment, but also the business name, thus injecting renewed life into a well-respected brand of cast projectiles. Drew relocated the equipment to site in the lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, and the production of the cast projectiles bearing the Hawkesbury River Bullet Company name recommenced in late 2008.

I was fortunate recently, to be hosted by Drew and have the opportunity to inspect the Hawkesbury River Bullet Company’s operation.

HRBC employs three people on a full time basis, and this business benefits from the fact that all involved with this operation are shooters in their own right who understand the needs of their customers.

The key to the Hawkesbury River Bullet Company’s operation is in the metal used as feedstock for the process. This metal is purchased pre-alloyed in ingot form from a supplier whose operation is certified as complying to the ISO9001:2008 Quality Management Standard. This standard helps to ensure us, the customers, that the metal product supplied to HRBC meets consistent quality targets, all of the time, with no bath to batch variation.

The metal purchased by HRBC is a world standard bullet alloy consisting of small concentrations of tin, antimony with the balance of lead. All components come from virgin metal obtained direct for the mine and refinery and are not obtained from recovered scrap sources. All bullet alloy is provided with certificates of analyses and each ingot is traceable to its original production. For those with a metallurgical bent, the metal used by HRBC has a SAECO hardness of 7, which equates to around 16 Brinell.

HRBC’s bullet casting is a highly automated process. Nine casting machines, each with an hourly output capable of 8,000 projectiles, form the backbone of this part of the process. Each caster is fitted with 8 double-cavity moulds on a circular drum which is fitted below the electrically heated lead pot/reservoir. A cam device rotates the die wheel and the sequence follows the manual methods we have all probably carried out – filling, cooling, sprue cutting, projectile release, die closure etc. Sprue metal is returned to the melt pot by the operator who also regularly changes the ingot metal in the pot and material which may inadvertently fall onto the workshop floor is rejected and sent to scrap. This is NOT returned to the melting pot.

Currently, HRBC offers around 120 different projectile types/designs in calibres from .25 cal. through to .50 cal. to suit both handguns and rifles. While some bullet types offered by HRBC are “standard” designs, many have been designed by the current HRBC team who makes its die cutting cherries here in Australia. These are then sent to the USA to be used in the manufacture of moulds for HRBC by the company who markets the bullet casting machines used by HRBC. At around $2000 a set (8 x double cavity moulds) this represents a significant investment to produce such a large range of projectiles for our sport.

The range of projectile types and weight that is available from HRBC is really exceptional. As an example, pistol shooters who require hard cast projectiles for their .38 Special / .357 Magnum revolvers can choose from 32 different bullet weights and designs, while those who shoot the IPSC handgun matches and require projectiles for their 9mm or .38 Super pistols can select projectiles from 22 different weights and designs. Western Action shooters have been catered for as well, with a significant choice of designs and bullet weights. Given this amount of choice, most of us would be hard pressed to not find a projectile configuration that does not suit our needs.

The next stage in the operation involves bullet coating (lubricating). This is a proprietary step which produces the three dry coating marketed by HRBC. – Blackhawkes, Copperhawkes and Silverhawkes. Coating is a 3-stage process using proprietary phenolic. Hy-Tek resin coating. Each projectile receives three coats of a specified lubricant resin followed by oven curing after each coating pass. The resultant coating is uniform, and while providing the necessary lubricant when fired, it also offers some advantages that may not immediately come to mind. The hard coating provides some positives for occupational health concerns relating to lead. The coating helps to limit lead absorption by contact when handling during reloading, and also helps to minimise the production of lead vapour, particularly on indoor, enclosed firing ranges.

Blackhawkes is the name given to the company’s original signature product using a well proven Supercoat system. These projectiles are the backbone of the HRBC product line.

Copperhawkes use a special Hy-Tek super slippery performance coating containing copper as the name implies, and are designed for higher velocities.

Silverhawkes are coated with a clear coating and are manufactured to fill the needs of those shooting the nostalgic western action matches, where the look of yesteryear is part of the deal, and velocities are moderate.

The last step of the operation involves sizing of the projectiles. While HRBC offers projectiles in a “standard size” (refer to company literature), options to satisfy individual customer requirements are available upon request to sale@hrcb.com.au. For example, .38/.357 projectiles are normally sized for general sales to .357”, but they can be supplied for .358” (or other close to sizing) by arrangement with HRBC.

Currently, HRBC operate a small research development programme for their products. It is a major supplier to the Australian cast bullet market, and also supply markets in New Zealand. They are exploring markets in South East Asia and Europe.

Additionally, HRBC is working on its own application for certification under the ISO9001:2008 Quality Management Standard.

While Hawkesbury River Bullet Company is a small manufacturing company serving the local shooting fraternity, it is actively cementing its place in the cast bullet market. I have used the HRBC products over many years and recommend them. My impression of Hawkesbury River Bullet Company’s operation and products can be summarised in just a few words – QUALITY, CONSISTENCY, AFFORDABILITY and CUSTOMER SERVICE. In this day and age, what else can you ask for?