The D-Rock
Bullet Modifi cation System - Part 1 Steve Boelter
D-Rock Kit
some friends, where we were discussing the different types of varmint hunting with .22 LR rimfi re rifl es out here on the west coast. In some areas, like central California, the fi elds would be over- fl owing with ground squirrels running everywhere, and you’d spend just as much time loading magazines as you do shooting at the critters. On hunts like this, you’re shooting multiple bricks of rimfi re ammunition in a single day. If you move up into the hills, you’ll fi nd them hiding in tall grass and visible only for a few moments sitting on a rock or scampering across a clearing. The shoot- ing is much slower in these areas, and there’s a bit more stalking involved. In the hills, each shot counts and
T
it’s best to anchor the squirrels right there, rather than letting them slip away into the tall grass. For this kind of hunting, I prefer to use a single-shot rifl e and ammunition that really shines. To improve the performance of rimfi re ammunition, I had experimented in the past with a few basic bullet modifi cation tools, but results were inconsistent, and a few of them did more damage than improvement to the bullets. Since that time I had given up on this approach until I spotted some comments online about a newly designed tool called the D-Rock Bullet Modifi cation System.
he idea for this article came together over dinner with
Looking further into this new
forming tool, I spoke with Derek Thorn- ton, owner of Thornton Rimfi re Innova- tions, and asked him to send over one of these D-Rock tools for testing. From what I gathered during our discussion, the system uses the leverage from a simple half-ton arbor press to push different bullet modifi cation punches through the die and into the bullet’s nose. This allows the shooter to enlarge and deepen hollow-point bullets, create fl at-nose bullets from standard round- nose profi les, and use other punches for a range of combinations to suit various hunting and shooting needs. I was thinking that if this tool
improved the terminal results and was still safe and easy to use, it would be just the thing for one-shot opportunities on elusive squirrels out in the fi eld. THE D-ROCK SYSTEM
Opening up the small box I re-
ceived in the mail, right away I noticed how well the D-Rock Bullet Modifi ca- tion System parts were machined. Made from 18-8 stainless steel, the fi t and fi n- ish of the kit is far superior to the other bullet modifi ers on the market. The kit consists of a body die to support the loaded round, a guide collar for the punch, an assortment of punches, and a few locking collars to set the depth. Understanding that this should be obvi- ous, you must wear safety glasses when
Body die with round fully seated
working with a tool like this. To start, insert a round into the
bottom of the body die by hand, then gently seat the case rim flush to the bottom of the die. There is about 0.063 inch in depth of space to accommodate the case rim. The inside diameter of the body die is 0.225 inch, and for some of the sporting ammunition it’s a snug fi t. You can use the press for a little leverage to seat the round. The body die com-
Ready to use in an arbor press
www.varminthunter.org Page 49
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