Recently I located an old 2 piece box of 22 LR cartridges. Most all the writing on the box was gone but I could barely make out "UMC" on the bottom edge. I pulled one of the bullets and they are b.p. cartridges.  

As the pic shows, the lube was dried out and there is some tarnishng of the copper case. Thankfully, they will clean up ok. I used a toothbrush to clean off the dry lube and a bore brush to clean off the cartridge case. I then relubed with SPG. Hopefully the priming compound still has some life left. 
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Well.......tried to fire a couple of the original UMC .22 b.p. cartridges yesterday, but click, click....priming compound is "deader than a doornail". I wasn't totally surprised, just a bit disappointed. 

So......I spent a couple of hours cleaning and pulling bullets and powder from the UMC cartridges. Thankfully the case was not crimped into the bullet heel so the heel was not distorted in the process. 
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Bullet diameter .225" 
factory compression: .035" 

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After loading the 4.5 grs. of the original powder into Armscor cases, I seated the U.M.C. bullets with a Lyman H&I .225 die. 

10 loaded and ready to go 
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Had a chance to shoot 10 of the assembled b.p. cartridges yesterday at my clubs 50 ft. indoor range since the weather wasn't too good outdoors and I was anxious to test them. 

I was very pleased with the results
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As Jackie Gleason would say "How sweet it is!"   
w44wcf

Quote:


w44wcf,

What granulation of Swiss b.p. have you been using?

A very interesting experiment. Thanks for posting it. 
BP

w44wcf, see if you can locate a Lyman/Ideal 225438 mould.  It's for a 44 gr. gas check round nose with two grease grooves and a crimping groove.  Use it without a gas check as a heel-base bullet.   

David

You're way nuttier than I am JB!         


                 Joe.

You need to have your camera ready!   


                Joe.

I'd like to know where you guys get those empty 22LR cases, and the molds to make the bullets too.  Been wanting to try reloading for a rimfire for a while, but haven't been able to find the components, maybe that's why I never won any matches shooting small bore...

A blurb I put on the SASS Wire as an inducement and my current status:
I'm not alone in the 'Resurrection Venture'!
My good friend, John Kort (w44wcf) is a devoted old loaded ammunition historian.  He is the Instigator! 
The Venture Begins:
* Found a ammo supplier website that was selling in a box, 5000 (yes 5,000) new empty primed 22LR brass.  Ordered a box and so did some other fellas.  The last of the only 5 boxes in the USofA are now in the hands of the other 4 fellas
* John Kort did a schematic drawing of the original 40gr UMC bullet.  Got in contact with David Mos who agreed to cut single or double cavity molds if we could get a minimum order together.  Done deal ... I will have a 2x cavity mold in approximately 3 - 5 weeks. These Mos molds will be the among the very few 22LR molds ever made and the only ones based on an original bullet of the era.  In the meantime, pulling Wolf heads

* Next search was to find a seating die or a blank that could be reamed to 22LR.  Called Dave Davidson, owner of CH4D.  He said he made a small run of 22LR seating dies about 5 years ago.  Went into the shop and told me ... I have 1 left!  Bingo!  It even came with a shell holder.  So, I lucked out and don't have to make a custom die and shell holder ... to date, the last remaining commercial 22LR seating die and shell holder in the USofA
... continued: out of characters

lee told me they will modify a 17 cal cf factory crimp die to crimp 22lr cases.i spoke with veril at lbt he will make 22rf heeled spitizer moulds what ever gr. weight you want. try subsonic loads less wind drift plus spitzer better b.c.  jon