Headstamp bunters? What's a headstamp bunter, and what can I do with it?
Well, a headstamp bunter is a small, hardened piece of tool steel that goes, as you might have guessed, in a bunting machine. Bet you're glad you read this far.
When a case is being made, it's drawn to it's final draw length, with the diameter being slightly smaller than needed. At this point in it's life, the head of the draw is slightly rounded, and there are no provisions for a primer. So the final drawn cases are trimmed to length, then run into the head bunter. A punch, ground to the intended contours for the inside of the case, pushes the draw into a cylindrical die and holds it in place while another punch rams into the case from the other end, mashing the bottom flat. That secondary ram holds the headstamp bunter punch.
The headstamp bunter punch has a protrusion on the end to make the primer pocket, and has raised lettering around the face to form the headstamp writing. This is, of course, all a mirror image of the finished case head. Small cases, such as 5.56mm, can be headed with a single strike. Larger cases, like 7.62mm and 50 caliber, need to be struck once to form a dent for the primer pocket, then a second strike to finish the pocket, flatten the head, and imprint the writing. This second strike works the brass to harden it so it will support the pressure of firing.
As for the question, "what can you do with it?", these tools are really good for sitting on your reloading bench and attracting the attention of curious visitors. You can impress your buddies with your vast knowledge when you explain to them what it is. After you get tired of all the questions, simply put the thing in a drawer. Beyond that, unless you intend to make cartridge cases from scratch, there really isn't much use for them. But they do look neat, it's something that most reloaders don't have, and it probably cost the Government hundreds of our dollars.
We have these available in both 5.56mm and 7.62mm, with various years. 7.62mm cases are also available with the NATO headstamp with the NATO thingy, arsenal designation and year at 120 degrees, and the non-NATO conforming headstamp with arsenal designation and year at 90 degree segments. For 7.62mm, we also have the bunters for the first strike, that form the initial pocket.
Note the reversed imprint of the headstamp.
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