I originally posed a question here Neal Waltz die, Paco Kelly acu'rzr, D Rock tool about these resizing tools and results of using them - if anyone is using them.
A fine gentleman passed his Paco Kelly Acu'rzr tool to me, and I had an oppurtunity to use it and produce a bit of a range report.
The principle of the Paco Acu'rzr tool is to resize the diameter of the bullet and change the nose of the bullet for better flight and increased accuracy. According to advertising and others, the claim is that group size is reduced / accuracy is increased using the tool on "bulk type cheap ammo".
There are four components, the main tool that houses the ammo and 3 rods that shape / resize the bullet inside the tool. I used a rubber mallet so as not to have too sharp of a blow to the brass rods and deform them, and I also added a flat smooth piece of aluminum to provide a "hard" surface to put the tool on. Safety glasses should be used.
The main tool (housing) has two sides, one for each resizing to .223 / .224 diameter (Top view).
Top view of the main tool and the three rods. My camera cannot take that good of close up, so I drew what the rods look like on the business end. From left to right is the Acu'rzr (dish type concave nose), Nastinose or phase III (more of a traditional hollowpoint), Scorpion or phase IV (a large dish type hollowpoint with a center post).
Operation is simple, insert (may have to tap in with mallet or push the rest of the way into the tool against a hard surface) ammo.
Place on a hard, flat, smooth surface, make sure the round is fully inserted, insert rod from the top and strike.
To remove ammo, pick up tool, lightly tap on the rod, the ammo pops out. The ammo may stick to the Scorpion rod as it is a more complex nose design.
I put the tool to a test using CCI Blazer ammo, as it was the only "cheap bulk" ammo I had on hand. The Blazers shoot rather well in their own right, so perhaps not the best candidate to see a major difference, but again it is what I had on hand and should give some result to pursue using it on other cheap ammo.
I first micrometered the unresized bullet diameters of the blazers, which actually ranged from .221 to .222 diameter the most being .221, next highest .2215, and finally .222. The diameters were checked at the beginning, middle, and end (where it meets the casing) of the driving band.
When the ammo was processed through the Paco Acu'rzr through the advertised <span style="font-weight: bold">.223 side</span>:
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Acu'rzr rod</span> - Actually changed the bullet diameter to a consistant .221 from the front to the end of the driving band. All grooves were made smooth and the bullet was flush with the casing.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Nastinose rod</span> - To see any difference in the bullet diameter, the rod had to be struck strongly - leading to cause major deformation of the hollowpoint and actually caused the bullet to be bent to one side. A lighter strike to the rod produced no change in bullet diameter, but a very uniform hollowpoint. Slight change to the nose cone to allow for the HP space, but the change was uniform with a light strike.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Scorpion rod</span> - Same as the Nastinose.
When the ammo was processed through the Paco Acu'rzr through the advertised <span style="font-weight: bold">.224 side</span>:
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Acu'rzr rod </span> - Created a more tapered driving band, from .2215 to .224 (and sometimes .225). Visibly looked as though the lead had been scraped or "mushed" around the case area. Alighter strike to the rod still created the taper, but was less consistant diameter wise as the heavier struck ammo.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Nastinose rod</span> - Much like the .223 side, lighter strikes produced a better uniform HP, heavy strikes really caused major deformations. Light strikes produce no diameter change.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Scorpion rod</span> - Same as with the Nastinose, heavy strikes deformed bullet, HOWEVER in contrast lighter strikes did expand diameter to .224 and sometimes .225.
First thoughts: after resizing 65+ rounds - it appears you have to have a "knack for the whack" when striking the rods. Either you severly deform the entire head making it unsuitable to shoot, or not a heavy enough of a strike doesn't make the larger diameter. To me it appeared the most consistant nose shaping went to the nastinose rod, and the most consistant bullet diameter maker was the Acu'rzr rod. Also would like to note that bullets before resizing did not twist / spin in the case with hand pressure, yet most did spin after processing. There's no real "stop" to regulate the amount of force / pressure you are applying to the rod and IMO too many variables for a consistant result - BUT rimfires sometime contridict what one thinks what makes sence we'll see what happens on paper.
One quick note before range results, I also checked the rim thickness before and after the resizing. Heavier strikes to the rod make the rim thickness shrink slightly, sometimes up to a full thousand of an inch, and for the most part to a consistant .038. The range of rim thickness before being struck ranged from .038 to .0395. So I believe that the rims are getting "squished" slightly with the heavier strikes, lighter struck ammo had no rim thickness differences.
Now for some results.....
A fine gentleman passed his Paco Kelly Acu'rzr tool to me, and I had an oppurtunity to use it and produce a bit of a range report.
The principle of the Paco Acu'rzr tool is to resize the diameter of the bullet and change the nose of the bullet for better flight and increased accuracy. According to advertising and others, the claim is that group size is reduced / accuracy is increased using the tool on "bulk type cheap ammo".
There are four components, the main tool that houses the ammo and 3 rods that shape / resize the bullet inside the tool. I used a rubber mallet so as not to have too sharp of a blow to the brass rods and deform them, and I also added a flat smooth piece of aluminum to provide a "hard" surface to put the tool on. Safety glasses should be used.
The main tool (housing) has two sides, one for each resizing to .223 / .224 diameter (Top view).
Top view of the main tool and the three rods. My camera cannot take that good of close up, so I drew what the rods look like on the business end. From left to right is the Acu'rzr (dish type concave nose), Nastinose or phase III (more of a traditional hollowpoint), Scorpion or phase IV (a large dish type hollowpoint with a center post).
Operation is simple, insert (may have to tap in with mallet or push the rest of the way into the tool against a hard surface) ammo.
Place on a hard, flat, smooth surface, make sure the round is fully inserted, insert rod from the top and strike.
To remove ammo, pick up tool, lightly tap on the rod, the ammo pops out. The ammo may stick to the Scorpion rod as it is a more complex nose design.
I put the tool to a test using CCI Blazer ammo, as it was the only "cheap bulk" ammo I had on hand. The Blazers shoot rather well in their own right, so perhaps not the best candidate to see a major difference, but again it is what I had on hand and should give some result to pursue using it on other cheap ammo.
I first micrometered the unresized bullet diameters of the blazers, which actually ranged from .221 to .222 diameter the most being .221, next highest .2215, and finally .222. The diameters were checked at the beginning, middle, and end (where it meets the casing) of the driving band.
When the ammo was processed through the Paco Acu'rzr through the advertised <span style="font-weight: bold">.223 side</span>:
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Acu'rzr rod</span> - Actually changed the bullet diameter to a consistant .221 from the front to the end of the driving band. All grooves were made smooth and the bullet was flush with the casing.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Nastinose rod</span> - To see any difference in the bullet diameter, the rod had to be struck strongly - leading to cause major deformation of the hollowpoint and actually caused the bullet to be bent to one side. A lighter strike to the rod produced no change in bullet diameter, but a very uniform hollowpoint. Slight change to the nose cone to allow for the HP space, but the change was uniform with a light strike.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Scorpion rod</span> - Same as the Nastinose.
When the ammo was processed through the Paco Acu'rzr through the advertised <span style="font-weight: bold">.224 side</span>:
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Acu'rzr rod </span> - Created a more tapered driving band, from .2215 to .224 (and sometimes .225). Visibly looked as though the lead had been scraped or "mushed" around the case area. Alighter strike to the rod still created the taper, but was less consistant diameter wise as the heavier struck ammo.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Nastinose rod</span> - Much like the .223 side, lighter strikes produced a better uniform HP, heavy strikes really caused major deformations. Light strikes produce no diameter change.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Scorpion rod</span> - Same as with the Nastinose, heavy strikes deformed bullet, HOWEVER in contrast lighter strikes did expand diameter to .224 and sometimes .225.
First thoughts: after resizing 65+ rounds - it appears you have to have a "knack for the whack" when striking the rods. Either you severly deform the entire head making it unsuitable to shoot, or not a heavy enough of a strike doesn't make the larger diameter. To me it appeared the most consistant nose shaping went to the nastinose rod, and the most consistant bullet diameter maker was the Acu'rzr rod. Also would like to note that bullets before resizing did not twist / spin in the case with hand pressure, yet most did spin after processing. There's no real "stop" to regulate the amount of force / pressure you are applying to the rod and IMO too many variables for a consistant result - BUT rimfires sometime contridict what one thinks what makes sence we'll see what happens on paper.
One quick note before range results, I also checked the rim thickness before and after the resizing. Heavier strikes to the rod make the rim thickness shrink slightly, sometimes up to a full thousand of an inch, and for the most part to a consistant .038. The range of rim thickness before being struck ranged from .038 to .0395. So I believe that the rims are getting "squished" slightly with the heavier strikes, lighter struck ammo had no rim thickness differences.
Now for some results.....
