Stovetop gas checking -- I might be on to something!

[earlmck]

A few days ago on another thread I mentioned I was busy gas checking bullets I'd cast up that day, and one of them was a hard fit but I had tried putting the checks on top of the wood stove and that helped a lot.

So yesterday I got a new mold in the mail -- Lee 2-cavity for 32 Special. Fired up the bullet pot today (great task for a day with snow falling steady and temp hovering around 19). Popped out a nice little batch of these, enough to try and see if my old sewer-pipe looking bore will shoot a casty (it shoots jacketed just fine). Sit down at the table to gas-check them and dang if I don't have another mold that makes a bullet that is a bit too tight in the buttocks.

Out onto the wood stove with the checks:

StovetopGasCheck7303.jpg

And here are a handful of mostly checked bullets.

StovetopGasCheck7305.jpg

This goes a lot better, pressing a cool bullet into a hot check. And if you didn't have a wood stove handy then I suppose an old hot plate -- or one of those electric griddles -- would do a fine job and the fellow doing the checking might not get as overheated.

Most of my gas check molds don't give me this problem. And I was going to say that all my too danged tight a fit bullets are from Lee molds, but then I remembered that I have a 45 cal pistol bullet with a gas check style that is a bugger to get the checks on, and it is an elderly Lyman mold. Next time I do that one (it makes a nice light load in the 454 Rossi rifle) I'll use the "hot check" method and make my life easier. Previously I've had to start those checks using the Lyman bullet size machine, but that is a lot slower go than just pressing them on by finger.

[Rusty]

Nice to know Earl. Thank you!

[piller]

Seems reasonable to me. Metals become easier to bend or work with when warmed. The type of metal makes a lot of difference. There has to be a temperature range where it works best.

[M. M. Wright]

Sorta like putting wrist pins into connecting rods huh?

I put some gas checks on some 300 grain .459s yesterday but I could put most of them on with just pressing down on the bench but a couple wanted a trip to the arbor press before I put them through the sizer/luber. Next time I'll try your method if I have some tight ones.

[mikld]

Thanks Earl. I have a mold (Ranch Dog 265 gr. RNFP w/gas check) that's a bit tight for the checks I have (Hornady). I'll try heating them on my hot plate next batch!

[Shasta]

I never would have thought of heating them. That's a good tip. For the ones that fit tight, I have been using a Lyman gas check seater, a simple sleeve device that fits on the underside of the plunger on a bullet sizer:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/335653 ... eck-seater


Shasta

[Old No7]

Now that's what I call a "Hot Tip"!

Old No7

[Sixgun]

A guy who used to post here....Charles, from Texas always annealed his gas checks.

On the moulds that have, as Earl says, "fat buttocks", I make a little tool and just lightly tamp them to open them up. Some guys use steel ball bearings of various sizes....I've done that....works fast, but leaves a dimple in the middle of the check.

If you have a complete set of hole punchers, you can always find one that just fits inside the check...then give it a little whack.

I've noticed the newer Hornady checks appear to be slightly beveled for easier insertion.-----6

[Catshooter]

Good tip Earl, thanks.

I've gone to a different brand of checks sometimes.


Cat

[handirifle]

Nice tip. When I tried to GC my .458's cast from Lee molds, the GC's fall off, so I have the opposite issue.

[earlmck]

Nice tip. When I tried to GC my .458's cast from Lee molds, the GC's fall off, so I have the opposite issue.

Yeah, I also have a mold that is too loose. Mine is close enough that after going through the sizer the Hornady check holds on reasonably tightly, it just takes a little different technique so you get the check and the bullet to the size die together. If that's not the case with yours then I'd take the dremel polish tool to the mold and gently take out just a wee scosh of metal from that top 1/8" where the check needs to go. (I haven't done this to tighten up a gas check fit but I have done it to make a plain-base bullet out of a gas check design). As you might guess, it is real easy to overdo it here! Also I have only done this on Lyman iron molds, and don't know just how quick the polisher tool cuts aluminum.
Somebody here can probably address that...?

[Catshooter]

Handirifle,

I've heard of, but not tried, a drop of Super Glue on the check to make loose ones hand on.

Earl's idea is more permanent of course.


Cat