seating depth of gc cast

[neerb]

:roll: : Should the boolit be seated with the gas check in the neck in a bottle-neck rifle cartridge? I am getting three different answers from other loaders

[Buckshot]

...............Well my friend, theory is that to seat the GC below the neck could possibly have it become stripped off at firing. Or if seated deeper the exposed lead above it being in the combustion chamber could also be damaged at firing. I say theory as in some cases (no pun intended) it is done because it HAS to be, and there is no apparent problem. Or if there is the person doing the shooting is satisfied with the result.

http://www.fototime.com/7CDE83313F86D5F/standard.jpg

As you can see above, with the Lyman 311284 loaded in the 7.62x39 the GC and a goodly part of the boolit is well inside the case. Yet my rifle shoots these exceedingly well. It's not my desire but it is required in this instance. All I can say is that for me I like to see the boolit engrave, so I normally seat them out as a rule anyway.

If you have the option I would not seat the slug so deep as to palce the GC below the neck. If you have no choice, then all you can do is to try it and see how it works. You won't blow anything up by trying and then you'll know for a fact yourself whether it's worthwhile or not.

...............Buckshot

[44man]

I see no problems doing it as long as the check fits tight and is crimped properly. I do it all the time.
If checks are loose I would work on the mold to correct it. Some molds are not right and you can spin a check or peel it off with a fingernail, just fix it.
Some are so bad you get two holes in a target, one from the boolit and one from the check, I would NOT seat those below the neck, let alone what it does to accuracy.

[KCSO]

The most accurate load in my K31 was seated below the neck. This load shot under 1" with a scope from the bench. If you use crimp on gas checks you will not have a problem. BUT with the older Lyman checks they would tend to strip off and I have found a singed check lurking in the bottom of a fired case. I have pulled a large number of loaded rounds with the crimp ons and have yet to have a check strip off in the case. So the final answere is yes and no, depends on what you are using for a check.

[NVcurmudgeon]

I don't believe that seating the gas check below the shoulder of the case has any adverse effect on accuracy, or at least in my milsurp and factory hunting rifles. I always use crimp-on gas checks. If they don't fit, the GC are corrected by annealing to be sure that they stay on.

[mike in co]

my chronograph skyscreens have a series of nice round marks from flying gc's. it was load development with a single boolit, but ever since have keep the gas check in the neck.

just one guys idea...

[Larry Gibson]

:roll: : Should the boolit be seated with the gas check in the neck in a bottle-neck rifle cartridge? I am getting three different answers from other loaders

Kind of depends; as always there are cases where it is detrimental and cases where it is not. I try not to seat any cast bullet below the case neck as a normal practice. There is an article by C.E. Harris in the NRA Cast Bullets Supplement #1 that explains what can happen with deep seated GC bullets. It is on page 23 in mine. I also had access to a crime lab bullet recovery trap years ago and proved the same gas cutting and GC loss with some loads. The artricle has photos.

Larry Gibson