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View Full Version : Filler up, or not?



XWrench3
01-13-2013, 07:02 PM
I have been loading for quite a while now, with both "J's and cast boolits. but i have only tinkered with fillers here and there. mostly what i have used is Dacron poly fill. because my fingers, like a lot of things on this 3/4+ worn out chassis no longer work the way they should, i have been thinking about something like cream of wheat, or maybe oatmeal (since i have a big box of it already). i have a few questions about them. i use fillers mostly in my 45/70 and 300 win mag. both have fairly large capacity cases, and i do not always need to push a bullet out like a screaming banshee just to kill paper. when it comes to meat, that is a different story. first, with the poly fill, can you put to much of it in there. second, will the cereal leave any kind of residue i need to worry about in the bore? i have shot some corn biscuit powder while fire forming cases, but there was no bullet or boolit running thru the bore. and i cleaned it immediately after returning home. third, do i need to worry about the cereal mixing into the boolit lube (as it scrapes down the barrel) and making some sort of abrasive paste? fourth, when using cereal, how much do i use? do i want it to touch the base of the boolit? and finally, since the cereal will weigh more than the poly fill, do i need to add the weight of that into the weight of the boolit? lot of questions for an old duffer. but when you have little experience in something, the best thing to do is ask questions. thanx in advance!

mpmarty
01-13-2013, 07:05 PM
Do you use milk and sugar with the oatmeal?

geargnasher
01-13-2013, 10:13 PM
I have been loading for quite a while now, with both "J's and cast boolits. but i have only tinkered with fillers here and there. mostly what i have used is Dacron poly fill. because my fingers, like a lot of things on this 3/4+ worn out chassis no longer work the way they should, i have been thinking about something like cream of wheat, or maybe oatmeal (since i have a big box of it already). i have a few questions about them. i use fillers mostly in my 45/70 and 300 win mag. both have fairly large capacity cases, and i do not always need to push a bullet out like a screaming banshee just to kill paper. when it comes to meat, that is a different story. first, with the poly fill, can you put to much of it in there. Yes you can. Use only enough to be slightly more dense than it's "natural" loft, only enough to hold the powder column in place, and you MUST loft it up as you poke it through the neck (straight end of an allen wrench works great) so it completely fills the space between powder column and boolit. second, will the cereal leave any kind of residue i need to worry about in the bore? Nope, it shoots clean as a whistle. HOWEVER, the cereal fillers have a huge and dangerous disadvantage, particularly in damp climates and with bottlenecked cartridges in that they will set up solid as a rock and make pressure go through the roof when fired. Dacron doesn't raise pressure much at all, but any solid granular filler with some mass and resistance to being squeezed through an orifice WILL raise pressure significantly, so that must be taken into account with load development. i have shot some corn biscuit powder while fire forming cases, but there was no bullet or boolit running thru the bore. and i cleaned it immediately after returning home. third, do i need to worry about the cereal mixing into the boolit lube (as it scrapes down the barrel) and making some sort of abrasive paste? No. fourth, when using cereal, how much do i use? That is a little beyond the scope of what I'd like to get into right now, and the advise will be different for each cartridge, powder, and load combo. do i want it to touch the base of the boolit? You will want ANY type of filler or buffer used to touch the base of the boolit, or it will mix with the powder at best and ring your chamber at worst. and finally, since the cereal will weigh more than the poly fill, do i need to add the weight of that into the weight of the boolit? Like I said above, it will raise pressure not only through the added dead weight, but through the act of being crammed through a small hole. This can be used to our advantage in bottlenecked cases, or it can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. In straight-walled cases, granular fillers/buffers don't increase pressure quite so drastically, but still add weight and change powder burn characteristics by physically reducing case capacity. lot of questions for an old duffer. but when you have little experience in something, the best thing to do is ask questions. thanx in advance!

If you have little experience with fillers/buffers, I'd just use Dacron, and only if you really need it, which most of the time you don't if you choose the right powder. There is a sticky thread here somewhere, I think it's in the powder subforum, that explains the proper use of Dacron very well.

Hope this helps,

Gear

Larry Gibson
01-14-2013, 09:18 AM
The sticky is; http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?109280-The-proper-use-of-fillers

Larry Gibson