Need help with .308 Gas Check question..... :(

[10mmShooter]

Okay Guys who's the gas check expert ?

Just trying out my new NOE .311 155gn flat nose gas check bullet for my M1A, Its a good design, short shank for the .308 short neck should be good. Weights were right on average of 156 grains and they are dropping at .3115 so the mold is great, good job NOE.

Now the issue, I need to size to .311 for my M1A, so I'm sizing lubing and seating the gas check in my Lyman 4500. Good news it the gas checks are on solid on the bullet bases they are not going anywhere.

I'm placing the .30 Hornady gc on in the bullet base by hand
Next checking for squareness of the gc to bullet base
Place bullet w/gc in the sizing die, again checking for squareness
Gently pulling the handle down as to not deform the bullet
Then raise handle and out pops a perfectly .311 sized and gas checked bullet...but I cant keep the lube out of the gas check shank??

Any suggestion or ideas welcome....I guess the lube really doesnt hurt anything.

But how do I get the lube to stay out of the gas check shank area ???

Note the bullet in the photo is a reject due to the porosity at the top of nose, so I was using it for lubing and gas checking pratice...

All gc'd and lube they are weighing in at 160.5 grains :)


61265

[.30/30 Guy]

I take special efforts to get lube in the gas check shank area. Just shoot them - they are fine.

[Tatume]

+1 Why would you want to keep lube out? Think of that space as an extra lube groove. The more the merrier!

[10mmShooter]

wow, you guys are right never thought of that, I guess if I hadnt mentioned it everyone would have assumed that the mold has two lube groves :) thanks

[BruceB]

Don't worry about it.

Some of my bullets have lube on a gas-check shank at least twice as wide as this one of yours.....311413, for example, has a WIDE shank which exposes at least twice as much lube as yours. I just consider it to be another lube groove, and it's a BENEFIT to my bullet/barrel. A condition such as this has no bad effect on my loads.

If you're worrying about powder exposure to this lube from deep-seating, just add a tiny pinch of dacron under the base to isolate the lube from the powder. It shouldn't be needed, though, unless in EXTREME hot conditions...and I live in Nevada desert without ill effect from such lube exposure.

[10mmShooter]

Thanks Bruce,

I know you are the expert on casting .308 for the M1a, as you can see that NOE mold is short, so deep seating wont be necessary, I'm seating to 2.605 and will be able to stay within the case neck. I'm gonna start at 27 grains of IMR 4895 and try one grain increments up to 30 grains max...I want to find the sweet spot to get the M1a to cycle correctly I'm thinkg 27-30 grains of IMR 4895 will yield 1750-1950 fps. Dont really wont to push over 2000 with lead, my alloy is not hard enought for that, I'm only using Lyman #2. Bruce any suggestions would be appreecaited I know you have been down this road already.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

looks good to me shoot um