dropping hot cast bullets onto wet towel?

[randyrat]

I've been casting and dropping the bullets on a real damp towel and they sizzle is that messing up consisistancy, kinda like water dropping part of the bullet? I've been getting some good accuracy out of my bullets but 10% flyers (Humbling experience) I beleive everything else is consistant. I'll keep looking at my methods but i need to eliminate this one, it's madening:twisted:

[SharpsShooter]

Use a dry towel or drop them out of the mould straight into a bucket of water. One or the other. It sounds like you are doing a "half heat treatment" and it ain't gonna work. Also try not to drop em on one another. It will cause various dents and dings.


Ss

[leftiye]

Yeah, - What he said."

[beagle]

For years I used a 5 gallon bucket of cold water with a towel over it dipping down to the water. A hole about 2" in diameter was in the middle of the towel creating a funnel.

I had nothing but good results from these bullets. This method produces a good, water quenched bullet and eliminates any splash which I'm a bit leary of around a pot full of hot lead./beagle

[randyrat]

Thanks for the advice. I knew there was a sick in the mud somewhere. The stick in the mud was the sizzle i heard when i dropped the bullets on a wet towel and those dang flyers. I'll be happy to reduce my flyers in half, hopefully more.

[jack19512]

I haven't been casting very long and I sure don't know as much as most of the guys here but I drop them like you have been doing and I have had good luck with my cast bullets. I am working up a load for my Swiss K31 and here is my last target with 5 shot group. Distance was only 53 yards and sure isn't the best group , but like I said, I am just in the working up load process. I am open to suggestions from anyone that casts for the K31.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/jack19512/DCP01382.jpg

[AZ-Stew]

Sounds like a recipe for some experimentation...

Would this create the perfect varmint/big game bullet? One side shatters for explosive performance on varmints, while the other side mushrooms and penetrates deeply on big game?

Seems that you'd only have to clean the leading from one side of the barrel, where the softer part of the bullet passed.

Would gas checks tend to seat off-center due to one side of the bullet being softer than the other?

Who want's to volunteer to run these tests? (Sorry, I'm tied up right now working on Scandium/Lithium alloy bullets for hyper velocity and reduced recoil in S&Ws lightweight J-frames.)

Regards,

Stew
( :kidding: )

[jack19512]

Would gas checks tend to seat off-center due to one side of the bullet being softer than the other?







That's the only one I can help with. The gas checks seated fine. :-D

[madcaster]

Someone here,I think,mentioned using packing peanuts to keep the splashing of water to a minimum,and it is good advice.Also,use a sponge like you wash your car with to drop the bullets onto,thouroughly soaked and in a 5 gallon bucket of water.
Thanks to the person who helped me!
JS.

[Duckiller]

I drop boolits into a large flat box ie keyboard box. I may let sprues get harder than other people before I drop boolits out of mold but have had no dings or dents in boolits, at least none that I can see. I don't drop on to previously cast boolits. When then end of the box I am using gets too full I take a brief break and shake everything to the other end of box. When box gets too full to drop any more boolits its time to take a longer break, empty box and change mold.

[mag_01]

Nice shooting Jack ---- I have been using 3031 IMR with a 200gr. boolit and about 29grs. of 3031 -- Try varying the load a little to see if you can peak performance ---- 34grs. with a 160gr boolit both with gas checks --- You will start to see pressure signs with the 34gr. load. good shooting --- Mag

[Char-Gar]

Droping a hot cast bullet onto a wet towel isn't near as exciting as droping one down your boot top with you foot in it. Don't ask me how I know!

[jack19512]

Nice shooting Jack ---- I have been using 3031 IMR with a 200gr. boolit and about 29grs. of 3031 -- Try varying the load a little to see if you can peak performance ---- 34grs. with a 160gr boolit both with gas checks --- You will start to see pressure signs with the 34gr. load. good shooting --- Mag






Thanks. I am kind of new to reloading and very new to casting my own bullets. But I learn quick! :-D I just ordered me a chronograph and hope it will be here Monday.

So far from what I have cast and shot the 200 gr. bullets seem to be showing the best promise, but I have so much testing to do.

I have a 200 gr. mold, a 185 gr. mold, a 180 gr. mold and a 160 gr. mold. I seem to be turning out some really good bullets even though I drop them onto a wet folded up towel. [smilie=1:

I have some 3031 and I will try some with that powder. Thanks again.

[randyrat]

Would this create the perfect varmint/big game bullet? One side shatters for explosive performance on varmints, while the other side mushrooms and penetrates deeply on big game?

Seems that you'd only have to clean the leading from one side of the barrel, where the softer part of the bullet passed.

AZ STEW>>> Now thats Funny, I didn't realize what i discovered.

[jack19512]

Thanks for the advice. I knew there was a sick in the mud somewhere. The stick in the mud was the sizzle i heard when i dropped the bullets on a wet towel and those dang flyers. I'll be happy to reduce my flyers in half, hopefully more.




You get flyers with commercial ammo too. That's why some people weigh their ammo and measure rim thickness . Some people swear by it, I don't know. Now I don't know if commercial ammo manufacturers drop their ammo onto a wet towel or straight into a bucket of water :mrgreen: but I think you should look elsewhere for your flyer problem.

I have a flyer once in a while but generally it isn't a problem for me. Sometimes I even think the flyer was my fault. I recently purchased a digital scale and although I think I am pretty consistent when casting bullets I have weighed a lot of mine and find some variation in their weight. I hope you post your findings if you solve your problem. [smilie=s:

[jack19512]

I shot two more groups today, one five shot group and one 10 shot group. Still fine tuning my load. According to my range finder distance was 61 yards. If dropping cast bullets onto a wet towel hurts accuracy or causes flyers I don't think you can prove it to me. I wonder if a deer could tell which side killed him, the soft side or the hard side. :mrgreen: By the way, saw a nice deer as I was traveling to my range today, a nice doe. :-D

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/jack19512/5shotgroup.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/jack19512/10shotgroup.jpg

[jack19512]

Got my chronograph today and took it with me shooting. This is my first chronograph and I had fun using it. Learned some things I wouldn't have known otherwise without it.

In the 5 shot group posted above the velocity of the bullets were 1439 fps, 1419 fps, 1384 fps, 1400 fps, and 1381 fps. I don't know how much variation is acceptable or how fast you can push a lead bullet with gas check without having a leading problem but I will have to read up on the subject and learn.