OK, now I'm gettin P.O.ed

[singleshotbuff]

Gentlemen,

I have a Lyamn DC 358156 mold that drops bollits with the GC shank too large for the checks. I tried a couple of the tricks of the trade, I bought a Lyman GC seater and I annealed the checks (older Lyman checks BTW). Still, no dice, the checks either seat crooked, shave lead, won't seat, or all three. I'm getting very frustrated at this point, as I only want to check a couple hundred boolits (I normally use this boolit w/o the check for plinking).

So, my next attempt will be to flair the checks a bit.

Who has or can make me a flairing punch to fit a 35cal GC shank???

Everything I have in my garage doesn't fit properly, and I don't have the technology/skill/equipment to make something that'll work. Handheld or press mounted would suit me just fine.

Thanks for any help.

SSB

[9.3X62AL]

My Lyman #358156 mold has the same issue. I chucked a 2" length of 3/8" round bar stock into my power drill (clamped into bench vise) and slowly ran a flat file over the edge of one end of the bar stock to cut a slight bevel (about 15*) while the bar stock turned in the drill. Go slowly, and in a short time you'll have a punch that will fit and flare out the check lips.

[Pavogrande]

Have you tried fitting the checks to other bullets ?- you may have a bad batch of checks-- How about another brand of checks ? I have not bought checks in many years but sometimes found that different brands fit better or worse than lyman--

[freddyp]

All I do is use the center piece of the sizer to flare the GC. The bottom portion is rounded and puts a nice flare on the GC. I use a small rubber mallet to strike the mandrel ( center of sizer), so as to not damage it. You don't have to hit it very hard, about as hard as starting a small nail in a piece of wood. If you are going to be using it alot, make yourself one that is about four inches long. The factory one out of the sizer is only about two inches long and gets hard to hold after awhile. After doing your first GC, you will see that very little force is required to give enough flare for it to fit your bullet base. Good Luck

[singleshotbuff]

Al,

I may try that with a 3/8" dia bolt. Thanks for the idea. Never even thought of that (my machinist and engineering skills are lacking).

Pavo,

This is my only 35 cal GC mold, and my only batch/brand of checks, as I only use checks RARELY. I actually have never bought checks, I got this batch in trade.

Freddy,

Thanks for that tip. I'll try it with the sizer center piece.

Thanks for the help boys.

SSB

[Lloyd Smale]

id send a sample of your bullets to larry at gator checks. He has some odd ball sizes for differnt molds.

[Bass Ackward]

SSB,

Another trick can be to alter your mix. If you are using a high antimony mix and can cut it 50/50 with lead, you will lose maybe .0015 off the shank. Then just heat treat or water drop them.

If you are water dropping already, that can also increase the diameter as sometimes mine grow in diameter. In that case, it would be best to apply checks right after molding. So there are some other options.

[dragonrider]

One does not need a punch to flare gas checks, try to find a ball bearing that is large enough that when placed on the check will not touch the bottom of check, give it a light tap and it should open the check enough to get on the boolit. just a thought.

[Gohon]

Why not just send it back to Lyman? They'll replace if for you free of charge during the first year.
You can call them at 800-225-9626.

[NVcurmudgeon]

[QUOTE=singleshotbuff;235889]Gentlemen,

I have a Lyamn DC 358156 mold that drops bollits with the GC shank too large for the checks. I tried a couple of the tricks of the trade, I bought a Lyman GC seater and I annealed the checks (older Lyman checks BTW). Still, no dice, the checks either seat crooked, shave lead, won't seat, or all three. I'm getting very frustrated at this point, as I only want to check a couple hundred boolits (I normally use this boolit w/o the check for plinking).

So, my next attempt will be to flair the checks a bit.

Who has or can make me a flairing punch to fit a 35cal GC shank???

Everything I have in my garage doesn't fit properly, and I don't have the technology/skill/equipment to make something that'll work. Handheld or press mounted would suit me just fine.

Thanks for any help.


A perfect .35 gas check flaring punch can be made from a .22 Hornet empty case tapped into any 7mm
case, mouth to mouth. The diameter of a Hornet rim is .360". Works like a champ for my .35 Whelen.

[9.3X62AL]

Some other very good ideas here--that's why I love this place.

This anomaly of oversized gas check shanks has been limited to Lyman mould designs using Hornady checks in my sitch. The offending moulds are #358156, #311291, and #257420. RCBS, NEI, and Mountain Moulds designs are trouble-free for me in this respect. Lyman checks on the #358156 don't help with the problem, and the 25 caliber punch only took a very brief file touch to make into the right size from 1/4" stock. Same deal with the 30 caliber and 5/16" stock.

I wish the problem was related to one lot of checks--not so with the #358156, it is 25 years old and has been problematic with both Lyman and Hornady checks made in the early 1980's through the present time. I have a zillion moulds in both 25 and 30 calibers, and Hornady checks fit perfectly on the other Lyman molds in those calibers. I'm inclined to think that my situation involves individual moulds and their "personalities" as installed by Lyman.

There is always the option of buying another mould of the same pattern, but that goes against the grain of my cheep nature--and THESE CASTINGS from THIS TOOL shoot so well that it's worth the extra step of flaring the checks. I do have the Lee copy of the #358156, and they shoot just as well as the Lymans from my S&W M-686 x 4", but go completely off-kilter in the Ruger BisHawk at any velocity level.

Curiously, none of my several Lee gas check moulds show oversized gas check shanks. One (#312-185-2R) has an undersized shank, so much so that I use a strip of kitchen tinfoil (light duty) much like a strip of pillow ticking gets used by a round ball muzzle loader. I flare the check first--unflared checks don't allow enough foil along the check sidewalls to "fatten" the shank out sufficiently. I then "start" the "patch" with the boolit shank, and follow with a light mallet tap on the boolit nose to cut the "patch" and seat the check. I then size and lube as usual. If I had a rifle that used .309"-.310" boolits other than the 30-30, this patching step would not be required. Checks sized at these diameters behave themselves and stay in place. Alas, the last two 30-06 rifles in the stable have needed at least .311" sizing to fly true, and .312" is better.

The preferred option, as above, is to replace the mould unless some condition argues against that. Like me being stubborn and cheep, for example. It's all in fun, and it keeps me out of trouble and mischief.

[Powderpacker]

I use the little arbor press that I have for my Wilson dies for both flairing and pre-seating obstinate checks - two nice flat, parallel surfaces working against each other with an easy to control amount of force. After the checks are pre-seated I run the boolits/checks through the sizing die .

[looseprojectile]

I have solved this problem by swaging a taper on the base of the boolit using various tapered holes in stuff found in the shop. It helps to have a complete set of letter and number drills. A large assortment of Dremel tools will help with polishing the taper also.
Most of the time this can be done by hand if the boolits are soft. May require a tap or two with harder ones. Even a hole drilled in a piece of hard wood can work for a few and wood is easier to machine to the right size.
I have been using .243 checks on .257 boolits this way. Also use 6.5 mm checks on .257 boolits. 65 grain .257 boolits are small and hard to handle.
Hope you find a solution soon.

[beagle]

Same process here.....almost. Take a Lyman M die and unscrew the expander ball. This will leave a 10-32 threaded receptacle. Find a 10-32 screw with a head bigger than your GC shank size and work it down. Use a peice of bar stock on top of the press ram as an anvil and adjust your die to get the right amount of expansion. You can really run them through after that.

Another method I've used is to size the shank only in a sizing die. Think I used a .350" that I use for my .348 Win. That's an odd size and you probably won't have it so the previous method is better./beagle



My Lyman #358156 mold has the same issue. I chucked a 2" length of 3/8" round bar stock into my power drill (clamped into bench vise) and slowly ran a flat file over the edge of one end of the bar stock to cut a slight bevel (about 15*) while the bar stock turned in the drill. Go slowly, and in a short time you'll have a punch that will fit and flare out the check lips.

[Bullshop]

If you have a set of 38/357 loading dies that do not have the decaping pin on the neck flaring rod that will work. The bottom will have a radious where it starts into the case neck to bell the mouth. Just remove the rod from the die and you will have a very handy and stout gas check flaring punch.
Having a large selection of loading dies will enably you to match about any check flaring situation you may run into.
If your die set does have the decap assembly on the flaring rod its not usable for this. In this case I just bought a well used set of dies at a GS for very little $ just for the extra rod. If it also had the decap I would just grind it off and reserve that one just for the GC job. Keep in mind that if you grind off the decap part you do not want to remove any of the radious and the grind/cut must be 90% to the shaft so it will bottom out evenly in the checks.
BIC/BS

[imashooter2]

The ball on a small ball pein hammer will do nicely for a few hundred checks. Set the checks on a block, set the ball in one and tap it with another hammer.

[ron brooks]

If all else fails alter the mold so that it is a plain base instead a gas check design. :)

Ron

[Jon K]

singleshotbuff,

Just order some Gator checks, I just went and poured 100 358156, and can't find one that doesn't fit. The shank =.3415-.342 and the Gatorcheck=.343 works perfect.
Maybe someone here will part with some of the last GB, or you can order direct, his prices are cheaper than Midway even w/o the GB.

Jon

[9.3X62AL]

Whatta place, eh? :)

Beagle, I like that idea. A LOT.

It would seem that a lot of us deal with shank/check interface problems, and have a number of strategies to manage them. Many thanks to all who have contributed, and keep 'em coming!

[singleshotbuff]

Thanks for all the ideas gents.

I'm too cheap to replace the mold or get other checks (I shoot plain base almost exclusively, only got these checks in trade), so I'm going to try a couple of the suggestions for flaring the checks. I have a couple sets of 38/357 dies, so maybe I'll start there. If that doesn't work, next might be to try turning down a 3/8" bolt, using my trusty poor mans vertical lathe (also known as a drill press).

Thanks again for all the suggestions. This is why I love this place.

SSB

[EMC45]

Round head carriage bolt. Tap the round end into the check and you will flare it slightly.

[singleshotbuff]

Gentlemen,

I think I finally got this GC thing licked. I annealed some of the checks, and used the center rod out of a Lyman .357" sizing die to flair them a bit. Then I am able to tap them on the boolits.

Thanks for all the help with this, what a PITA.

SSB