paper patching a flat base bullet?

[catkiller45]

Still being fairly new to this paper patch thing,I would like to know how you guys are doing the bases of flat bullets...What to do with the excess paper tail....

I have had a few guys tell me it is ok to trim the tail off flush-even- with the base..
Does anyone do this? Or is it best to be leaving the tail on and just trim it a little bit
so the paper is still over the edge of the bullets base..

If to much of the tail is left on will it effect the accuracy of the bullet? I am thinking that when the bullet leaves the barrel it may have a tendency to tip one way or the other,or is this not so...Thank for any help you have to offer...John:coffee:

[docone31]

John,
I paper patch .303 British.
When I twist my tails, the next day I cut them with fingernail clippers. When I size the patch, the Lee Push Thru Sizer flattens the tail so it is a solid bottom base. I have not found that tail affects accuracy.
I am not sure what not sizing the patch will do with the tail.

[longbow]

I am inclined to agree with you on the tail affecting boolit flight as it leaves the muzzle so slice mine off with an Exacto knife after drying. Having said that, I have not tested with tails on so this is just my perception.

I have been paper patching .44 mag, .308 Win. & .303 British.

I do not do a lot of paper patching though and am no expert. I wrap 2 or 3 wraps (usually 2) depending on boolit size and paper, 30 degree parallelogram, twisted tail cut about flush after drying. I don't size after patching.

One of the more experienced paper patchers here says he wraps with just a small edge of paper overlapping the flat base and folds under rather than twisting a tail. I suspect that is much easier with large bore like .44 or .45 cal than .30 though .30 could be stood up in a loading block I guess. I haven't tried this but likely will next time I patch for .44 mag.

I'm sure you will get lots of responses and there are lots of experienced people here so you will learn lots.

Longbow

[catkiller45]

docone31-----I guess only time will tell for sure..Hope it warms up some-I want to do some shooting.....Thanks

[docone31]

I am originally from Alaska,
What do you call cold?
Hey, I hope we hear some good things, especially that you got good groups.
My first attempts, I got 20min., of Berm. The target was the only safe area with those loads.

[bcp477]

There is some evidence, though it is not conclusive, that leaving a long tail on a PP'd bullet can negatively affect accuracy. As for me, I cut my patches to extend about 1/2" beyond the base of the bullet, then twist a tail on them (ONLY because this is easier for me to do than folding the excess to form a flat end). Then, after they are dry, I cut the tail off, about 1/8" from the bullet base. Since I do not size my bullets after patching, the tails remain that way, when the bullets are loaded. This causes no problems - I get great accuracy from my loads. I myself experimented with whether twisting tails or folding a flat base might be more accurate. It made absolutely NO difference in MY rifle (8 x 57). Certainly, others may have different experience with this aspect - that is, it may work differently in some calibers, I do not know. But, if you choose to twist tails, if I were you, I would trim the tails after the patched bullets are dry. Whether you choose to (or need to) do a final sizing of the finished bullet afterwards, is up to you.

[beemer]

I twist the tails and cut them off leaving a small stub. The paper should be cut by the rifling and fly off as it leaves the bore. I use LLA, it lubes the patch but does not seem to soak through the paper so it does not stick to the boolit. This lets the paper fly clear of the boolit Sometimes you can see the confetti being thrown out of the bore. If the paper stuck to the boolit I believe it would affect accuracy. I haven't been at this as long as some of the others but this has been my experience with the 303 and 7.62x54.

I was tinkering around with sizing patched boolits, some with gas checks and some without. The sizing was from .314 to .311 with a Lee push through after being lubed with LLA. The gas checks cut the paper off and left the body of the bullet wrapped. Kind of neat looking, lead boolit with a gas check wraped with paper, no tail at all. I had 4 or 5 so I shot them in a 06 with a fairly heavy lead boolit load. They shot about 2 inches,I didn't write the load down as I should have.

beemer

[catkiller45]

#5
docone31
Boolit Master

Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 784

I am originally from Alaska,
What do you call cold?
Hey, I hope we hear some good things, especially that you got good groups.
My first attempts, I got 20min., of Berm. The target was the only safe area with those loads.

Well at 102 years old and weak heart and sugar it is cold to me at around 25 and the wind is blowing....I went out on the lake yesterday for a couple hours and I was cold when I got back in...My fingers where stiff as a poker..Now if that other thing would only get stiff like that...

[yeahbub]

My favorite one to patch is the Lyman 375248, which is a plain-base. I twist a tail with my fingers while the patch is still wet, let them dry, and tighten the tail between the smooth jaws of loosely held pliers. This results in the paper being ironed flat against the base of the boolit and a tail that can be clipped with diagonal wire cutters or nail clippers, leaving a nub of twist which helps eliminate paper slippage when they enter the sizing die heel first. This produces good accuracy in cylindrical cases with a card wad and grease cookie under the boolit and in bottle-necked cases where no wad is used. I've left the tail on them and the results on target seemed to result in the occasional mystery flyer, but I didn't keep doing it that way, so I can't say with certainty that the tail was the cause. I read that sometimes the tail gets mashed against and distorts the base of the boolit, which would be a bad thing, so I cut them off.

[montana_charlie]

I read that sometimes the tail gets mashed against and distorts the base of the boolit, which would be a bad thing, so I cut them off.
I consider that to be the 'kernel of truth' which makes the most difference.
CM

[45 2.1]

I consider that to be the 'kernel of truth' which makes the most difference.
CM

Some of the old period literature mentions twisting the tail and sort of putting it in the hollow base or twisitng it down against the base. If it is nipped off as close as you can get it without injuring the paper against the base, you won't have any trouble.

[leftiye]

Maybe a razor blade?

[docone31]

I use fingernail clippers. That gets it close enough to completely compress with Lee Push Thru Sizing.