joeb33050
05-30-2009, 08:08 AM
CREAM OF WHEAT
Cream of Wheat, (COW), is a cereal that is frequently used as a filler in cartridges for several reasons.
Blowing out cartridge cases
When blowing out cartridge cases, COW over a small charge of fast powder acts to fill and expand the case and make the blowing out work well. For example, to make 30BR cases from 7MM BR REM cases I drop 4 grains of Unique in the case, fill it almost to the top with COW, and seal the mouth of the case with a piece of old Darr lube. I fire these in the 30BR gun and the cases blow out and turn into 30BR cases without the occasional losses I get when using an expander die and reloading press.
Some testing and fiddling with fast powder quantities may be required. I use Unique; other fast powders work as well.
Once I have a recipe that works well I use one powder measure for the powder and a second powder measure for the COW. I used to worry about the powder mixing with the COW and used a wad, a tuft of Dacron, over the powder, but have found that mixing isn’t a problem so I stopped using the wad over the powder.
I have used this method to make 32-40, 8.15 X 46R, and 38-55 cases from 30-30s, 40-50 Sharps Straight from 30-40 Krag, 11.15 Werndl cases from 348 Winchester and others. So far this method has worked just fine, with no problems.
Filling Black Powder Straight Wall Cartridge Cases
The legend is that there is danger in shooting BP cartridges with air space over the powder. When a BP lower-velocity load is needed, using less BP with COW filling the case avoids this potential problem. I have used, for example, 40 and 50 grains of BP in 45-70 cases with COW over the BP and the BP-COW column compressed slightly with the bullet.
There are reports that cartridges loaded in this manner will sometimes separate, will come apart-on firing. Once and only once I have had the front ~1” of a 45-70 case loaded this way just disappear. The gun fired, the bullet hit the target, I opened the action and a very short case came out. I don’t know where the front end of the case went. The case was one of a very old set that had been reloaded many times, maybe a hundred times, and annealed many times.
If I want low-velocity loads in BP Straight Wall cases, I use small smokeless charges. These are accurate, easy to load, less expensive than BP, and don’t give me that little worry in the back of my mind when shooting them.
Filling Black or Smokeless Powder Necked Cartridge Cases
In the 2004 Gun Digest there’s an article, “The Hudson-Krag Handloads” that contains information about filling 30-40 Krag cases with COW. See pages 121 and 122; note the information about higher pressures. It sounds like COW was the last step before the gas check.
I have used COW as a filler with smokeless powder in necked cartridge cases with no problems.
There are reports that the COW turns into a solid mass in the neck of the cartridge case and causes high and maybe dangerous problems.
Eliminating Leading
Much if not most leading is caused by shooting cast bullets that are too small for the gun. Filling the cartridge case with COW over a small/er powder charge will eliminate that leading. I have done this with enough rifle and pistol cartridges to feel comfortable saying that it always works. Leading stops. However, better accuracy can be found with a bullet of the correct size. I have used COW over small powder charges in 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum and seen leading disappear. But again, better accuracy can be found with a bullet of the proper size or sometimes a slower powder.
Cleaning a Gun
Sometimes a gun fouls, there’s lead or powder fouling or something that makes the barrel dirty and affects accuracy. Shooting one or two cartridges with a small smokeless powder charge, the case filled with COW, and a cast bullet seated to slightly compress the COW will clean that barrel. I have used this method of cleaning the barrel without a problem.
Wear
COW will keep a gun from leading and will clean the lead and anything else out of the barrel when shot as described above. Something about the COW makes it work to clean the barrel. If I had a dirty or fouled barrel in, say, a military surplus rifle, then I’d try a few COW cartridges and get the barrel clean, quick. But, I have this nagging notion that the COW will wear the barrel while it’s going through. No proof, just that notion.
Summary
COW works fine for blowing out cartridge cases.
For any other application, there are some possible problems. Case separations in Straight Wall BP cartridges, pressure spikes in necked cartridges and wear are enough to make me leery of using a lot of COW. For me, outside of blowing out cases, I use COW for experiments and not in any frequently-used load.
joe b.
Cream of Wheat, (COW), is a cereal that is frequently used as a filler in cartridges for several reasons.
Blowing out cartridge cases
When blowing out cartridge cases, COW over a small charge of fast powder acts to fill and expand the case and make the blowing out work well. For example, to make 30BR cases from 7MM BR REM cases I drop 4 grains of Unique in the case, fill it almost to the top with COW, and seal the mouth of the case with a piece of old Darr lube. I fire these in the 30BR gun and the cases blow out and turn into 30BR cases without the occasional losses I get when using an expander die and reloading press.
Some testing and fiddling with fast powder quantities may be required. I use Unique; other fast powders work as well.
Once I have a recipe that works well I use one powder measure for the powder and a second powder measure for the COW. I used to worry about the powder mixing with the COW and used a wad, a tuft of Dacron, over the powder, but have found that mixing isn’t a problem so I stopped using the wad over the powder.
I have used this method to make 32-40, 8.15 X 46R, and 38-55 cases from 30-30s, 40-50 Sharps Straight from 30-40 Krag, 11.15 Werndl cases from 348 Winchester and others. So far this method has worked just fine, with no problems.
Filling Black Powder Straight Wall Cartridge Cases
The legend is that there is danger in shooting BP cartridges with air space over the powder. When a BP lower-velocity load is needed, using less BP with COW filling the case avoids this potential problem. I have used, for example, 40 and 50 grains of BP in 45-70 cases with COW over the BP and the BP-COW column compressed slightly with the bullet.
There are reports that cartridges loaded in this manner will sometimes separate, will come apart-on firing. Once and only once I have had the front ~1” of a 45-70 case loaded this way just disappear. The gun fired, the bullet hit the target, I opened the action and a very short case came out. I don’t know where the front end of the case went. The case was one of a very old set that had been reloaded many times, maybe a hundred times, and annealed many times.
If I want low-velocity loads in BP Straight Wall cases, I use small smokeless charges. These are accurate, easy to load, less expensive than BP, and don’t give me that little worry in the back of my mind when shooting them.
Filling Black or Smokeless Powder Necked Cartridge Cases
In the 2004 Gun Digest there’s an article, “The Hudson-Krag Handloads” that contains information about filling 30-40 Krag cases with COW. See pages 121 and 122; note the information about higher pressures. It sounds like COW was the last step before the gas check.
I have used COW as a filler with smokeless powder in necked cartridge cases with no problems.
There are reports that the COW turns into a solid mass in the neck of the cartridge case and causes high and maybe dangerous problems.
Eliminating Leading
Much if not most leading is caused by shooting cast bullets that are too small for the gun. Filling the cartridge case with COW over a small/er powder charge will eliminate that leading. I have done this with enough rifle and pistol cartridges to feel comfortable saying that it always works. Leading stops. However, better accuracy can be found with a bullet of the correct size. I have used COW over small powder charges in 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum and seen leading disappear. But again, better accuracy can be found with a bullet of the proper size or sometimes a slower powder.
Cleaning a Gun
Sometimes a gun fouls, there’s lead or powder fouling or something that makes the barrel dirty and affects accuracy. Shooting one or two cartridges with a small smokeless powder charge, the case filled with COW, and a cast bullet seated to slightly compress the COW will clean that barrel. I have used this method of cleaning the barrel without a problem.
Wear
COW will keep a gun from leading and will clean the lead and anything else out of the barrel when shot as described above. Something about the COW makes it work to clean the barrel. If I had a dirty or fouled barrel in, say, a military surplus rifle, then I’d try a few COW cartridges and get the barrel clean, quick. But, I have this nagging notion that the COW will wear the barrel while it’s going through. No proof, just that notion.
Summary
COW works fine for blowing out cartridge cases.
For any other application, there are some possible problems. Case separations in Straight Wall BP cartridges, pressure spikes in necked cartridges and wear are enough to make me leery of using a lot of COW. For me, outside of blowing out cases, I use COW for experiments and not in any frequently-used load.
joe b.