Duplicate .30 Gator Gas checks which tool ?

HI All,
I'd like to duplicate the Gator .30 cal copper gas checks. It seems that I have found :

Gator material Thickness - .017 I have only seen this number once can anyone verify. I don't have a micrometer.

I found a source of .016 ( 12 oz ) copper delivered that should yield .30 cal checks at a price of $.014 to $.015 figuring 4 checks per square inch.
This is less thick than Gator, but I assume this is because of material variations as .017 does not seem to be offered for sale.

Has anyone punched copper this thick in either the Checkmaker or Freechex III
without tool modifications?
If it needed modification, what did you do?

I would like to stay with copper. I read that some folks verify that it preforms better at the higher velocities, which is where I would like to end up if I can someday cast good enough quality for that level.

Thanks Matt

Hi Matt:

I have only a general reply; nothing specific. It seems a shame to have to modify a perfectly good existing gas check maker to duplicate a gas check for which you may or may not be able to get the right thickness of material for. I've never heard of .017" thickness copper sheeting but I haven't ever really looked for it specifically either.

I too was using the gator gas checks and they worked fine for me but they didn't seem to stay on as well as I'd like so I made a simple rudimentary set of gas check dies that punched out checks with skirts that rode a little higher up the gas-check-shank of my bullets; problem solved.

The thread topic posted just below yours is one about how to make yourself a set of gas check dies. They're really not that hard to make so you might consider making your own.

The .016" copper material as apposed to the .017" material is really not that much different so I don't see you having a problem by going with a copper sheet that's One-One-Thousands less in thickness. Now, if it were doing just the opposite and you were going to a slightly thicker copper sheeting then you might experience some extrusion as you formed your checks. This might give you wavy uneven skirts at the mouths of your checks that need to be manually trimmed down.

I really can't foresee you having the problems you're concerned about by going with the 12oz. stuff as apposed to the material you've referenced; other than perhaps the cost. I'm cheap. I go with the aluminum sheeting I get from HomeDepot and I make those with my Pat Marlins 30 caliber dies. The 6.5mm gas checks are the ones I made a home made set of gas check dies for.

Let us know how it worked out. We could all learn something.

HollowPoint

Freechex

H.P - Thank you for the reply. Yes, someday I would like to make my own GC punch when I have the correct tools, they do appear to be straight forward machining. The Gator's worked well for me compared to the AL, But I would need to try different gauge of AL, which is another bonus of the GC tool.
What I have done is order the freechex, and a small amount of the copper .016, I'll locate some AL ( left over flashing from projects, need to gauge) That way I can try the copper see how it produces as well as some AL. I just need to find some copper at .014 to try that is not the same price as ordering Gators delivered, maybe that will fit my shank snugly and the tool needs no alteration.
Depending on the outcome of the trials , make a decision about altering the tooling. One person posted about opening up the ID of the female die to accommodate the heavy gauge material and reduce the extrusion. That would seem to be doable with my limited tools, but I can't say I have worked with much hardened tooling, so if that is an issue, I could take it to the local machine shop and maybe trade some beer.
From what I read , the AL checks when I get them to fit will work for me to some good velocities, certainly enough for our hunting conditions in the North East <100 yrds. So tool altering will be down the road. And maybe I'll find a good source of copper .014 that is not $.03 / check, 12 oz ( .016) seems to be one of the lightest common coppers mass use. Less than that seems to demand a premium.
After all that fun testing , the end result will be that I can say I cast the bullet, made the check, mixed the lube, and assembled the cartridge, and placed the shot !

Matt


R.T. - have you punched .016 copper with the freechex ? if so how do you feel the check came out, did it function well ?

"One person posted about opening up the ID of the female die to accommodate the heavy gauge material and reduce the extrusion. That would seem to be doable with my limited tools, but I can't say I have worked with much hardened tooling, so if that is an issue, I could take it to the local machine shop and maybe trade some beer."


I've never used the freechex check making tools; just the Pat Marlins dies and my home made dies so I can't really say what the quality of the check might be there.

On my home made check dies I did initially get extrusion at the mouth of my checks so, as you mention, I opened up the inside diameter of my female die a little bit at a time until I got perfectly formed checks with no extrusion. I used some fine emery-cloth to do so. This will also work on hardened steel dies too. You just have to do it a little at a time and checking your progress by actually forming and checking the fit of your gas checks.

I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you haven't already considered. The fact that you're inquiring makes me believe that you'll have this thing under control in pretty short order.

HollowPoint