Processing Beverage cans for PB Checks

[gpidaho]

Being an old carpenter, if you cant cut it with a chop saw it cant be cut. To take the ends off aluminum cans install a fine toothed laminate blade BACKWARDS in your miter saw. Cut top off first. GO SLOW AND WATCH YOUR FINGERS. I still have all of mine after a 40yr career. Next place a disposable cylinder of some sort in the can, reverse and cut off the bottom. Fast and easy. GP

[littlejack]

GP:
That's useful information sir.
I just started cutting up soda cans yesterday to use in my Pat Marlins check maker. First I tried poking a hole in the side at the
top, and inserting scissors. That didn't work well. Next I used a sharp knife to cut around the top and bottoms for the can. That
didn't work too well either. The can came out looking like a "gunny sack full of door knobs". Last, I used my Dremel tool with a
stone disc, that worked the best.
If I can find a cheap blade for my chop saw, I will give it a go.
Regards
Jack

[MrWolf]

I have been stock piling my cans for when I do make the gc's with Pat's checkmaker. I just use a pair of tin snips and cut from the mouth to around the top. Cut down the seam and cut off the bottom. No idea if I am doing something that may make using the checkmaker more difficult but this seems to be the easiest method for me.

[bstone5]

I use some light hand snips to cut the cans. Insert into opening cut thru top to side, cut along top to remove top. Cut down to bottom cut along bottom to remove bottom.

Goes fast after a little practice, have cut thousands of cans in the few years.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Look for an old pair of scissors, old enough to be made in the good ole USA, and have sharp points...That is what I use. I just poke one point into the bottom edge and make a slit up the side to the top, then cut off the top, then cut off the bottom...BOOM, done !

[gpidaho]

Thanks all for comments and insights. It comes down to using the tools you feel comfortable with and have at hand. A chef might use a meat cleaver. With my method you end up with clean cylinders without the serrated edges and mangled cans I got with snips and scissors. More than likely my ham hands. Its certainly not worth buying a saw and blade for I am just in luck having them on hand. FYI I didn't cut myself with the saw but did using scissors on the sharp edges. Either way be cautious. Thanks again for comments. GP

[fcvan]

When I first got my PB Checkmaker, I was cutting the cans into strips with shear/scissors. Now, I cut the tops an bottoms off with the shears. Then, I flatten the can with a rolling pin. Once flat, I square up the can with a paper cutter, and cut the strips to the correct width using the paper cutter from Harbor Freight. Sometimes, I punch the discs as a double thickness, and sometimes I just seperate the two layers and punch the discs that way.

Plain Based checks are awesome. I've use the tar out of them in 35 and 45 caliber. Lately, I've been putting them on powder coated boolits for magnum velocity handgun/rifle cartridges. Standard velocity powder coated boolits don't need them. I need to do some further testing with a 9mm AR Rifle using Plain Based checks (new build rifle) to see how the accuracy improves. The boolits I've done with handgun plain based checks show improvement in smaller groups so I'm sure the carbine will be the same.

Powder coated boolits, even in the carbine, show no leading whatsoever. Just burned gunpowder. I'm going to do some with PB checks just to see if the groups tighten up. Plain Based Checks are amazing, so are powder coated boolits. The two in concert have been fantastic!

[gpidaho]

fcfan: I totally agree powder coat is the biggest improvement in hand loaded ammo sense I started in the early 90s pb gas check make it that much better. GP

[PatMarlin]

Great tips guys.

I think PB molds are the way to go. I've got 22PB and 22PBT (tall) done now. New ground to be explored. 22PBT is running up in the .110 tall range. Is that cool or what? Soon as I get more time I'm going to get out to the range with 22 as much as possible.
Beverage cans just work great for PB checks and the price is refreshing...

[gpidaho]

I took a 1.25 piece of wooden dowel 16 inches long and cut a one blade cut centered down the dowel leaving about 3 inches uncut on each end. Stick the prepared end of the can coil in the slot and roll it out on a flat surface against its natural coil. Doesn't make it entirely flat, but close enough for the paper cutter. GP