Gas checks not seated right

[JM7.7x58]

I love waking up an old thread!

I bought this same mold, the Lee C324-175-1R. It has driven me nuts. I couldn’t get my checks to seat properly. The sage/gator checks were to small. I made a punch to enlarge them. I tried seating them nose first. I tried base first. I tried sizing first, then seating the check, both ways. I tried annealing. I was destroying half my boolits. The half that survived were sub standard.

I gave up this weekend and drilled out the mold to be a plain base mold. I’m happy with how it turned out. A little rough on the finished bore, but concentric. I think that I can get these boolits to shoot ok at slower velocity, about 1200 FPS.

I have an Ideal 311291 that works great with gas checks and the Lee sizers. I knew that it could work. I knew I wasn’t crazy.

Reading this thread was cathartic. I’m not the only one! This mold is a problem, when used with Lee sizing dies.

I have an NOE 325365 five cavity coming in the mail. Fingers crossed!

JM

[Dragonheart]

I own several items made by Lee that work quite well, but the two Lee bullet molds are not one of them. If I ever get around to building a forge to melt aluminium the Lee Molds will be the first to go into the pot.

Buying a NOE mold was a good decision. Not to put sour grapes on your mold choice, but if you are going for full power loads and want good accuracy beyond 50 yards I personally have had no success with a spitzer design bullets simply because it will be a non-concentric (lopsided) bullet when it comes out of the mold. They will shoot well at short range.

[JM7.7x58]

I’m looking to run the NOE around 1500-1600 FPS. I have read that this boolit tops out around 1800 FPS, anything above that and accuracy falls off quickly.
I’m hoping that the spritzer design will help with some feeding issues I have with this rifle. It depends on how far out I can seat these boolits before they engage the rifling.
I’m gonna be sizing these down to .318”. I have a .323” sizer to seat the checks and a .314” that has been opened up to .318” . So who knows what’s going to happen.
I’m just trying to get this old Arisaka with a huge .3165” barrel, and a sloppy chamber, that has feeding issues, to make three inch groups at a hundred yards with iron sights. Again fingers crossed.
JM

[Dragonheart]

The spitzer should correct the feeding issues and it sounds like your goals are realistic, except the 3" groups may be more difficult to acheive. The problem I found with spitzer's is the long tapered nose has no barrel contact. At some point velocity & distance is going to cause a lopsided cast bullet to start to wobble, once it starts it will only get worse and accuracy goes out the window.
So you have choices to make; reduce the velocity, reduce the distance or make a concentric bullet. Of course your choice of powder will determine how the bullet gets to velocity. I personally started out by finding the best load for the rifle using a similar commercial bullet and then use that information to work up a load for cast. So far trying spitzer's in 4 different calibers I haven't found anything I am happy with, but I am not wanting low velocity loads. I wish you luck.

[MT Chambers]

If the mold is made to proper specs the gas check should just snap on, otherwise you would be wise to get the NOE tools to bevel the base and install the gas checks on your press.

[Conditor22]

NOE Gas Check Seating Die Product Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwaw0kqNJRY

Seating (crimping) Gas Checks cheap and easy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9EY2xK5PY4

[JM7.7x58]

NOE Gas Check Seating Die Product Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwaw0kqNJRY

Seating (crimping) Gas Checks cheap and easy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9EY2xK5PY4

Conditor22,

I had not seen these two seating and crimping methods. I really like using the Lee factory crimp collet die to crimp a gas check.

I may be buying a few more tools. I always tell myself it's only one more tool and that I can stop anytime I want to. That I don't have a tool addiction problem.

Thanks for the info.

JM

[Greg S]

Got one of these from NOE for a couple of large based .312 molds.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product...hp82d81ign5ve3

[popper]

Get some VHT high temp (1200F) paint and a small brush. Apply to mould GC shank sparingly, let dry, heat mould a couple times (400F). Cast with it. Apply GC, easy now. Normal shank for 30 is 284, often too big. Shrink a couple thous. and bingo. I got the NOE expander, works OK but have to pry the GC off it.

[RickinTN]

For those who have tried it.....Will aluminum gas checks seat any easier on the oversized Lee shanks? I've never used aluminum gas checks but I do have a couple of the offending molds.
Thanks,
Rick