Succssful Gas Check Making Tool For .357

[David Wile]

Hey folks,

I recently bought one of Charlie Darnall's .357 gas check making tools from him on E-Bay. I paid for it immediately, and Charlie sent it out to me just as immediately. I was eager to start using it and got a thin sheet of virgin lead to cut the discs from an aluminum soda can. Then I thought of using a hard rubber pad I use to do leather work instead of the lead sheet.

Right away I was cutting perfect discs with the punch Charlie provided, and I quickly cut about thirty or so of them. The kit also contains an anvil into which the disc is placed, and a mandrel which is then used to punch the disc trough the anvil and form its final shape. I placed my first disc as closely as I could in the anvil and punched it through with the mandrel. My gas check was a bust. It was not centered in the anvil and came out all wrong. I tried a dozen or so of my discs, but none of them made a good gas check. Yes, I read the directions.

I thought my discs were too small for the anvil and gave Charlie a call to ask what the problem might be. We talked for quite some time about everything related to the gas check tool, and I wanted to try some more things to see if I could get it right. Charlie insisted on sending me a whole new tool set to try, and I received it two days later. When I opened the package, I noticed that Charlie had inserted the mandrel in the anvil in a different manner than I was using my first set. Suddenly I started to wonder if I was using the tool the wrong way. I pulled the mandrel out of the new tool set anvil and checked the anvil from that end.

Well, talk about being ashamed and dumb - I immediately realized I had been putting my discs in the wrong end of the anvil. With my original tool set, I put a disc in the anvil as Charlie intended me to do from the start, placed the mandrel in place, and a gentle tap with a plastic handle produced a perfect .357 gas check that fits my Lyman 155 gr. bullets perfectly. I made several more perfect gas checks with my original tool, and then I made a bunch of gas checks with the new tool Charlie had sent me at no cost.

I had to call Charlie and tell him that I now had two perfectly good .357 gas check tools because of my dumbness - and I only paid him for one! Charlie was as gracious as could be and didn't even make fun of me. I offered to send a tool back to him, but he told me not to bother. Charlie Darnall is one square shooter.

I then offered to resell one of the .357 tools on E-Bay and send him the money, but he said I was welcome to sell the tool and keep the money. I told him that I could not do that to him and that I would be happy to sell the tool, ship it to whoever buys it and send the money to him. He really is a good guy, and his tool really does make excellent gas checks. I intend to bid on .30, .44 Mag, and .45 calibers as soon as he starts selling again.

In the meantime, if anyone is interested in buying one of Charlie's .357 gas check tools that I know works perfectly, I will be glad to ship it and send the money to Charlie. My E-Mail address is davidwile@juno.com , and my home phone number is 717-766-1026. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Charlie's tool set.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[leftiye]

Send the extra one to me. I'll pay Charlie. Do you think a piece of brass might work for an anvil to cut discs on?

[jhrosier]

Send the extra one to me. I'll pay Charlie. Do you think a piece of brass might work for an anvil to cut discs on?

Those Chinese hole punches don't have much of a heat treat. You might be better off with something softer. I use a heavy piece of nylon and it has held up very well so far.

Jack

[VTDW]

Yes, a cutting board of nylon, hard plastic etc., will work nicely.

I have two of Charlie's tools, one in .30 cal and another in 40 cal.

I cannot wait for PatMartin's new tool you can use on your reloading press AND I believe he will either sell us flat stock or tell us the best place to order it.

I just love piddling around.

Dave

[David Wile]

Hey folks,

The punch Charlie supplies with his tool sets is a Chinese punch, but Charlie sharpens and heat treats them before sending them out in his sets. For use with copper sheet, he recommends getting a better grade of punch. For my use with aluminum can stock, the Chinese punch has been working just fine. Instead of using virgin lead for a punching surface, I use a 1/4 inch sheet of hard rubber that I also use for punching leather work.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[encoreman]

I wonder if you could use roll copper shim stock for the gc's? I'm new to all this stuff, but I couldn't believe how much the gc's were Hornady was $24.25/100 I had been thinking today that it couldn't be that hard to make them. Mac

[David Wile]

Hey Mac,

I just talked with a fellow out in California who is using one of Charlie Darnall's tool sets for his 45-70, and he says he is getting good results using the aluminum gas checks he makes from soda cans. I can't see paying all that money for copper if aluminum from free soda cans works just as well, and I know it does from my own experience with the .357 caliber. I intend to buy a tool set for my 45-70 as soon as he puts them up for sale again.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile