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Thread: Gas Check Seating Problem

  1. #21
    Boolit Master detox's Avatar
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    The thicker Gator checks will also do as you described in picture. The cure is to first crimp on (do not size) the thicker check using the Lyman or RCBS base first sizer. Next full length size nose first in the Lee.

    Hornadays do work better in the Lee sizers, but the metel thickness is thinner and weaker. Resulting in checks flying off harder alloys when fired. Hornadays work best or stay on best when using softer alloys at lower velocities under 1700fps.

    Thicker 22 caliber Gator checks seem to grip all alloys better....less flyers if bullet fit is correct.

    Here is a good 22 cal bullet.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails N.O.E._Bullet_Moulds_225-72-RN_GC_B1_Sketch.jpg  
    Last edited by detox; 01-03-2018 at 12:12 AM.

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Don't shoot 223 but seat Josh's GC with a 311 sizer first, then down to 310-308 as needed. I do anneal them. No problem with Hornady GCs.
    Whatever!

  3. #23
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    popper I've never been a big fan of the LEE sizers. If I did a push through I usually made them myself with a good taper and lots of polishing. I can tell you with the luber/sizers that the RCBS sizing die with it's annular lube groove inside will often catch a gascheck on 22 caliber bullets. Lymans don't do this.

    I'm also not a big fan of annealing gaschecks. I've seen no real advantage to it.

  4. #24
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Buy a 243 Lee Lube/Sizer
    Regards
    John

  5. #25
    Boolit Buddy
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    This looks familiar he is sizing them nose first tell him to size base first and the problem will be fixed. I once sized rcbs 124gr. Rngc nose first and that is what the checks looked like.

  6. #26
    Boolit Master


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    You can also pre size, then run thru with the check to seat it.

    Run a test. Usually works fine unless the GC shank is too short, and/or you are sizing down more than a few thou.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master detox's Avatar
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    The thicker gas checks are designed to be sized base first thru Lyman or RCBS sizers, but sometimes these machines will size bullet off center, especially when sizing softer alloys.

    The extra force needed when sizing base first will sometimes bump the bore ride section of bullet larger diameter, especially when using softer alloys or alloy that is not age hardened. So sizing nose first has its advantages.

  8. #28
    Boolit Buddy
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    Looks like checks are not fully seated to start. I made an inline seater and use a couple of taps from a raw hide mallet to make sure the checks are fully seated and almost perfectly 90 degrees to bullet axis. Shows up on accuracy also.

  9. #29
    Boolit Mold TemplarKnight's Avatar
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    My posting earlier today on Seating Gas Checks on a Star has a lot of relevance to this problem as well so I am taking the liberty of copying it here for the benefit of the folks reading this post.

    Whether using a Star lube sizer or Lee push-through sizing die there are two fundamental elements that contribute to the proper seating of gas checks: 1) nose first sizing, 2) using a [I]cupped[I] bullet punch at near as possible to bullet base diameter.

    I have sized nose first exclusively in my Star for over thirty years, both rifle and handgun bullets and always gas checked styles. I use Lee push-through sizer dies in a RCBS Big Max for R&D work where the jobs are small lots and not time expedient to change out my Star. I follow the same process when using the Lee sizer dies but obviously I have altered the push-through punch to a have a slight cup shape end. George Rainbolt, who ran the office at Star Machine Tool, shared this tip with to me years ago which I used to good effect ever since. His suggestion was that to take advantage of the Star's potential with gas checked bullets, the pusher punch must be fairly close to sizer diameter, having about .010 to .015 undersize. Then its end needs to be cupped out a few thousandths so only about a 1/32 inch wide contact ring is left around the perimeter. This is so all the punch's pressure is applied around the outer edge of the gas check base, straddling any raised imperfections in the bullet base (sprue pimple etc.). The cup punch described pushes the gas checks on if they are a bit tight, then sizes them on with perfect concentricity to the bullet body, and perfect squareness around the critical perimeter of the heel of the buller.

    The way the cupped punch applies pressure to the outer circumference of the gas check will insure enough resistance to seat the checks squarely and the sizing action will insure they are locked on the base of the bullet (Hornady style gas checks - which are current industry standard).

    By contrast, the other sizers that size bullet base first (RCBS/Lyman) crimp the gas check as the base of the bullet enters the die, before any of the bullet enters the die, so you are dependent on the gas check to align the body of the bullet in the die which is not a great thing. if the gas check shank has any deformities, or if the check shaves lead a bit on one side when pressed on, the check, being far stronger than lead, will force the bullet to size out of balance at the base end.

    Using this method, if the mouth of your sizer die is nicely tapered with a radius transition from the taper to the straight bore diameter of the sizer die you should never catch, tear, wrinkle, or otherwise shear the leading edge of the gas check cup. The sizer die should act like a "taper crimp" die and push the edge of the gas check into the body of the bullet.

    My pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in 300 H&H will keeps a 10 shot group of its favorite cast bullet load in an 1 1/4 inch group any day of the week off the bench, as long as I do my part.

    My 1990's vintage S&W Performance Center Heavy Hunter 44 Remington Magnum w/ Leupold 2x LER will keep six rounds (Lyman 429640 HP-GC Devastator over 2400) in a three inch diameter group at 100 yards off a sandbag rest. With more magnification I think I could better control crosshair movement on the target (can't control what you can't see!) and shrink those groups to a 2 inch diameter.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master detox's Avatar
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    I have used cupped seating stem to seat 30 caliber, but never 22 caliber as described in topic. I have a mini lathe and will try to make a perfect fitting cupped stem for my Lee nose first sizer. One that centers the 22 caliber gas check/bullet before nose sizing.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check