Seating Gas Checks

[PhilC]

NOE sells a very good system for starting gas checks. they go on straight. The NOE system doesn’t crimp the checks on though. if i remember correctly it’s rough $35 and now ships fast.

Yep, add the push thru sizing die and life is simple.

[Firesubie]

I should be set then. I have purchased the NOE gas check seater, the NOE APP adapter and sizing bushings, and the NOE stepped expander plugs for the Lee Universal expanding die, which I already had. This casting business is as big a rabbit hole as the Contender addiction.

[lavenatti]

I just tried out my new NOE gas check seating die tonight. Works great, puts gas checks right on previously powdered coated boolits that I couldn't do anything with before.

[Firesubie]

I'm happy with mine too. I probably wpuld have never bought it if not for the great advice here and cwlongshot's video on it.

[Iowa Fox]

Here's a wild question for you guys. I have a 44 mold that casts bullets with a .419 gas check shank. There is no way I can expand 44 checks to go on. Do you think checks for the 45 acp with a check size of I think about .424 would crimp on acceptably?

[gloob]

Here's a wild question for you guys. I have a 44 mold that casts bullets with a .419 gas check shank. There is no way I can expand 44 checks to go on. Do you think checks for the 45 acp with a check size of I think about .424 would crimp on acceptably?

They might stay on, if you go base first through the sizer. Worth a shot, if you can buy 100 checks. Probably better if you run them though a 45 sizer first, but it's still a long way to go from 452 to 430.

When I put checks on my PB bullets I size the base to just the right size with a custom die. I basically drill and file out the appropriate diameter hole in 1/4" steel plate and screw it onto a base that fits into the ram like a shellholder. The primer arm ejects the bullet, after.






Adjustable top punch with random die body and some bits and bobs.

Bonus. When I see the phillips screwdriver mark on the tip of the boolit, I know it is gas checked.

If you have a shellholder to spare and some grinders and sanders, you could easily solder a plate with a hole in it to the shellholder base. That would only do one size, of course.

The most I've had to size down a shank/base is around 12 thous smaller. 419 to 402 is 17. Might be a little more trouble.

You could also see if Sage will make some thinner 44 checks for you to try.
430-402 is 28. Divided by 2 leaves 14 thous. I'm gonna guess a normal 44 gas check is 17 thous thick, leaving 3 thous of crush fit. 430-419 is 11... I think an 8 thous check would be the right thickness, if it fits over the shank. Sage seems to have a supply of 10-11 thous lithography plate. That might have a chance to fit on there with enough force, like using an NOE seater. Thinner checks won't absorb as much heat, but fit and consistency matters, too. To get a normal 44 check die to form thinner checks cleanly and opening the interior/shank part out fully only requires turning a new button. So maybe a couple hours of machining and fiddling and testing. If the demand were there, he might do it.

[MarkinMD]

I have been experimenting with a AR platform 350 legend. I have a 25 yard range adjacent to my loading shop. I just open a window and I have a bench rest attached to the inside base of the window. Most of my experimentation is done at 25 yards because my gun club with its 100, 200 and 300 yard ranges is 30 miles away. The gun will give touching groups with jacketed bullets but I have yet to achieve that with cast boolits. I have been powder coating my cast boolits. I am working with a Lee 358-200 Round Nose Flat Point gas checked mold. Since Hornady is so proud of their gas checks and prices them accordingly, I have just acquired a Pat Marlins 35 cal gas check maker. It arrived in my mail box a week after I placed the order. I was quite surprised and pleased at the speed. My powder coat process involves a drilled brass plate that I cover with aluminum foil and push the gas check shank through the foil into the drilled holes. I use an Eastwood gun to apply the powder coat. I then move the plate into the oven and cure the powder coat. The foil is discarded after each use. This leaves me with powder coated boolits with bare gas check shanks. Since I am sizing the boolit to .356 to shoot in the 350 legend, the Lee push through sizer fights me and I found the the new Aluminum gas checks deform and I had to go back to my Lyman #45 Lube/Sizer. I wanted to make sure that the gas checks were fully seated before sizing. I cut a small piece of 1/8 brass plate and set it over the sizing die. The nose punch matches the Boolit. I start the gas check as best I can and then set the boolit on the plate and bring the nose punch down. The gas check is pushed all the way on to the boolit. Sometimes I need to rotate the boolit and push again. I can then remove the plate and size the boolit and check. Next I will see if I can get the accuracy I am looking for. With Hornady checks, 200 gr PC boolits, 21.5 grains of 11FS and CCI 450 primers I have achieved 1900 FPS and groups under one inch at 25 yards. I will see how my new Aluminum gas checks stack up against the Hornady checks. The point of this rambling dissertation is that I was able to make a gas check seater by simply adding a metal plate to the Lubrisizer that I already have.

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve noticed with my Lee molds that it’s pretty hard to get an even seat with the horn gas check many times. I blame it on the cheap molds. My group buy molds zero issues. I normally just take a gas check and try and pop it on which I normally can’t. I’ll try and get it on as evenly as possible and tap the boolit base on the table. I haven’t done this for a while, but my fingers share wear out quick doing it that way. I’ve pretty much sold off most of my gas check Lee molds so I don’t have to deal with them anymore. Think I still have 2 .430 molds. I just deal with it. The lee .452 300 grain FN and .430 310 grain molds are a bear to get GCs on. Also the .358 200 grain mold. I only have the .430 310 and lee 240 grain .430 HP GC molds left. All the rest of my lee molds are non GC. My MP and Noe molds with GCs go on easy. I have annealed my GCs and it makes no difference in going on any easier other than they don’t look pretty after heating.