Gas Check Seater

[nighthunter]

I am haveing a heck of a time seating gas checks on my 30 cal. bullets. I know Lyman sells a seater for use with their 450/4500 lubrisizers. Does anyone here have experience with this seater. How about some alternative ideas for putting on the gas checks. What works for you?
Nighthunter

[1Shirt]

I found the Lyman gas check seater to be more trouble than it was worth. I use only Hornady gas checks, and most of my molds in 30 cal are a hand snap on fit for them. On some, particularly the Lovourn (or however you spell his name)many grooved bullets, I just use the Lee sizer (.314 if I want to shoot them as cast), and then Lee Liquid lube afterward. Can't remember who called that Mule Snot, but think he hit it on the head. Hope this is of use to you.
1Shirt

[NVcurmudgeon]

If the GC shank on the boolit is too small, anneal the GC. This will eliminate springback and allow the GC to tightly grip the boolit. (I can split an infinitive just as well as Gene Roddenberry.) OTOH, if the GC shank is too small, anneal the GC and expand them with a homemade punch. I anneal GC by heating them in a shallow tin can on the electric stove. (Do not use the Princess' good pans.) When they are hot enough that the protectve coating turns black and flakes off, they are done. Shake or tumble to remove black specks.

[David R]

I use an old coffee can on the electric stove. Works great.

David

[nighthunter]

The shank on the bullet is too large. It is a brand new Mountain Mold. I'm having to reduce the shank size with a tapered hollow tube ( made of hard metal) then apply the gas check. The process is very time consuming and tedious. I don't think I ordered wrong but hate to complain to Dan.
Nighthunter

[ben1025]

I put a 3/8 in long tube on the push rod. If you don't want to take your lubrisizer apart just split and spread the tube and squeeze it back together on the pushrod. Works for me.

[Buckshot]

..............Not a whole lot you can do if the GC shank on the boolit is too big. I applaud you for not being a PITA nit picky customer, but is it right or not? If not, heck mention it to Dan and see what he has to say.

All the Lyman GC seater is is a sizer die ejector pin stop. This is used so you can apply sufficient pressure on the slug to force the shank into the GC cup. Ben1025 suggested an alternative and another is to use one of those long connector nuts. Cut it to length and then cut a lengthwise section out of the wall wide enough to fit over the pushrod and it's threaded tube below the size die.

Since you can't make the GC shank in the mould smaller you'll have to do as you are with the piece of pipe in swageing it smaller, or as Curmudgeon recommended: annealing and opening the GC's. Once they've been annealed they'll be exceedingly soft. If you make a broad nosed punch, the beveled part will need to be ultra smooth as the soft copper will want to grab.

An option is to use a ball bearing of suitable diameter. I can't tell you exactly where to buy any except places like MSC or Mc Master-Carr and I don't think they sell eaches of the smaller sizes. Our good old downtown hardware store closed after 86 years and they had one of those big cabinets with leventy hundred drawers and you could buy ball bearings in 1/16" size increments to an inch in dia.

Possibly if you have a bearing supply house around you could get one there.

.............Buckshot

[Lloyd Smale]

I made a gas check seater from a small pair of vise grips. Just grind the jaws to the shape you need it works pretty good.

[9.3X62AL]

I have a couple-three molds that cast oversize GC shanks--one in 25, another two in 30. I use punches to flare the Hornady GC edge--it doesn't take much, but it really makes them work. I haven't tried annealing them prior to flaring--that might be my next stunt. The Lyman GC Seater will do a fine job of forcing the oversize shank into the GC cup, and distributing the shaved alloy unevenly around the shank area.

[woody1]

I have a couple-three molds that cast oversize GC shanks--one in 25, another two in 30. I use punches to flare the Hornady GC edge--it doesn't take much, but it really makes them work. I haven't tried annealing them prior to flaring--that might be my next stunt. The Lyman GC Seater will do a fine job of forcing the oversize shank into the GC cup, and distributing the shaved alloy unevenly around the shank area.

Amen to what Al said. I do anneal. For a flaring punch, go to Buckshot's hardware store eleventy hundred drawer nut/bolt/screw cabinet. Find yourself a cap nut the right size to flare the gascheck you took with you. In another drawer get a bolt/screw that fits for a handle to your custom made "cap nut gas check flaring thingy." Regards, Woody

[nighthunter]

I used Gorilla Glue to attatch 2 pieces of leather to an old pair of channel locks. This does a fairly good job of attatching the gas check. Am loseing a few bullets but what the heck. If you folks haven't tried Gorilla Glue you are missing a good thing. It ain't cheap but I swear the stuff sticks to anything.
Nighthunter

[Singletree]

For five bucks and change I bought the Lyman gas check seater. It works well enough and I don't have to put up with sore fingers any longer. Put it in, seat the checks. Pull it out, you're ready to size. Takes about two seconds. Wouldn't be without one.

[Slowpoke]

Amen to what Al said. I do anneal. For a flaring punch, go to Buckshot's hardware store eleventy hundred drawer nut/bolt/screw cabinet. Find yourself a cap nut the right size to flare the gascheck you took with you. In another drawer get a bolt/screw that fits for a handle to your custom made "cap nut gas check flaring thingy." Regards, Woody

Here is another thought GO to Buckshot's office and ask him to make you a GC flaring tool that is press mounted, the flaring part snaps into your shellholder slot and just a solid blank die screws into your press, the beauty of this set up is you can adjust the blank die so you get just a light soft bump as your press ram cams over at the bottom, this way every check is the same, and as a bonus you get a nice flat base on your check before it ever see's a bullet and no more concave or convex checks to deal with I tap, tap ,tapped for a lot of years, but no more, this way is faster and you end up with a more uniform product with less fuss.

good luck

[MGySgt]

The shank on the bullet is too large. It is a brand new Mountain Mold. I'm having to reduce the shank size with a tapered hollow tube ( made of hard metal) then apply the gas check. The process is very time consuming and tedious. I don't think I ordered wrong but hate to complain to Dan.
Nighthunter

Send an e-mail to Dan at MM about the shank being too large. One possiblity is that your alloy isn't what the bullet was desinged for. If you designed it for WW and are using Lyman #2 your shanks will be over size.

If it was designed for WW and using WW and it is too big - Dan will make it right, ie cut you a new mold.

One other dumb question - you sure you are using the right checks? Or maybe you got 7 MM in a 30 cal box? If you have another box of checks that were not bought at the same time I would try them.

Maybe someone else here could tell you what they should mike out to. I don't have an 30's.

Drew