Embarassing ? about gas checks

[Markbo]

If I were to decide on one mold for a couple of sixguns with heavy for caliber bullets and it were a gascheck design, could these be shot without checks installed without leading if kept to more moderate/practice velocities?

[white eagle]

I would seriously doubt it
if it were possible accuracy would be a bit on the terrible side
but that is just my opinion
can't say for sure haven't done it

[Tom W.]

Try it and see. For years I shot my Security Six with boolits that were designed to have a g/c without any trouble.

[ReloaderFred]

You can always order a plainbase mold, and if you decide you want to gas check them, just order the Plain Base Checkmaker from Pat Marlin on this board. He has them in stock now, and is working on other calibers as soon as he gets some CNC issues worked out.

A lot of people do shoot bullets designed for gas checks without them. They report good results, but I've always used gas checks on bullets designed for them myself.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[kelbro]

It depends... on the alloy, the powder, the lube, the fit, etc...

[Bret4207]

There's a great big whole section up the page a little bit labeled "Gas Checks" that was created because your question was getting asked almost daily here. Check it out, lot;s of info there.

The short answer- maybe.

[44man]

I feel the pain with checks reaching a weeks pay. But Bret is right---MAYBE.

[HammerMTB]

I'll throw this out there to add one more option:
I have multi-cavity molds with some PB and 1 GC. I separate the GC boolits when they are cool, and just check them when I want some heavy loads.
I turn my GC designs into PB designs myself. If you have a multicavity mold, you can roll your own PB design and have the best of both worlds.

[EDK]

I'll throw this out there to add one more option:
I have multi-cavity molds with some PB and 1 GC. I separate the GC boolits when they are cool, and just check them when I want some heavy loads.
I turn my GC designs into PB designs myself. If you have a multicavity mold, you can roll your own PB design and have the best of both worlds.

Swede and his elves at NOE will generally cut the mould for both plain base and gas check both. I have several moulds with that set up. The gas check stuff usually ends up in a different color brass for "rifle specific loads" in the MARLIN Cowboy Rifles.

OT Why is the majority of 357 brass nickle plated, but 44 magnum is usually brass?

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[44man]

I think the .357 nickel is for most LEO's to prevent corrosion with long time carry. Nothing worse then a pile of green loads! :holysheep

[9.3X62AL]

Yessir. Some high-end autopistol carry ammo is getting the same treatment (nickel cases) these days. Very pretty.

Another idea is to shoot off your carry ammo every 6 months or so and refresh with new cartridges, but that's probably an antedeluvian concept from a graceless age--like me. But I digress, as usual.

[Markbo]

There's a great big whole section up the page a little bit labeled "Gas Checks" that was created because your question was getting asked almost daily here. Check it out, lot;s of info there.

The short answer- maybe.

Bret, I never saw that... I'll investigate there,

Thanks!

[Bret4207]

The nickel 357 mag was very popular in the days of loop loaders. Nothing worse than a shiny young cop with nickle/silver metal all over his uniform and 12 BRASS rounds on his belt.

[ReloaderFred]

Brass and leather tanning chemicals produce verdigris, which is that green slimey stuff that forms on the brass over a period of time, when in constant contact. Nickel plating eliminates verdigris, but will still have a light coating of something similar if not changed out regularly.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[pcmacd]

If I were to decide on one mold for a couple of sixguns with heavy for caliber bullets and it were a gascheck design, could these be shot without checks installed without leading if kept to more moderate/practice velocities?
It's possible to get good accuracy w/o checks. It depends on lots of things.

In a revolver it is imperative that the ball ends of the cylinder (the chamber throats) be identical or very close to the of the bore dia. It is also important to ensure all the ball ends are cut to the same diameter (from what I've read in Handloader and some of the more serious publications, this problem is much more common than you would think, even for new guns from the big houses.) If too small the bullets will gas cut in the barrel, and some people believe the bullet can "tip" entering the forcing cone. If too large, well, use your imagination.

I have a pin gauge set I picked up for around $70 from Enco tool -- 0.5" to around 0.25" in 0.001" increments. It's useful for this kind of work. Don't know why I waited so long to get it.

The revolver forcing cone needs to be clean and evenly cut or it will play hell with the bullet.

You can also get into trouble by using a bullet that is _too hard_ or too small in diameter. I try to size mine a mil or two more than the nominal bore diameter.

w/o checks, you need to have a slug that will obdurate and fill up the bore, or the gas blowing by will cut the bullet and leave a mess in the barrel. Sometimes it takes MORE velocity to get less leading with the same alloy for this very reason. That's one of the reasons that you can find bullets with a dished base -- it's easier for them to fill out.

Softer alloys tend to shrink more on cooling. An old timer at H&G pointed this out; it had not occurred to me at all.

It's really kind of complicated... I learn something new every week, and I've been doing this for a while.

[Rodfac]

Nickle does something else to your loads as well...and you can feel the difference while seating lead alloy bullets. They seem to have a far greater case neck tension when compared to their brass counterparts. I find that groups from nickle plated brass can vary as much as 6 MOA from that of brass. Starline produces good .357 BRASS cases that work much more uniformly, and since I don't carry .357 on a duty belt, verdigris is not a concern...I've switched to all brass for my .38 Special and .357 Magnum guns. Regards, Rod

[Ed K]

Nickel plating flakes/residue can harm your barrel.

[M-Tecs]

I have had very good results with moderate loads not using gc's. If you have proper alloy and bore fit I have found no difference in accuracy. For hot loads gc's do have a significant advantage. Most of my molds are gc molds that I rarely use gc on.

[Snapping Twig]

I cast for .357, .44, .45, 45-70 and .30 cal.

I have both GC and PB for each, several of each.

Using GC boolits w/o the GC is no problem at moderate to light loads as long as the boolit is sized for the bore, but proper size is important in any event.

Give it a go and you'll be happy with the results.

[tommygirlMT]

Pin Boolit will do you --- pin boolit being a DEWC where one end is PB --- and the other end is a gas check shank

http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=41-220Z-D.png
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=43-240Z-D.png
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-260Z-D.png
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-270Z-D.png

He dont curently have one listed for --- 357 --- 475 --- or 50 calibers and Lee tumbl lube style only in 45 caliber --- but I magine it is only a matter of asking with him since he is a totally custom mold guy for the other sizes/options

Anyway --- you get the basic idea --- a DEWC with one end PB and one end with a GC --- shoot it one way and its a PB with a short flat sided button nose --- shoot it the other way and it is a FWC with a gas check boolit diaper strapped to its butt end

[Markbo]

...bullet diaper...

Man if I start using that term, my family will KNOW I've gone off the deep end! :veryconfu

[tommygirlMT]

Animals are made up of organic proteins assembled in highly complex combinations --- animal turds are made up of organic proteins in a not so complex organization

Boolits are made up of lead cast in a very complex shape --- boolit turds are made up of lead in a not so complex shape

Leading in your barrel is --- boolit turds --- if you push the boolit to hard or make it jump bad throats and/or revolver forcing cones and/or cook its sides because the boolit is too small and hard to fit the bore and/or throat then you --- "scare the $_*_ out of the boolit" --- and it "messes" in your barrel

On solution is to put a diaper on the boolits butt --- also known as a GC --- but you still have to be careful though --- if you push things even further and scare it bad enough then the diaper cant hold it all and you still get a bunch of boolit mess in your barrel



Thats my theory at least --- and thus why I sometimes refer to GCs as "boolit diapers" --- :kidding: