Copper Drive Bands

[nanuk]

in the Lyman #3 and I think I read it elsewhere about using copper rings in the drive bands.

seems someone made them commercial some time ago

it was also suggested that one can use soft copper tubing 5/16 size.

anyone know where a fellow can get a couple feet that size?

[HollowPoint]

I actually tried this a while back using some brass tubing I got at the hardware store.

It took a while to get just the right dimensions to fit in the grooves of my 30 caliber lee mold but, I finally did it.

I was looking for an alternative to paper patching or alloying to get higher velocity without the leading.

For me, it turned out to be alot of work with not alot of positive returns; mostly in the accuracy department.

At high velocity, everything about your bullets has to be concentric. I think my little brass rings were slightly off center with each bullet.

They did shoot but, not accurately. I think if a guy was able to align everything perfectly, brass or copper driving band might really work. In theory anyways.

HollowPoint

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Years ago, Handloader had an article about this. The writer had someone make a gas check cutter that cut out the middle of the GC. It just left a ring, like a canning jar ring.

It was a slooooooow process. Heating a ring, sticking it in the bottom groove, closing the mould and casting.

I would think the concept has value today, just use a hot plate turned up high, and set the rings on it. Grab one at a time and set them in, then cast. I think you could have fun experimenting, as long as volume does not enter the conversation.

Rich

[nanuk]

I wonder if you could punch out a larger center from a GC and then put it into a middle driving band.

some moulds might allow 2 or three extra.....

[ReloaderFred]

Barnes used to make them, but don't anymore. There are 3,000 of them in .35 caliber listed on the "Swappin & Sellin" section of this forum.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[blindeye]

I believe you're recalling the Wilk check. A fellow was offering dies to punch out the middle of checks. The resulting rings were concentric and could be positioned at whcih ever driving band the mold would accomodate. Then editor Miller had some success in limited trials in 35 cal. rifles like 350mag and 35Whelan with full velocity loads. I believe he used them in the first driving band and a conventional one on the bottom. Mold fill out wasn't a problem with 250gr. boolits; the alloy heated up the little remaining material of the hollow center checks. Accuracy reported was good; matching the record of jacketed in his rifles.

[nanuk]

yeah... I've searched and can come up with nothing....

[ReloaderFred]

Here are some listed for sale: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=107635&highlight=lkydvl

Hope this helps.

Fred

[nanuk]

thanks Fred. found them.

they didn't show up on the "Search" function

[ReloaderFred]

I also tried the search, but just finally went through all the pages until I found the seller's listing.

Was that what you were inquiring about?

Fred

[jhalcott]

I'm not sure who made the mold, it was either NEI or LBT, that used a tiny piece of 3/8th tubing. You had to trim it to a close length, heat it and use needle nose pliers to put it in to the mold. Then molten alloy was poured in and formed the bullet. The bullet came out with a center section of copper tubing. They were TEDIOUS to make but shot great in an old .375 magnum. It was best to cut and trim a bunch of the inserts before starting to cast,as they had to be fitted to the space very closely.

[nanuk]

Fred: that is exactly the items I was refering to.

I read about them in a couple old manuals, but had never seen them.

if one could find 5/16 tubing, and a quality cutter, one could make them for 30-31 caliber.

[HollowPoint]

When I first started playing around with this idea I used some old 223 cases and sized them down to .312 and cut them to the width of the lube grooves in my mold.

I went so far as to contact a couple of copper and brass washer manufactures to see if they made a washer with the diameter I was needing. The ones that did only had the correct outside dimension; the inside dimension was so small that it would have been difficult to get good fill out when I poured my lead.

Funny thing is; at the time, I thought this was an idea I had come up with myself. I guess it's true what I read in the Bible; "There is no new thing under the sun."

In the bullet casting community, about everything that can be tried, has been tried.

I wish I'd have known about these pre-cut copper bands back then.

The reason I ended up using the brass tubing was because it already measured .312". That was the perfect outside dimension to fit the lube grooves in my 30 caliber mold. I rigged up a jig for my dremel tool to cut to the right thickness but, even with the dremel tool I had great difficulty getting clean cuts.

I think that was the cause of my lack of bullet-concentricity and the inaccuracy of my bullets.

If any of you guys get this to work repeatedly, I'd be interested to hear about it. I thought it was a pretty good idea myself. If you can get it to work, I'd kind of like to apply it to my own bullet casting efforts.

HollowPoint