Beer can check question????

[helice]

This is certainly evidence of my ignorance but does it matter which way a beer can check should be formed? Does the outside of the can go on the outside of the boolit or does the inside of the can go on the outside of the boolit----Or Don't it matter?

[JeffinNZ]

Doesn't matter. More important is will the material be thick enough? Our beer cans are only 4 thou in the side walls. I believe yours may 6 thou. For most applications you will need two layers.

[Kskybroom]

Some Energy Drink cans are thicker....
I put the outside of the can inside the boolit...
FWIW If the paint is on the inside its not in your barrel......

[helice]

Thanks guys for your input. For some reason I started by putting the paint on the inside. Just seemed smarter.
I bought Ed Smith's booklet and had a friend build me check puncher dies for plain base boolits in 38,44 & 45. I have been using Magnum beer cans for materials so far working with the 38 die. The Magnum cans are a bit thicker than a 12 oz cola can. Seems the thin cans should be an easy fit on plain base.

[badbob454]

Paint on the outside, plastic on the inside, u.s.a. Cans have a thin liner so it shouldnt matter either way..dont believe me scrape the inside of a can with a knife clear or blue plastic liner will scrape off ...

[helice]

Wooh - badbob.

That's good to know. Never thought to scrape. So is one better paint or plastic in the bore?

[mold maker]

No longer than the GC skirt is, it shouldn't matter.The lube should keep both suspended and blown out with the powder debris.

[shotman]

the frissky cat food cans are better then you can shoot the cat if they work
see avatar he brought the 100lb mouse in

[94Doug]

My understanding was that the tall aluminum "bottle" shaped containers were the right thickness. No personal experience.


Doug

[1874Sharps]

I never had very good luck with beer cans. I would get hexagonally shaped checks instead of round ones. That was with a FREECHEX tool. I wrote to the maker and he suggested that I use a thicker aluminum material. I bought a roll of 0.012" aluminum roofing sheet metal for not that much at the hardware store and have made hundreds of checks from it and still have a ton of the sheet metal left. It will last for many, many years. This might work for you as well.

[helice]

Are you guys talking about plain base?
It seems that .012" would take a bit of leverage to swage them on.
Keep writing Guys--I'm learning. Helice

[JIMinPHX]

I tried cans. They were only about .004" thick & the checks that I made out of them would not stay on my GC shank boolits. I also tried the aluminum Bud Lite bottles. They were about .016" thick & stayed on just fine. I loaded them with the painted side facing in. I had good results with them in a .30-30. I got terrible fouling that was very hard to clean out in another rifle with a chrome bore. apparently aluminum & chrome don't play well together.

You can see the results of my .30-30 experiments with copper vs. aluminum on post 133 & 134 here - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=45542&page=7

My attempts with coke cans are on page 5 of that thread.

[1874Sharps]

The 0.012" Al checks actually swage on pretty easily. I am using an RCBS Rockchucker, though, which is a powerful press.

[reloader28]

Inside out, outside in.
I put the paint side to the boolit.
That way all my boolits have a shiny uniform silver base. (Thats important you know.):wink:
I shoot all kinds of can materials and aint had a problem with any of them in my pistols.
Maybe rifles are different.

[helice]

Just to clear things up a bit - These are Plain Base checks to be used mostly in M-92s.
I've also got a 350 Rem Mag that I want to shoot cast (a 240 gr LBT WideFlatNose PlainBase) to 35 Rem velocities.

I 'd like input as to whether thicker aluminum is better and if it is why?
Seems that a thinner check would do the same job. Heck rifling is mighty thin.

[WILCO]

This is certainly evidence of my ignorance...

At least you're asking the question.
I would say it don't matter.

[1Shirt]

Have one of Pat Marlin's on the way. Will play with all sorts of things as I am one of those trial and error types anyway.
1Shirt1:coffee:

[.30/30 Guy]

For PB checks thinner is generally better. I have found that making the strips and cutting the disks from pop can material is a pain. My favorite material for PB checks is 0.008" lith plate material.

[helice]

30-30Guy
I agree that pop/beer cans are a pain. They are however abundantly abundant thanks to the messyness of some of my neighbors children. :grin: Once the can is disected I use a paper cutter to chop 3/4" to 7/8" strips. I can get about 110 to 120 .44 cal checks from a Magnum beer can once I've washed all the dead snails from the inside surface. :x
Does anyone have a quick and easy way to get the top and bottom off a can?

30-30 Guy - I tentatively agree that thinner is better. It's hard for me to see that the rifling in my rifles will cut clear through the thinnest of beer can check and I'm not convinced that a thicker aluminum check would hold that rifling any stronger than the thin one. I will say that this is untested ignorance speaking. Correct me Please!!! Save me a couple steps in testing process.
Keep writing Guys--I'm learning. Helice

P.S. What the heck does this thing:brokenima mean?:hijack:

[swheeler]

"BEER CAN CHECK QUESTION" Here, setting right in front of me about 1/2 full.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Cutting a Popcan:
I use a older small scissors with a sharp point,
I make a vertical cut up the side...I use the seam.
then I cut the top off,
then I cut the bottom off.
it's quite easy, takes about 5 seconds.
Jon

[helice]

No wonder it's taking so long.
I'm doing it backwards. I was trying to cut the top and bottom off first. Will try your method. It's got to be quicker than what I'm doing now.
Now I've got to take another walk. Ran out of cans.
Swheeler -- If you were closer I'd take that empty reject.

P.S. I have discovered that Snail Slime is approx. .0006".:bigsmyl2: For what it's worth. Do you figure it's worth and empty beer can?

[beagle]

I cut the tops and bottoms off with a cutoff wheel in a dremel. Wear eye protection./beagle


30-30Guy
I agree that pop/beer cans are a pain. They are however abundantly abundant thanks to the messyness of some of my neighbors children. :grin: Once the can is disected I use a paper cutter to chop 3/4" to 7/8" strips. I can get about 110 to 120 .44 cal checks from a Magnum beer can once I've washed all the dead snails from the inside surface. :x
Does anyone have a quick and easy way to get the top and bottom off a can?

30-30 Guy - I tentatively agree that thinner is better. It's hard for me to see that the rifling in my rifles will cut clear through the thinnest of beer can check and I'm not convinced that a thicker aluminum check would hold that rifling any stronger than the thin one. I will say that this is untested ignorance speaking. Correct me Please!!! Save me a couple steps in testing process.
Keep writing Guys--I'm learning. Helice

P.S. What the heck does this thing:brokenima mean?:hijack:

[2wheelDuke]

P.S. What the heck does this thing:brokenima mean?:hijack:

If a picture doesn't work, some browsers (Internet Explorer) would display a red X in it's place.

That smiley is depicting the little guys attacking the red X of a picture not displaying.

[Sonnypie]

No wonder it's taking so long.
I'm doing it backwards. I was trying to cut the top and bottom off first. Will try your method. It's got to be quicker than what I'm doing now.
Now I've got to take another walk. Ran out of cans.
Swheeler -- If you were closer I'd take that empty reject.

P.S. I have discovered that Snail Slime is approx. .0006".:bigsmyl2: For what it's worth. Do you figure it's worth and empty beer can?

Know why there is dead snails in the cans?
Snails are attracted to beer. But it is a fatal attraction.
Beer kills them.
Grandpa use to use a saucer with a little beer in it in that garden when snails would appear. Killed them left and right.
Much better than poisons. ;)

[HammerMTB]

Know why there is dead snails in the cans?
Snails are attracted to beer. But it is a fatal attraction.
Beer kills them.
Grandpa use to use a saucer with a little beer in it in that garden when snails would appear. Killed them left and right.
Much better than poisons. ;)

'cept my dadgum dog is wandering the yard drunk now..... :kidding:

[badbob454]

not poisionous , it drowns the slimy drunk critters

[Sonnypie]

Grandpa was a Seventh Day Adventist, so to him beer was poison. ;)
If he had a snail problem he would go to the store and buy 1 can of the cheapest beer he could find.
I found it quite comical myself. But dead snails don't lie. :lol:
__________________________________________________ ______________

HammerMTB
'cept my dadgum dog is wandering the yard drunk now.....

Sorry about that.
Give him a "Baby Asprin" and call me in the morning.
My number is unlisted...[smilie=l:

[1Shirt]

Got one of Pat Marlins 30 cal check makers, and it works like a champ. The .012 does take a bit of leverage, but makes a good check that shoots well in everything so far. Had it jerri rigged on an old CH C-press and it worked, but not as powerful as I wanted so I ebay'ed myself an RCBS, which is straight up and down and is powerful. Need to save up now for one in 35.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[helice]

Snails aren't the only things beer kills. I had a couple friends pull tours in Viet Nam only to die on American Highways