Brief review of Patmarlins 9mm PB Checkmaker

[Hogokansatsukan]

I love the 9mm and cast my own for it, making it dirt cheap to shoot. This is a good thing as I tend to run 400-500 rounds through my various 9's in a week.

I recently got a custom mold made from Accurate molds, as I had plans of switching all my various cast 9mm to this prefered bullet shape and weight (preferred by me).

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1016943.jpg

The Checkmaker arived just in the nick of time, as I had over 4k boolits cast up and several AZ iced tea cans all ready (.004 thickness).

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017074.jpg

The checkmaker is very easy to use, but it helps to have a good papercutter to cut the cans into strips.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017076.jpg

Once cut into strips, the process is easy to make the disks.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017077.jpg

The photo doesn't show it, but it seems to cut nicer with the painted side of the can down.

After a few hours, I was ready to put them on the boolits and size and lube.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017072.jpg

Here is a fresh boolit. I made most with painted side in, but here in this photo you can see the painted side on the outside.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017073.jpg

Boolit weighs in at 126.5 with check and Thompson Blue hard lube.


I loaded up several hundred rounds and hit the desert with my CX4 9mm carbine.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017080.jpg

The launching platform:
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1016863.jpg

I fired the first 35 round magazine just testing for accuracy. It was excellent.

I then fired off 4 35 round magazines as fast I could pull the trigger. That carbine got HOT!.

First the last mag checking for accuracy again. No POI change and it was as good as when I had started.

Broke the weapon down and looked down the barrel. It looked as though it had just been cleaned. Not a sign of lead anywhere.

Picked some of the lead out of the burm, and it did just what I wanted. I had used pure linotype before, which naturally did not deform.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017079.jpg

To say the least, I'm pretty darn happy with this checkmaker. I put those rounds over a chrono and they were pushing right at 1500 from the carbine with a standard deviation of 18.

Now I have to go and drink a lot more AZ iced tea.

[Wally]

One very fine revew with fantastic photos--like a good gun magazine article...

[smoked turkey]

very nice & informative write up. Pat owes you a small commission after such a good sales pitch. HA.

[rodman68]

I have a question how fast can you send the al can down range without leading in fps? Can you run them in say the low 2000fps range would be nice for a 357 max in a h and r.

[Hogokansatsukan]

Thanks guys.

Rodman68. I don't know how fast you can push an aluminum checked boolit. If I can get a PB checkmaker for my .32 H&R Marlin, I'll see what I can do. I could check up some 90 grain 9mm and push them pretty hard. Let's check my load data...

Lyman 2-Cavity Bullet Mold #356242 9mm (356 Diameter) 90 Grain Round Nose (92 grain actual)
7.8 grains Power Pistol
COL 1.050
M9 1325 fps standard dev 37 359 ft/lbs
CX4 1675 fps standard dev 42 573 ft/lbs
Gain of 350fps and 214 ft/lbs

Accuracy: Sucks on Toast

I could try these with checks and see. Out of lino, they still leaded a little but as my notes on accuracy state, it was not the best.

[PatMarlin]

WOW!

Awesome write up Daniel... :drinks:

Feedback like this, keeps coming in and it means a lot to me.

It's been 2.5 years now of HARD **** work and sacrifice to even get to this point, and I'm not done yet but the heavy pressure is starting to lighten up and it's starting to get fun... :Fire:

[cobbmtmac]

Hey Pat! Yes---Wow!

A Big Congratulations!!!

[reloader28]

These things make 9mm very easy to load for.
We've had the same results and NO leading in the barrel with hot loads.
I also find it cuts better with the paint side down and I put the paint to the inside of the check. Makes a nice shiny base.

[sirgknight]

I noticed that the thickness on coke, sprite and a&w are all .004. are there any variances? Obviously the .004 thickness is thick enough to make a good check. Everything I've been reading says to use .014 aluminum.....i'm guessing that the .014 would be comparible to the regular copper checks. How much experimentation have you done on various cans? just curious.....

[PatMarlin]

The PB Checkmaker is designed for thin metals. Checkmaker™ dies for standard shank molds make gas checks with thin beverage can metals as well, but performance varies depending on your firearm etc.

Currently, the record setting metals is .014 Amerimax AL with my standard dies- beating out even factory gas checks in performance.

PB checks are winning with anything from .003-.008 thickness.

[Hogokansatsukan]

I have not done a lot of testing with different cans. I drink a lot of AZ tea, and they make longer strips of aluminum to boot, so that's what works for me.

I'll throw some of the checks on my little 90 grain plain base boolits and run a test on those. I would bet the accuracy would bump up quite nicely.

[Hogokansatsukan]

Well, I haven't had a chance to run the 90 grain boolits yet. I happened to pick up a .357 carbine and have been putting the checks on some rather soft 8 bhn boolits and cranking them out at 1850 fps. No leading. So we have some pretty soft lead going at some rather high speed. The flat nose 158 grain boolits turn into quarters when they hit the burm, and leave the barrel pristine.

Just got a .32 PB checkmaker so will be casting my .32 H&R boolits (RCBS 32-098 SWC and RCBS 32-098 WC) out of 8 bhn lead and checking with the 32PB Checkmaker. Even out of pure lino, they would lead the barrel in my Marlin (the load data I'm using is Ruger/Marlin only and not standard .32 H&R but closer to .327 Federal Magnum.) I have no doubt that the check will now eliminate all leading. Accuracy was exceptional before, but now should see a difference as well.
Will post another thread when all is done.

[Sonnypie]

The paper cutter you are using...
Is that one of the rolling knife types?
I have one of those, and a roll of copper flashing .006" and wanted to start making strips in anticipation of my Gas Check maker for 30 cal.
Curious if you use a roller type paper cutter?
__________________________________________________ ____________________

Nevermind.
I found my spare wheel for the cutter. (Always cover your tracks!) ;)
Since the original is kind of dull for cutting paper I tried it out.
Like a hot knife through warm butter! :drinks:
[smilie=w:

Yeah. I'm easily amused..... :lol:

[a.ashpaugh]

Great write up. The Checkmaker does the job wonderfully. Great pic's. I need to get one of these.

[Love Life]

I use the PB checks for my 9mm as well. I use pepsi, coke, coors, or pretty much any can I can get my hands on to make checks. When I form the check I make sure the painted side is inside the cup of the gas check.

I use these on RCBS 115 gr RN over a stout load of HP38 and lubed with thompsons blue angel. PB gas checks take all the wasted time and effort out of trying to get a 9mm to play nice with cast boolits.

I shoot them out of a glock 26 and Glock 17.

[PatMarlin]

:redneck:[smilie=w:[smilie=w:

[Muddydogs]

Just started using my PM PB Checkmaker to put checks on a Lee .358 158 grain beveled base bullet. I'm running these with a full load of H110 and not getting any leading in the S & W wheelgun. Accuracy is spot on as well. I to have found that the checkmaker likes to cut color down and cup color up.

[bstone5]

I also use cola can gas checks on 9 mm and 38 Special lead bullets.

The same check will fit a 9 mm or a 357 diameter bullet. The checks are installed after the bullets are powder coated.

The check make was made on my lathe from the data from Ed Smith.

The check maker also works better if the painted side is on the outside of the check.

I made these check tonight in a few hours. The check maker configures a complete check in one stroke.

76499

[outdoorfan]

I have Pat's 9mm/357 pb checkmaker, and it allows me to push the limits on pb boolits for hunting. However, I can't imagine having to fit all the boolits I shoot with them as it is quite time consuming (at least for me) to do this process. I don't know how some of you do volume shooting while making your own pb checks.

[Taylor]

I found .005 copper foil at Hobby Lobby,works great in Pat's check maker.Looks real purty on the boolits!

[robertbank]

I love the 9mm and cast my own for it, making it dirt cheap to shoot. This is a good thing as I tend to run 400-500 rounds through my various 9's in a week.

I recently got a custom mold made from Accurate molds, as I had plans of switching all my various cast 9mm to this prefered bullet shape and weight (preferred by me).

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1016943.jpg

The Checkmaker arived just in the nick of time, as I had over 4k boolits cast up and several AZ iced tea cans all ready (.004 thickness).

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017074.jpg

The checkmaker is very easy to use, but it helps to have a good papercutter to cut the cans into strips.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017076.jpg

Once cut into strips, the process is easy to make the disks.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017077.jpg

The photo doesn't show it, but it seems to cut nicer with the painted side of the can down.

After a few hours, I was ready to put them on the boolits and size and lube.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017072.jpg

Here is a fresh boolit. I made most with painted side in, but here in this photo you can see the painted side on the outside.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017073.jpg

Boolit weighs in at 126.5 with check and Thompson Blue hard lube.


I loaded up several hundred rounds and hit the desert with my CX4 9mm carbine.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017080.jpg

The launching platform:
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1016863.jpg

I fired the first 35 round magazine just testing for accuracy. It was excellent.

I then fired off 4 35 round magazines as fast I could pull the trigger. That carbine got HOT!.

First the last mag checking for accuracy again. No POI change and it was as good as when I had started.

Broke the weapon down and looked down the barrel. It looked as though it had just been cleaned. Not a sign of lead anywhere.

Picked some of the lead out of the burm, and it did just what I wanted. I had used pure linotype before, which naturally did not deform.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m182/hogokansatsukan/P1017079.jpg

To say the least, I'm pretty darn happy with this checkmaker. I put those rounds over a chrono and they were pushing right at 1500 from the carbine with a standard deviation of 18.

Now I have to go and drink a lot more AZ iced tea.

I just ordered one of Pat`s gas check makers for my 35 cal guns. Late to this thread but your post caught my eye. I have the Storm in 9MM. I size all my 9MM bullets .357 and get no leading using water quenched WW. I used to size .356 and wnen larger and found leading ended. I run my 125 gr 356402 bullets at 1300 fps with no leading at all.

Take Care

Bob