Aluminum and Copper sizes

[lead chucker]

I'm trying to figure out something when you make gas checks out of say .014 aluminum and they work good why wouldn't .014 copper work also seems people use thicker material with aluminum and thinner material with copper. Dimensionally wouldn't they be the same hence making the same size check maybe some one can enlighten me on this.

[darkroommike]

Not a gas check maker or a metallurgist but it may be about spring back, when deformed by a punch or die the two materials probably spring back towards the original flat form by a different amount which could affect how well the checks grips the bullet base (just talking out of my hat but put my theory down as a "maybe" until someone more knowledgeable chimes in).

[Sonnypie]

As Mike eludes to, different metals act differently to forming processes.
I was testing some .007" copper yesterday and it has a noticeable different sound when it shears, and it formed nicely for me.
Just doesn't grip the bullets.

When I bought Hornady copper gas checks, I got a dimension of .017" thick material. Pretty beefy... I still have one for reference.

My experiments with thinner coppers have been fraught with loose checks. I did have a little bit of success when doubling .006 copper. But felt it was a pain over just using Aluminum.

Different tools will call for different ideal metal thicknesses, and even types, that have been found to work best with that tool.
You can deviate from that "norm", but you will find thinner won't grip, and thicker will at some point gum up the works of the tool.
Falling off checks is aggravation. Material deformed or stuck in tools is equally a PITA picking the material out.

[Sagebrush7]

Sonny, Hornady uses C210 annealed copper to make their checks. Two thickneses .010 and .017. I tied to buy some from distributers. When it gets down to it they want you to buy a 2500 foot roll about $15,000. They would gladly have it dropped shipped from th Olin Corp. You want to split a roll? I need about 10 feet!

[Sonnypie]

Sounds like a real deal to me, James!
$7500 each, and all I have to do is send you 10 feet off the 2500 foot roll? :drinks:

Lemme check my piggy bank...

Aww Man! Looks like I'm about $7487.56 short... :violin:
I guess I'll have to stick to Pepsi cans... [smilie=l:

:kidding:

Well, at least that gives me confidence in my micrometer... ;)

[yonky]

Sonny, Hornady uses C210 annealed copper to make their checks. Two thickneses .010 and .017. I tied to buy some from distributers. When it gets down to it they want you to buy a 2500 foot roll about $15,000. They would gladly have it dropped shipped from th Olin Corp. You want to split a roll? I need about 10 feet!


hi james, you would have thought that sonny would have weighed in to buy half of that coil with you.lol
i have some copper strip 99"long x .590" x .016" if your interested?
any friend of sonnys is a friend of mine.ian::violin:

[Sagebrush7]

Thanks yonky. Looking for a source for the C210 annealed copper like Hornady uses and I figure Gator checks uses. I have some of the regular soft copper.

[Sonnypie]

hi james, you would have thought that sonny would have weighed in to buy half of that coil with you.lol


I did, I did, but I only had $12.44.....

I have a very skinny piggy bank... :shock:
Another paradise lost.:violin: