Seating Tight Gas Checks

[Boyscout]

Any suggestions on seating tight gas checks. I am currently having issues putting .35 Hornandy gas checks on my RCBS 200 gn. .358 FP bullets. These seem to be a lot harder to keep square and seat than the .309 cal bullets. I am using a .
358 Lee push through sizer.

[44man]

I used an old RCBS die to make a GC seater. Alter the seating punch to fit the boolit nose with epoxy and use the Lee punch at the bottom. Just use your press to seat. Screw the seating punch way down.
I like Lee size dies but they tend to pull GC's back so I run GC boolits through upside down. That means a bottom punch to fit a boolit nose too.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Hiya BoyScout (nice user-name, BTW!),

Check around here (maybe a search will help), but a lot of guys anneal their gas checks and some also/or "bell-mouth" them (for lack of a better term) by using a large ball-bearing or other rounded object that they can punch down onto the GC to expand it's mouth.

I've got a GC seater that works great for getting the GC on, but if you have a boolit with a GC shank that is significantly larger than the Inside Dia. of the GC mouth, the gas-check will shave lead on one side, leaving it lop-sided anyway... Still have to expand the opening on the GC to get satisfactory results.

One thing with the bell-mouthing, if you happen to be using a Star or other nose-first luber, you will have to seat the GC AND take out some/all of that bell before running them through the sizer. If you have a base-first sizer, it does all that for you in the sizing step...

[runfiverun]

you can push them through the star base first then flip them over and lube them.

look at noe's sight he has a g/c seater and a little taper tool to bevel the edge of the gas check shank for easier straighter seating.
i just use the outside champher tool from my rcbs power prep thingy.

[Boyscout]

I'll try the ball bearing first to flare. I have access to those. I know if they are crooked starting they will stay that way. A little flare should take care of it. Thanks.

[HARRYMPOPE]

I have a couple of GC shank swages in 30 and 35 that go in a lubrasizer.Its a extra step i hate but one of my 35 bullets that shoots best has an oversize shank.its just another option.

George

[Freischütz]

The NOE gas check seater and shank sizer solved my problems.

Before using it I had a lot of trouble with non-concentric sizing. I wondered why all the mould cavities were out of round. After using the sizer non-concertric sizing disappeared. Trying to seat the gas checks on the oversized shanks was the problem.

I also noticed that the Gator checks from Blammer were a tighter fit than Hornady gas checks.

[leftiye]

Make a punch that flares the GC cups a little (GC shank size plus one or two thou, rounded front edge), no problemo. Check slips right on and seats smoothly without wadding up part of the edge of the boolit base under the check. I have put the boolits nose down and pounded on them with a plastic hammer to get a check to go on (duh?). If you are gentle it might work, but this ain't a reliable, consistent way to go. Neither is forcing them on by any other means. They'll shear the edges of your gas check shanks off (did I mention unevenly?).

[leftiye]

You'll need to make a claw like tool maybe from a nice hard feeler gauge to get the check off of your flaring tool. Straight across with a little extractor shaped hook on one side, pry off.

[Gunslinger1911]

If not terribly tight, I have used a pair of vice grips with the front part of the jaws ground smooth (a layer of duct tape for padding dosn't hurt). Don't need the "locking" part, but the adjustment helps keep the jaws somewhat parallel.

[DonMountain]

If not terribly tight, I have used a pair of vice grips with the front part of the jaws ground smooth.

I also use a small pair of vice grips with the flat, round pads that swivel some on the jaws. And set the clamping to pop closed just as the gas check pops on. With a flat nosed bullet for my 45 it really works good and doesn't damage the boolit. And then I run them through my RCBS lube-sizer. :lovebooli

[caseyboy]

I use my drill press with a top punch in the chuck. I made a base that clamps to the press table that can be lined up perfectly with the top punch. A pull of the drill press lever seats tight checks perfectly every time.

[Gtek]

Do you have a lathe? If not, find a buddy with or access to one. 3/8" mild round stock and make taper punch to perfect required dimensions. Heck, as little as would be removed a drill press and a good file and a little sand paper. Welcome to outside the box. Gtek

[plainsman456]

When I have some that do not set up square I cut a 1 inch piece of 1/8 flat stock and lightly bump it square with the sizer.
When done I then size and lube like normal.
Cost me nothing OH I use a RCBS sizer.