Thumb seating CBs? powder?

[JBMauser]

Besides black powder, is there any powder that will perform with cast
bullets and no crimp? I have some fat .30 bullets and some 7.62X54R
cases that I opened up the mouth to .313 into which I can slide some
GC cast pills. The primer alone will move the bullet I am sure. A
full case of mill surp 50 cal ammo would offer a powder collumn that
would tend to stay put... maybe... Anyone have any success with thumb
seating either CB or PP?
thanks in advance. JB

[shooter93]

I've played around with this idea and I think it can work under the right circumstances. I varied neck tension in extremely fine amounts to get some "grab" on the bullet and seated to touch the lands. I decided to build a rifle to carry this to it's end, it's in the works now so I'll know more later. this particular rifle will use a small case, .338...275 gr. bullets and the reamer will be made for the catridge so I get a very close fit. I also plan on neck turning and reaming a "bullet stop seat" inside the neck.

[shooter93]

And I guess I should add that thumb seated bullets are used by some competitors in Singl Shot rifle matches. I'd like to have a thumb seated bullet with enough tenision to hold the bullet from radily falling out which is a requirement for CBA matches.

[Leftoverdj]

Faster the powder, the less need for initial resistance. Thumbseated bullets will work fine, given the right relationship between the case neck and the bullet diameter. This is one place where the stickiness of LLA helps. When I was playing with this stuff, it was just to make oddball military guns go bang. Loads only had to stay together long enough get in the chamber. LLA would make up for a slightly oversized neck. Wouldn't surprise me any if, given a couple of weeks to dry, it would glue the bullet in place enough for field use.

[Maven]

JBMauser, Why do you wish to seat CB's with only thumb pressure in the 7.62 x 54R? PM me if you want load data for that cartridge.

[Willbird]

I would guess he does not have dies for the caliber ?

[jonk]

I've done it for Swiss Vetterlis and 11mm Mausers with both BP and smokeless, no apparent problems.

[JBMauser]

I have dies for this cal. but lets face it. factory dies are set up for them coated bullets. I have made up m die spuds to open the necks to take my fater than jacketed bullets.. my .313 and .314 pills. I also flare my mouths to accept my pills without shaving them. I just have a bunch of
CBs that I bought that someone had sized and in checking them to my case they can be seated with hand pressure. The idea just hit me to take them to the range with a scale and load and shoot without a press. I do it with black powder with my paper patched 45/70 and it works well to tune the load. JB

[Fireball 57]

After neckturning some 30-06 Winchester once fired cases, for an experiment in accuracy with CBs, to determine IF in a target chamber, I loaded about 22 gns. of 5744 for a light load. With a 311284 GC'ed, 210 gn. CB that slid down the case neck with light resistance, by hand, I was rewarded nice, tight single hole group at fifty yards. Some of the CB's slipped on the powder requiring an inertia bullet puller, LIGHTLY stricking a wood block. Good luck!

[joeb33050]

Besides black powder, is there any powder that will perform with cast
bullets and no crimp? I have some fat .30 bullets and some 7.62X54R
cases that I opened up the mouth to .313 into which I can slide some
GC cast pills. The primer alone will move the bullet I am sure. A
full case of mill surp 50 cal ammo would offer a powder collumn that
would tend to stay put... maybe... Anyone have any success with thumb
seating either CB or PP?
thanks in advance. JB

There are many powders that will perform with cast bullets and no crimp, most of us do not crimp when searching for accuracy. IMR4227, AA#9, Unique, H110, Blue Dot and other faster powders work fine. Others use the slower powders, I have little experience.
A happy bit of luck happens whenm a bullet, case and gun work together such that one can drop a bullet in the chamber, push in the loaded case, and shoot accurately. I have had several such combinations, have one now.
Then there's the step necked case, which, with some careful fiddling allows hand seating the bullet in the case and shooting accurately. Fore detailed instructions see the book at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/CB-BOOK/ , look in FILES, 6.2 CARTRIDGE CASES, then way down to THE STEP NECKED CASE.
Step necked cases for 308, for instance, can be made from 30/06 cases, so that there's the thickness needed in the neck. I use them in a 30/30 bench gun with a tight neck.
Then, Mike Barrett makes cases that have an inside step by opening up, for instance, a 32/40 case, cutting off the base and neck of another 32/40 case, putting the piece-of-case in the opened case and swaging the whole thing down to 32/40 size. Gives a case with a step, so bullets, again, may be seated with the fingers. Only one or two are needed, so the effort isn't that great.
Then some have reported soldering a piece of smalloer neck inside the neck of the case, and just sticking a piece of tubing into a case to make the step, and lathe-turning a case with a step to fit the bullet and gun.
I have some pictures, but can't get them on here.
Good luck and keep us informed.
joe brennan