Gas checks and there use?

[7.62Man]

Hi all,

I have slowly been casting for my 45-70 and sks and some for the 30-06.

I have been reading a lot of info about casting bullets in my lyman manual and on the net. My question is if you oven heat treat straight wheel weights (so they stand 45,000psi) do you still need to use gas checks or are the ww heat treated enough?

Thanks
Bill

[Bass Ackward]

Bill,

Not sure I am going to answer this to your satisfaction. But gas check designs may or may not shoot with out a check. This comes down to individual results. Success or failure can have nothing to do with hardness depending on what is happening.

I have never gotten any checked bullet design, at any hardness level, to be an "acceptable to me" accurate bullet. Never. Maybe that is because I had a PB design on hand that would outperform it. If I had been stuck with a single mold, maybe my opinion of acceptable to me would be different.

Accuracy of a any checked design minus the check could always be beaten by some PB design or that same design checked. Period.

[felix]

Agree with BA. ... felix

[7.62Man]

So if a bullet is designed to use a gas check use it. Got it, thanks again.

[joeb33050]

I have a Martini 30/30 bench rifle that was made ~15 years ago. The match winning bullet in this gun, ASSRA matches, has been 311299 with no gas check. This gun has shot match 100 yard groups in the .2's, and at least 2 250 100 yard scores. Best 200 yard score I can remember is 248.
I size the bullet .312, lube with NRA formula, seat it in a step-necked case.
I have fired a lot of plain based bullets in this rifle, and haven't changed my bullet choice. A no-grease-groove bullet works pretty well, 311291 with the GC shank removed is also OK, had a Hoch pb mold that was OK, 308403 does very well, there were others.
There may very well be a pb bullet design that would shoot better than 311299 (now working on 314299) without the GC, but I haven't found it.
I have used 311299 and 31141 without gas check, with light loads, in 30 caliber guns from 32/20 (30) to 300 WM with excellent results. However, for bolt guns I think that a GC design seats better in the case with the GC on, and it makes the bore diameter + length of the bullet longer-which may improve accuracy, and it makes me feel better, and it takes little extra time or $$.
joe brennan