One half of a gas check

[cbrick]

Perhaps a better title for this thread would be: "A testament to Miha". Or maybe: "Dumber than a rock".

I have two identical brass four cavs from Miha (311-410), one is plain base and one is gas check. The last time I had them out I put some bullplate on the shafts & sprue plate, reassembled them and stored them in their air tight boxes. This morning I get the box out, open one of the molds & yep, that's the one I want, PB with the long HP pins. Set up mold oven, heat up the pot & flux, good to go.

My first boolit inspection is opening the sprue plate, if the bases aren't perfect it goes in the sprue pile. Don't care what the rest of the boolit looks like, it's useless to me. I pour the first fill, open the sprue & it's a :veryconfu kinda moment, what the hay, I've sure never seen a boolit base that looks like that. Completely filled out base with sharp edges all the way around but one side is smaller than the other. Looking at the mold & yep, it's the PB mold but looking at the other block, hhmmm gas check block. One block from the PB mold and the other from the GC mold. Now just how am I gonna cut a gas check in half? At least the checks will last twice as long. :mrgreen:

The amazing thing at least to me is that the two blocks from two different molds fit together so perfectly, there wasn't even a parting line on the boolits. Just half a plain base and half a gas check base. Quite a testament to Miha I think but maybe not to me for not paying attention. No harm no foul, just had to reassemble the right blocks together & then wait on the pre-heat. Left mental note for self, self you stupid chit, pay attention.

Rick

[OuchHot!]

wowie! That is impressive, even in the cnc era for tolerances.
If it had been me, I probably would have cast a hundred before taking a look.

[Garyshome]

Just use a skill saw! But keep an eye on your fingers.

[Rangefinder]

So... Would that mean you could drive one of those half-again as hard as you would a standard PB? :D

[LynC2]

Murphy is alive and well I see! Miha makes some very nice molds and he must be holding some darn close tolerances to match up that well! A lot of times I would say "been there and done that"; however that is one I can't own up to......yet. :bigsmyl2:

[cbrick]

So... Would that mean you could drive one of those half-again as hard as you would a standard PB? :D

Hey, I didn't think of that. I might be on to something here, and 2000 checks per box. :groner:

Rick

[btroj]

Talk about cheap, only using half a check.

[cbrick]

Frugal, cheap sounds so . . . well, cheap. :coffeecom

Rick

[btroj]

I can see the next Headline "Arkansas man finds way to cut gas check cost in half"!

[cbrick]

Not until I figure out a way to cut the thing in half without ruining the other half and wasting it. I didn't take much of a fancy to the skill saw idea. Ouch!

Rick

[WallyM3]

Maybe it will shoot around corners?

[Calamity Jake]

Laser man.......laser

[cbrick]

Hhmmm . . . Laser, probably work but they are pretty pricey. Would be cheaper, uh more frugal to buy & use the whole check, all at once. [smilie=1:

Rick

[btroj]

Have Pat Martin make you half a tool. Duh

[MtGun44]

Actually, the HAVE TO be this good. I will bet money that Miha does NOT make "molds" but
"mold halves". ALL identical. Half get male alignment pins half get female alignment sockets.
Half get sprue plate pin threading and half get stop roll pins. THEN - he puts them together
into pairs. If they are not ALL perfect, they are ALL junk.

He IS that good. This is modern CNC manufacturing.

Of course, those boolits must look pretty funny.

NOW - how do they shoot?

Bill

[dilly]

I'm just a little bit disappointed not to see a picture. I'm sure posting was an afterthought though.

[dale2242]

Now that`s funny.
A testament to good workmanship.....dale

[btroj]

Do they shoot half way between the groups you get with and without checks?

Do the shoot ok, maybe "not half bad"?

[runfiverun]

well you could always orient the full half to the bottom of the chamber that would keep the powder from leaking out. :lol:
i'm afraid i'd have to shoot a handful just to see.

[cbrick]

well you could always orient the full half to the bottom of the chamber that would keep the powder from leaking out. :lol:
i'm afraid i'd have to shoot a handful just to see.

Powder can't leak out, it has a base band it's just that 1/2 of the base is plain base, the other side of the base has a gas check shank.

I didn't cast a handful of them so I can't shoot a handful, it's a 4 cavity and I cast four boolits, one fill. I tossed three back in the pot and kept one just because it's a bit unusual. I'll try to get a picture of it.

Rick

[btroj]

Rick, are you gonna call them "Half-*** checks"?

[Blammer]

I'd keep a few of those cast boolits on hand just for fun.

got a pic of them?

[geargnasher]

Miha's blocks are intended to be identical. They are machined one half at a time, and the alignment pins are put in later. It's done so well that they all match up. He has a long video on his site showing one block being finished. What amazes me is how he can turn out a run of moulds in less than two lifetimes, there must be fifteen tool changes per half just on the cavity face side.

Gear

[Garyshome]

I think I'll start writing half checks.

[338RemUltraMag]

Miha's blocks are intended to be identical. They are machined one half at a time, and the alignment pins are put in later. It's done so well that they all match up. He has a long video on his site showing one block being finished. What amazes me is how he can turn out a run of moulds in less than two lifetimes, there must be fifteen tool changes per half just on the cavity face side.

Gear

The part he doesnt show is ALL mold halves are run before changing tools. Or it would take "forever"

[geargnasher]

The part he doesnt show is ALL mold halves are run before changing tools. Or it would take "forever"

Not seeing that in the video, or how swapping out and re-zeroing each piece for every operation is faster than automated tool changes, but I'll take your word for it. However he does it, I'm certainly impressed. The repeatable precision and backlash figures on that equipment must run into five decimal places to make the cavities line up so well.

Gear

[cbrick]

Ok, here is what a boolit looks like when ya really, really hafta save on gas checks.

86108 86110

Rick

[ASM826]

If I had got going, I would likely have about 200 of them and being trying to decide if i was going to try loading some or just dump that back in with the sprue for next time.

[OuchHot!]

Skeeter Skelton could have written a whole series of "Jug" invention stories on those boolits. I miss him.

[btroj]

The fact you took half of two different moulds and they lined up that well. Now that is some slick machine work. I am in awe of that kind of precision.

Thanks for the photo Rick, it makes me appreciate my Miha mould that much more.

[Blammer]

I'd use that picture as my Avitar. :)

[drinks]

Purdy, perhaps not too useful, but cute!

[cbrick]

Purdy, perhaps not too useful, but cute!

Useful? :veryconfu Hhmmm . . . I think if you read post #1 of this thread the usefulness of this boolit may become apparent. But then, maybe not huh?

Rick

[runfiverun]

i'd have to make up a couple hundred and then shoot some groups with them it would at least partially answer the question "can we shoot a gas check boolit without a gas check"

[btroj]

Run, that would only answer half of the question......

[cbrick]

i'd have to make up a couple hundred and then shoot some groups with them

I can't see that being very productive. I am of the school of thought that the base steers the boolit not the nose. I can't believe that this boolit would be anything but EXTREMELY unbalanced in flight, then consider the moment one side of the boolit base is still in contact with the muzzle (crown) while the other side is completely free of the bore yet still has gas pressure behind it. I think a scatter gun would be bench rest accurate compared with these boolits, the only surprise would be if one actually hit the target.

Their most valuable use is having some fun with this thread.

Rick

[cbrick]

Ok, ponder this . . . IF you actually did hit the target with one of these . . . Which side of the boolit was responsible? Plain base or gas check? [smilie=1:

Rick

[btroj]

Yes???

[Freightman]

I can't see that being very productive. I am of the school of thought that the base steers the boolit not the nose.



Rick
Think you are right in this.

[btroj]

Try orienting them to see if you can shoot a target with two distinct groups.

[cbrick]

Try orienting them to see if you can shoot a target with two distinct groups.

I think I'll make that a bit more accurate . . .


Try orienting them to see if you can shoot a target with two distinct patterns.

Or perhaps . . .


Try orienting them to see if you can hit a target.

What we have here is the newest, latest, hottest rage in tactical zombie destroying square cut bevel base boolits.

Rick

[btroj]

They will hit the target, if it is large enough.

I still can't believe how closely the different mould halves lined up. Amazing. Seeing is believing.

Other than as a curiosity these bullets have no use. Shooting them would do little other than prove that an obviously off balance bullet with an obvious base flaw doesn't shoot accurately.

As for zombies, that is an entirely different discussion.

[runfiverun]

they would shoot pretty badly,,, probably horribly,,, but you'd have conclusive proof of badness.
now if your brother is like mine and thinks everything I have didn't cost me anything,
a couple of boxes of "match" ammo could have some uses.

[btroj]

That is just evil Run. I like that. Great ammo for the mooch in your life, it should drive em nuts for a while. Maybe shoot with them using proper bullets......

[cbrick]

now if your brother is like mine and thinks everything I have didn't cost me anything, a couple of boxes of "match" ammo could have some uses.

Very cold hearted . . . I love it. :mrgreen:

As for the zombies since they attack from all directions the TZDSCBBB's (tactical zombie destroying square cut bevel base boolits) would be perfect, when they saw you aim at one another one off 20 feet to his side would be in for a surprise (so would you if you actually hit it). And just think of the meplat . . . Full boolit length.

Rick

[338RemUltraMag]

Not seeing that in the video, or how swapping out and re-zeroing each piece for every operation is faster than automated tool changes, but I'll take your word for it. However he does it, I'm certainly impressed. The repeatable precision and backlash figures on that equipment must run into five decimal places to make the cavities line up so well.

Gear

Oh ok, I had not seen the video I thought you meant making the blocks, I reread the first comment, call me dense sometimes.

[myg30]

Watch the swap n sell guys... 200 boolits fer sale, Half GC and Half PB.... Lol

Mike

[Shuz]

Hey Rick--Just for grins and giggles, why not shoot a few and see what does happen?

[Three44s]

This is the new rage!

You throw one of these up ........ and it will loiter in the area until a target of opportunity presents itself!

Yes Sir ....... smart boolits!

Just keep your head down ...... we don't any of the good guys drilled!!


Three 44s