Seating checks

[mattd]

I'm having a hard time seating some aluminum checks I got from a vendor here. Putting them on the Lee 309-170. Bullets cast at 311 and pushing them thru a lee 309 sizer. They never get pushed on all the way. I've tried going thru the sizer nose first, base first, LLA lubed, pan Lubed, dry. Haven't found a good, quick way yet. I put them in the bench vise, with wood jaws, and slowly tighten the jaws down on the bullet and check to get it all the way down. Takes forever. Any ideas?

[Wally]

Take a small wooden board. Drill a hole 1/2 way through slightly larger than the bullet diameter. Put the bullet head first in the hole, press on the GC, & lightly hammer on with a small plastic mallet.

Years ago I used an RCBS bullet mold and Hornady GC's. I used this method and it worked very well. Using a Lyman GC seater on a 450 Press and the bullet tips woudl be badly deformed. The wooden board will form fit to the bullet tip and if you tap gentle enough you will not deform the bullet tip. Good Luck...!

[TCFAN]

When I have had this problem of gas checks not fitting the gas check shank I find a round head machine screw that is ever so slightly larger than the gas check and tap the screw to flair the gas check so that it will snap on the boolit.
Doesn't take very long to flair a 100 or so if you lay them out on the bench and tap away with a small hammer....................Terry

[1Shirt]

I do the same as Wally, but use a fairly good size headed hard rubber mallet. For flat nose blts, I just put the nose on a flat surface. I tend to cast rifle blts hard, and have never had any deformed noses.
1Shirt!

[mattd]

Here's what I came up with. The 309 plunger had enuf lube on it that it held in the sizer. Then put a 44 plunger on the press and had two flat surfaces. I tried nose and base first, and had best luck with nose up, check on the 44 plunger. Maybe you could use a magnet on top to hold it in if your didnt have the lube build up I have.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/mattd1978/10ea6d8807301bd733572a8dbb635de5_zps5daf9724.jpg

[Wally]

That will work, but the bullet tip will be deformed.




Here's what I came up with. The 309 plunger had enuf lube on it that it held in the sizer. Then put a 44 plunger on the press and had two flat surfaces. I tried nose and base first, and had best luck with nose up, check on the 44 plunger. Maybe you could use a magnet on top to hold it in if your didnt have the lube build up I have.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/mattd1978/10ea6d8807301bd733572a8dbb635de5_zps5daf9724.jpg

[douglasskid]

Thanks for the idea. I"ll try it.

[fcvan]

I recently tried to seat checks on a new boolit, the Lee C312-155 2R, powder coated and sized to .311. The checks I had made from .014 aluminum were a tad thick and so very tight on the shank. (They are perfect for my C309-150 F)

Anyway, I was using the Lee push through and my hand press. I put the check on the end of the shank, inserted the boolit in the sizer, and then used the ram to tap (ok, smack firmly) the check in place and then push the boolit through. The checks seated square, firm, and tightly onto the boolit. The bottom of the check was very square. I made up some more checks from .0105 aluminum and they seat firmly, albeit with a little less smacking. And, the base of the check was slightly rounded vs sharp and square.

Some time ago, I made some checks for a friend who had an oversized shank on his mold. I had to use the slightly thinner material AND adjust the dies so the check was more open. That worked for him and had worked for me.

[338RemUltraMag]

Here is how I seat all of my checks, super simple and easy

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?201576-Super-simple-way-to-seat-gas-checks-perfect-every-time

[wistlepig1]

Here is how I seat all of my checks, super simple and easy

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?201576-Super-simple-way-to-seat-gas-checks-perfect-every-time

I like it and will try it on a Lee 170 gr and my homemade Chex.

[wistlepig1]

I like it and will try it on a Lee 170 gr and my homemade Chex.

Update, I had good luck with this idea with the same bullit and was very pleased. Thanks for the tip

[DrBill33]

A NOE GAS CHECK SEATER HELPS A LOT, AND, FOR MY LEE SIZERS, I HAD A MACHINIST FRIEND CONTOUR THE RAMS SO THAT i CAN NOW SIZE BASE FIRST. IT REALLY HAS WORKED FOR ME.

[wistlepig1]

DrBill, would you have a picture, I have a lathe and would like to see what you had your friend did. thanks martin

[krag35]

After reading through this thread, I thought I would post how I, start and seat gas checks.

I start a boolit into the appropriate sizer die nose first.
I run it down in the sizer with a flat punch till I feel it start to "hang up" or engage the sizer.
I put the gas check on the base of the boolit , attempting to "snap" it on the gas check shank.
I lower the flat nose punch ( actually a base punch) and it seats the gas check square with the boolit.
I then push the assembled piece on down into the size die till it bottoms out and give it a firm "squeeze"

When I have enough, I crank up the lube pressure and lube and run them back through base first. this crimps the Gas checks onto the Boolit.

Now if I can get pictures to post :-) I posted the pictures in reverse order, but you will get the idea.
8933789336893358933489333

[pt4u2nv]

Maybe I am looking at this all wrong but all I do is put a pc of metal on top of the sizing die and using the appropriate top punch just use the lubrisizer to press the gascheck onto the boolit. Pull the pc of metal away and size and lube the boolit as usual. I can do any style boolit whether it is a spiral point or flat nose by using the appropriate top punch for that boolit and it does not deform the boolit at all.

Seems you all are making a lot more out of this than necessary unless I am not seeing something.

[Reg]

89410
This is what I came up with just using a old Lyman shot shell press assy and a few small parts from the scrap box. The top piece is a short of 1" round nylon rod. Ran a number 3 center drill to depth to give a location surface for the nose of the boolit and it protects it as well. The bottom is just a nicely flattened off 1 and 1 1/4" short. May have to adjust this height as I go to different designs and calibers but it works well with .22 cal.
I did make the small flat locating bushing to accurately locate the gas check to the base of the bullet. So far all checks seem to go on very flat and most importantly, very true.
Have made my own sizing die along the Lee straight through design and this reduces the dia. of the check to match the dia. of the finished bullet. Am sure this design could be improved on but its a start and does seem to work quite accurately.

[338RemUltraMag]

Maybe I am looking at this all wrong but all I do is put a pc of metal on top of the sizing die and using the appropriate top punch just use the lubrisizer to press the gascheck onto the boolit. Pull the pc of metal away and size and lube the boolit as usual. I can do any style boolit whether it is a spiral point or flat nose by using the appropriate top punch for that boolit and it does not deform the boolit at all.

Seems you all are making a lot more out of this than necessary unless I am not seeing something.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, as long as they are on square it doesnt really matter.