22 Bator and gas checks problem

[glw]

I just bought a 22 Bator mold for my stepdad to cast boolits for the 22 Hornet. He purchased some aluminum gas checks made out of .010 material. The boolits cast beautifully with full fill-out, but the checks come off the gas check shank easily with finger pressure. He does not believe that the will stay on when rolling them in a container to tumble lube them.

What would be the solution to this problem? Thicker gas checks? Polishing the gas check shank in the mold? (He does not have a drill press, so it might be difficult to hone the shank without making it oblong. Maybe this won't matter, though, as the check would cover it.)

Anyone run into this that has a solution?

Thanks for the help!
Glenn

[wmitty]

glw

Are the checked boolits being run through a push thru die to crimp the checks on the shank?

[bangerjim]

I use Cu checks ONLY.........they are harder and fit better! I tried Al and threw them away. Not worth the time. Buy Hornady checks!

I tap the check on with a small hammer to make sure it is seated and then run it nose 1st thru the Lee sizing die. GC 1st tends to make the slug go crooked and damage it and the check!

I PC all my boolits but not the GC area. Some have found PC'ing the GC area will hold checks on better because it adds a couple thou to the diameter.

banger

[338RemUltraMag]

As a small side note, these are not my checks, if they were made from junk aluminum they may have too much spring in the metal itself.

I offer up a sample of my copper checks free of charge with a PM.

[altheating]

I beg to differ on the statement that aluminum checks are not worth the time. We are shooting them in six K hornets, a hornet, several 223 including a bunch of AR's, two 222's, a buddies 218 B and who knows what else. We found that the checks were making it all the way to Screwbolts 100 yard gong. Accuracy was the same as when we used Blammers or Hornady copper checks. We have no leading issues with the aluminum checks and best of all after buying the Freechex tool the checks are free. I shot over 5000 of them out of my hornets alone last year and loaded over 4000 of them in 223's. So far I have punched out over 50,000 of them little buggers. That's a whole bunch of free lithoplate. I would take up 338RemUltraMag's offer, it could be they are made from the wrong material.

[glw]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the info. 338RemUltraMag contacted me about some samples. For the record, the checks that are not staying on are not from anyone on this forum. I don't know where the problem may be, so I am not blaming the checks. Maybe the material in them is no good, but I don't know this for sure.

A Lee .224 push-thru sizer is being used to crimp the checks.

Glenn

[338RemUltraMag]

I will send some copper and aluminum, try polishing the die some, if they are rough it will screw up the check

[leadman]

I use the aluminum from 338 on the 30 cal and 22 cal. Bator with no problems. I do have a Lyman mold that when the boolits are cast of linotype and heat treated the aluminum extrude below the push thru die ram. These boolits are 35 BHN and when 22 BHN lino is used they work fine.
I have been shooting moa with several 30 and 31 cal. guns with the aluminum checks.
I have one of the recent Bator molds also and the shank is a little on the small side so maybe an alloy containing more antimony is called for. I cast all my 22s from linotype as the reject rate is very low this way.