Freechex III - is it worth it?

[detroitcharlie]

Considering the Freechex III system for my .223 cast boolits. I'm curious what others think of the system, the value, usefulness, etc.. I appreciate any thoughts or opinions.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's what I use, with .008 Alum. lith. plate...they fit all my GC style 22 boolits: Lee Bator, HM², and NOE's clone of the 22-055 RCBS.

[detroitcharlie]

It's what I use, with .008 Alum. lith. plate...they fit all my GC style 22 boolits: Lee Bator, HM², and NOE's clone of the 22-055 RCBS.

Yeah, I was going to try out the .008 alum and 2 ply soda cans. Have you tried the soda can checks? Planning to use with RCBS .22-55-SP

[xacex]

for 308 absolutely! 223, not so much. I did not have good luck with aluminum gas checks in that size. Maybe if I did not have sausage fingers they would be easier to deal with.

[bangerjim]

I have had no luck with Al checks for 223 at all! PITA's to put on and those light Al things are even worse than Cu. I stick to commercial Cu checks 100%. They do not cost that much and it's sure is easy just to reach into the little red box and grab a handful!

Have used Al on 45's with more success because the are a decent size to handle.

I still buy commercial checks for 223/30/357/45. Just fit better!

Hope you find the check solution that works for you!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Yeah, I was going to try out the .008 alum and 2 ply soda cans. Have you tried the soda can checks? Planning to use with RCBS .22-55-SP
I've learned the hard way that using "good" material is key to success with FCIII. So no, I haven't tried soda can metal with it.

[captaint]

The only aluminum checks I have used are PB checks and they work great on 9mm. I should try some on the warmer .357's. I don't get lead, though, ever in the .357's. Guess that would be a waste of time. I'm rambling.

[kungfustyle]

Freechex are great to use. The side walls of the check is small compared to Pat Marlin's version but they are defiantly easier to make. I only have the 8mm in Freechex and 30 cal in Pat Marlin's. Bottom line, Pat's make better gc's and freechex are easier to crank them out. Haven't had problems with the 8mm but .224 seems very small $.09 each is hard to pass up on Hornady 55g fmj's from mamoth's http://monmouthreloading.com/product/hornady-55gr-fmjbt-projectiles/
Unless you just love casting and dressing up the 223's leads.:kidding:

[JeffinNZ]

.22 GCs are no worse to make than any other. The gauge and type of material are what matters. Our member Euan has a prototype FCIII and has made 10s of thousands of checks that work great.

[detroitcharlie]

for 308 absolutely! 223, not so much. I did not have good luck with aluminum gas checks in that size. Maybe if I did not have sausage fingers they would be easier to deal with.

That's a bummer to hear. I'm def gonna use for .308- but I was most interested in using it for .223 :/

[detroitcharlie]

Freechex are great to use. The side walls of the check is small compared to Pat Marlin's version but they are defiantly easier to make. I only have the 8mm in Freechex and 30 cal in Pat Marlin's. Bottom line, Pat's make better gc's and freechex are easier to crank them out. Haven't had problems with the 8mm but .224 seems very small $.09 each is hard to pass up on Hornady 55g fmj's from mamoth's http://monmouthreloading.com/product/hornady-55gr-fmjbt-projectiles/
Unless you just love casting and dressing up the 223's leads.:kidding:

Nice find and thanks for the advice!

[xacex]

That's a bummer to hear. I'm def gonna use for .308- but I was most interested in using it for .223 :/
Please do not let my experience dissuade you from trying for yourself. My suggestion is to get some from sage outdoors in that size before buying the tool. They use the free chex III to make their aluminum gas checks. You can get a small pack of 100 to try for very little money outlay before spending over $100 for the tool.

[altheating]

I have 22 cal, 243/6mm, 38, 44 and 458 Freechex III tools. I make all my checks out of Lithoplate. All single thickness except for the 458 checks where I need double thickness. I make checks for 5 of us and every one has just as good accuracy and ease of use as with boughten copper checks. I had a problem with my 243/6mm punch, called Charlie and he sent me a different size inner punch, problem solved. Just tell him what shank size you have on your Boolit and what material you will be using when you order.
Making a complete check with every stroke of the handle sure makes a big pile of checks really quick. Last week I punched out two quart mayonnaise jars full of 44 and 458 checks. One thing I like about the Freechex III is you can rig it to make an automatic motor driven system. You don't have to handle them to complete the process. You can't go wrong with the Freechex tools.

[Darklin]

Where can you purchase them? I am interested in one for my 44 Mags.

[kungfustyle]

These are the next best thing: https://sharpshooter-22lr-reloader.myshopify.com/products/one-stroke-gas-check-die-40-s-w-45-acp-44-mag

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

there is a machine shop in Canada making them, BFB Machine. I'm not sure how long they have been cranking them out, but I recently found out about them and they are willing to do custom sizes, I just ordered a custom size tool (Fat 6.5mm), it threads into reloading press.

[MT Gianni]

JonB, will you please post your wait time from ordering the custom die?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Blair at BFB said I should get it in 2 or 3 weeks.
I suspect they are fairly new to manufacturing GC tooling, but they sure impressed me with their understanding of precisely what I want...and I was surprised they were willing to make a custom size.

[HamGunner]

I have one of the first generation Free Chex tools for .224 cal. It works best with Lithoplate. Annealed .007 aluminum flashing will also work fairly well. With such a small check, unless the metal is fairly soft, you end up with lots of failures.

I did have decent success early on using .004 soda can material. But I prefer something a bit thicker as long as it is soft enough to work in the tool.

[braddock]

I used the Sage PB check for 30/30 and 308, had an issue with the checks coming off, especially when the boolits were pushed in so the base passed the neck and hung into the case.
Rather than bitch about it I doubled up on the gc and had no further issues. I suspect if the aluminum was a wee bit thicker there wouldn't have been an issue in the first place, but I'm here in the UK and have to make the most of it. Just saying.
Oh another point, I use the Lee boolit sizer, when one presses the check on in the way Lee intended, it's possible to distort the check. As I use FP boolits for both 30/30 and 308, I took to inserting them **** about face, ie push the checks on base then push the boolit through check first. It does a lovely job.