Gas check seating without sizer?

[Naphtali]

I may be having an "oops" moment. I disposed of my lube-sizer in favor of using Lee sizing dies to use on my press. No problem sizing and pan lubing plain base bullets. What about bullets on which I want to affix gas checks? Is there available a method to seat Hornady "crimp-on" gas checks without using a lube-sizer?

[Beagle333]

Just snap them on the base and run it through the Lee sizer. If they give you any problems about pulling or tearing or stretching, just size the boolit first and then put the gas check on and run it though backwards and it'll seat just fine.

For those difficult-to-seat ones, also try this:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?201576-Super-simple-way-to-seat-gas-checks-perfect-every-time

and if the gas check won't go on the shank..... NOE makes a great tool that chamfers the base. (only if you need that done).

[psweigle]

Beagle 333 is spot on. This is how I do all my 357 boolits.

[vrh]

I also run my gas check bullets base first in my LEE sizer. Then I P.C. them and resize this time nose first. I also set each bullet on it's base on a level surface, to check to see if it is straight up and down. ( no leaning bullets).

[OptimusPanda]

When I first used gas checks I seated them fully on the bullet shank before lube sizing by drilling a 3/8" hole maybe 1/4" deep in a 2x4 scrap. Using that to cradle the nose and tapping the check on the shank with a tiny hammer. Still do this sometimes on a stubborn bullet.

[OverMax]

Anneal a few copper gas checks. Tumble lube your boolit. Clip the cooled check to the tumble lubed boolits base and seat the checked boolit into its cartridge. Won't need a push-thru die to seat such annealed gas checks.
The resized neck of the cartridge case will align & pinch the softened copper check to its boolits base ban quite nicely as its being seated to its proper depth..

Technique Only works for copper check.

[Soundguy]

I may be having an "oops" moment. I disposed of my lube-sizer in favor of using Lee sizing dies to use on my press. No problem sizing and pan lubing plain base bullets. What about bullets on which I want to affix gas checks? Is there available a method to seat Hornady "crimp-on" gas checks without using a lube-sizer?



Sounds like you are good.

My lee sizer dies install hornady crimp on gas checks to my gas check cast boolits just fine.

[slughammer]

For stubborn checks I use an older pair of channel locks. Open them to the boolit length and use them to push the checks on before sizing.

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[MUSTANG]

You CAN seat the Gas check in a Lee Push through sizer using a two step process.

(1) Place the gas check on the base of the boolit by hand. Place the gas check/boolit base on the Lee "Push Rod" as if you were going to push the boolit through the sizer.

Next - Hold a penny over the nose of the boolit as you cycle the Loading Press Handle to elevate the ram. Do so lightly; with light pressure push the boolit into the penny surface so as to seat the gas check.

(2) You may now take the boolit with seated gas check and Lube size it as per your regular Lee Sizing die process.


When done with care and the same process repeatedly, you can get a nice square& firm seating of gas checks using a Lee Sizer. (I do this even with my 50 BMG cast boolits). Step (2) locks the gas check onto the shank with the sizing process. I still prefer the Lyman 450/4500 sizing press & dies I have, but also use the Lee Push through Dies as I described.

[Soundguy]

I've never had to do any of the trick pony stuff to get a gas check to seat on a proper cast projectile. I've yet to loose a gas check to uneven seating, smearing, etc. Using plain old lee molds, hornady checks, and lee cheap / basic push thru sizers.

I guess I must be living correctly or something. ;)

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I haven't tried to fully seat my gc's yet, (waiting on sizer), but my GCs don't "snap" on by hand, or hold themselves on at all, they are hornady 30 cals and its a lee 312-155-2r boolit. should I be worried? I am going to anneal some gc's to make sure they hold steady, the sizer is going to be a lee push thru .313, any thoughts? similar situations? thanks, I know this is a kinda old post., Travis

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I haven't tried to fully seat my gc's yet, (waiting on sizer), but my GCs don't "snap" on by hand, or hold themselves on at all, they are hornady 30 cals and its a lee 312-155-2r boolit. should I be worried? I am going to anneal some gc's to make sure they hold steady, the sizer is going to be a lee push thru .313, any thoughts? similar situations? thanks, I know this is a kinda old post., Travis

[slughammer]

I haven't tried to fully seat my gc's yet, (waiting on sizer), but my GCs don't "snap" on by hand, or hold themselves on at all, they are hornady 30 cals and its a lee 312-155-2r boolit. should I be worried? I am going to anneal some gc's to make sure they hold steady, the sizer is going to be a lee push thru .313, any thoughts? similar situations? thanks, I know this is a kinda old post., Travis
Measure the gas check shank (at the parting line and 90deg from there) and tell us the diameters.

[MT Chambers]

A proper mold should be machined to the right size for the gc's to snap on.