Starting Down This Road with ?'s

[ChristopherO]

Preparing to be a first time Paper Patcher, in the process of compiling the data and necessary tools for the operation. Guide me along to be sure I am doing this correctly.


The groves on the 35 Whelen barrel measure .3585", taken off the pure lead slug I pushed down the bore. The lands embossed on the slug, when averaged out, is .350 across, some a bit more, some a tad less. (.3485" up to .351") My inclination after studying this task is to order a sizing die from one of the fine venders on this site for my Lyman 450 lube/sizer at .352". After casting soft 358318 boolits size them down to .352". Wrap twice with .002" paper and then resize with my .360" sizing die and a light coating of appropriate lube.

Am I on the right track? Your inputs are appreciated.

Christopher

[Dan Cash]

Personally, I would order a mould that dropped at .352-.353 and patch with your .002 paper as you describe, then load and shoot. I believe pushing the patched bullet through a sizing die is detrimental to accuracy and just extra work. If you already have a mould that is dropping larger than .352, nothing wrong with using it and sizing the bullets before patching. You might check your throat dimensions too as you might want to make bullets that diameter rather than groove diameter. Having sized some bullets after patching, I note that the bullet is deformed if the patch ends don't meet perfectly which can not be a good thing. An 1895 Winchester in .30-40 consistently gives me 3 to 3.5 inch groups at 200 yards with a 215 grain bullet launched at 2300 fps using my technique. Sizing after patching did not help anything.

As my patched bullets (.30-40, .30-06 and .30-30) are all used for hunting, they are not lubed to avoid picking up dirt.

Good luck and have fun.

[OverMax]

.008 undersize before wrapping sounds about right.

[ChristopherO]

Thanks Gentlemen for your feedback. I suppose if the paper is .008" thick then running through the .360" sizer is a mute point. I see where some do it to "iron" on the paper. This can be tested either way and see if there is a difference. Testing is fun.

Another poster said he only sizes the unwrapped boolit to .357", then wraps and sizes to .360" afterward. That is squeezing down the core considerably. So many ways folks complete this task. It is an interesting endeavor.

[wmitty]

You need to have the ogive of the boolit supported by the lands. I’m not familiar with the 358318 but it looks like a long tapering ogive. I’d see where the as cast slug is touching the lands at the muzzle; obviously the closer to the front of the boolit, the better, as far as accuracy is concerned.

[ChristopherO]

wmitty, Interesting you say this. Yesterday morning I was thinking the same thing and took a fired as cast boolit that was stopped in water jugs and measured the distance I should wrap the paper up on the ogive, considering where the rifling grooved the lead. From the base, without the gas check, it measured .60". I don't have an unspent boolit left to measure the complete OAL of the 358318 boolit at the moment, but .60" is well over half way up.
Thank you for the information. Glad it looks like this projectile has the support you are referring to, also.