gloob
02-25-2023, 06:03 PM
I have been playing with gas checks, lately. I made some in 35 caliber, but I don't have a sizing die in this caliber to crimp the checks on. My bullets cast slightly undersize, anyhow, so I never needed one.
After a bit of inspection, I found the bore in my Lee 380 seater die should work. How close? I made a push thru stem, and tried it. It sizes to 358, on the nose. That's the OD of the aluminum check. It probably sizes lead bullets to 357.5, based on my experience with these checks and springback.
If you were sizing bullets, you could use it just like it is. All you would need is a long push through stem. But since I'm forcing gas checks on, I sanded down the taper crimp part for a gentler path.
You could use it like a Lee die, and just let the bullets push out through the top, probably just put a piece of brass tubing in there so they don't get caught on the threads. But I cut mine into two, so the bullet just clears out the top of the die in one stroke. As you raise the lever back up, your right hand can just pick up the bullet and drop it in a bin while you're loading the next one onto the ram.
I lost interest in loading 380 and 9x18 makarov after I learned how much smoke you get with cast bullets in blowback pistols. But I have put most of those dies to good use. I got two dies out of this one. I used the cutoff top to make a 35 caliber gas check top punch, which works using the same bottom die for my 10mm checks after swapping out the button. (For initial testing I had made some 35 cal checks out of 40 cals, and that seems to work out pretty good, with a just few more wrinkles on the taller 35 cal checks out of the same 1/2" starting size.)
After a bit of inspection, I found the bore in my Lee 380 seater die should work. How close? I made a push thru stem, and tried it. It sizes to 358, on the nose. That's the OD of the aluminum check. It probably sizes lead bullets to 357.5, based on my experience with these checks and springback.
If you were sizing bullets, you could use it just like it is. All you would need is a long push through stem. But since I'm forcing gas checks on, I sanded down the taper crimp part for a gentler path.
You could use it like a Lee die, and just let the bullets push out through the top, probably just put a piece of brass tubing in there so they don't get caught on the threads. But I cut mine into two, so the bullet just clears out the top of the die in one stroke. As you raise the lever back up, your right hand can just pick up the bullet and drop it in a bin while you're loading the next one onto the ram.
I lost interest in loading 380 and 9x18 makarov after I learned how much smoke you get with cast bullets in blowback pistols. But I have put most of those dies to good use. I got two dies out of this one. I used the cutoff top to make a 35 caliber gas check top punch, which works using the same bottom die for my 10mm checks after swapping out the button. (For initial testing I had made some 35 cal checks out of 40 cals, and that seems to work out pretty good, with a just few more wrinkles on the taller 35 cal checks out of the same 1/2" starting size.)