Time for a little entertainment

[Pirate69]

As you can see from by post count, I am new to this game. So, my ascent up the learning curve should be some entertainment to the old pros. Let the fun begin.

I have a Freechex II on the way. I have read that 0.14" aluminum flashing is a good stock to work with. However, I want to work with aluminum cans. Yeah, I am a cheap skate. I have heard that you need to double the can aluminum to appoach the 0.014" thick. This is for '06 and 303 by the way.

Question: do I double the feed before I stamp it or do I stamp two gaschecks and stack them before I attache them to the boolit?

[JeffinNZ]

Welcome to gas check making.

The critical factor I have found is to fill the void between bullet gas check shank and the final bullet diameter. EG: shank .284, bullet sizing .310, difference 0.026, divided by 2 = 0.013 material.

I make 2 ply checks for my .303 Brits as I can't get 0.016 material in single layer. I ply up soda can wall (0.004) and litho plate (0.012) to make 0.016 chex. ALWAYS us the thinner material on the inside of the check though as 4 thou material may shear in 4 thou deep rifling.

To make your 2 ply chex just insert the two sheets of material one atop the other in the anvil. Too thinner material may not work however as it can stretch prior to shearing and bind up the FC II. You will have to try it and see. I know the 0.004 soda can walls do this unless the layer under them is heavier eg: my 0.012.

Hope this helps.

[Piedmont]

Hopefully the maker has changed the tool so it will actually work with the proper thickness of aluminum (meaning a thickness approximating a copper gas check). Jeff knows all the ins and outs and wrote a superb article for us in the articles section, maybe the best article in the entire list. But Jeff had to modify his tool to work.

My friend got a Freechex II tool and it is really slick but the checks are too thin so they don't fit a .30 caliber gas check shank. I believe some guys were using super glue as a solution. Unfortunately the tool will not accomodate enough aluminum thickness, as sold, to actually cling to a .30 caliber gas check. I told my friend he should try to lap out the hole to accomodate enough thousandths of an inch aluminum thickness to work correctly. My friend looks at the tool as a total loss. How this guy can send them out the door like this amazes me. He posted here several times a while back and seemed pretty closed minded.

I must say that different diameters of cast bullets require a gas check of different thicknesses. For example my friend's tool maxes out at .011" thickness (a real gas check in this diameter is .017"). Eleven thousandths should work fine on a .22 gas check shank. So maybe a Freechex II in .22 would be the berries. It isn't the berries in .30 caliber unless you modify it.

If he has changed the specs I would love to hear it but the tool I have been referring to was made in the past six months. My friend was sizing to .315", within the .30 caliber range (.308-.316) and it was completely unsatisfactory. The maker thought .009 stock was the best to use and said don't use over .011. So .284 plus .018 (.009x2) and it is just perfect for .302" bullets. Who shoots .302" bullets?

[HamGunner]

I have had a Freechex II for quite some time, in fact in several calibers. I will let you in on a bit of a secret. If a check does not fit your bullets, then either the metal that is used is not the proper size for the bullet or the bullet is not the proper size for metal. The tool will not make up for improper fit, but only sizes to the average bullet size with the metal thickness it was designed for. Not all bullets drop the same.

I have found that I can use three layers of soda can metal for about .0135 thickness and they snap on and work great on my 31141 that I size at .311. Even by using .0165 thickness aluminum sheet, I can get it to work well, although the thickness of the check is a bit overly thick. The fit on the shank works well even with the thicker aluminum sheet if the mandrel tip is honed down a bit so that the inside of the check is a bit smaller. This also helps the thicker aluminum to slip off the mandrel a bit easier. I use a screw driver to easily pull the larger thickness checks off the mandrel. They will probably not fall off the tool on their own when using larger than .014 material. A slight amount of metal extruding will probably take place if using the larger thickness metal so one can also hone the bottom portion of the die to allow for a bit thicker metal to work without extruding.

A tool only works as designed, no matter how expensive or inexpensive the tool.

I have a few sample checks up for auction on the benefit/sales forum. Take a look at the ones I have pictured and read the descriptions. I make them work on whatever bullet I have by changing either the metal or by lightly polishing the tool to fit the metal and bullet. Even factory checks are a bit loose or a bit tight on many bullets. The thickness of the factory checks and the inside fit on the shank are correct only for the average bullet.

Edit: Oh, for soda can metal, I just slip in a double or triple layer of the metal into the die and stamp it out all at once. The aluminum can metal will look like a tiny pop bottle or beer bottle cap (old crimp on caps) if all is proper. By having the painted side on both the inside and outside of the check, I do not see how it could ever corrode unless stored for decades and even factory checks will do that.

With a 12 pack of soda cans, one can make almost $30 worth of gas checks. More or less, depending on caliber. I choose to be a bit thrifty myself, plus I will never have to worry about running out of checks.

[JeffinNZ]

Prudent comments from HamGunner.

I only reason I had to modify my FC unit was that Charlie, like most US shooters, didn't fully understand the differenc in internal dimensions between good .30cal barrels and military .303 Brit barrels. My FC was a .30cal and I modified to suit the material I had and to fit my .303's for which I generally shoot .316 bullets.

All Charlie's .303 FC kits are now made to my specifications.

To say the tool in .30cal doesn't work is just plain wrong.

[Dale53]

My Free Chex tool makes gas checks well but they do not fit my particular bullet shank (too loose a fit). However, I put on my thinking cap and realized that the problem is simply that gas check shanks vary from bullet mould to bullet mould. It would be easy to "slam" the maker of the Free Chex.

My solution, is to simply remove .001" from the diameter of my Free Chex punch. That will give me a gas check that'll fit a smaller shank.

I would like to warn you, that it will probably void your warranty with Free Chex. I personally am willing to take the "risk" and am happy with gas checks that FIT.

FWIW
Dale53

[HamGunner]

Dale, I am sure that you meant that you polished a bit off the mandrel tip and not the punch. The mandrel forms the check. But, yes you reasoned it out and I really do not think that for the price that Charlie charges for the tools, that I would want to worry about modifying one for my special bullet needs. If I needed something a bit different or if I messed one up by overdoing it, then I would just buy another one and save the modified tool for a special bullet/bore use.

I was certainly glad to see the tools available as the factory checks were sometimes ill fitting on some of my bullet diameter requirements and therefore they were a royal pain to get seated on the shank. Also, the total metal thickness would not always be enough for the proper diameter after sizing.

For about the price of 1000-2000 factory checks, one can have the ability to make customized checks. I suspect that Pat Marlin's check maker will be a great tool also, but there again, it will only work as designed and many bullets diameter requirements are different. I have not read just how much leeway that Pat's check making tool will allow as far as metal thickness is concerned. Perhaps it will be very forgiving.

[mrbill2]

Question for the fellows that make their checks from soda cans. When reloading your ammo, do you seat the bullets in the case below the neck and shoulder junction, or is the check kept in the neck? I always keep mine in the neck no matter who's check I use. Another question, have you ever pulled cast bullets from loaded ammo with checks made from soda can and do the checks stay on those bullets? Even tho the check can pass the fingernail test and seem to be hard to remove, some will still pull off the bullet.

[JeffinNZ]

BILL: For the most part my gas checks are loaded to stay inside the neck but I have one very good .303 load where a Free Chex equipped bullet is seated with the check sub neck.

The more I think about the pressured involved the more I am inclined to think checks don't come off re entering the neck etc.

[HamGunner]

I don't think I shoot any bullet designs that would need to be seated below the neck. I did throat my 6.5 Jap Roberts so that I can have an OAL of 3.0, but it certainly does not seat below the neck with my 266469 or even with the big long 160gr. carcano. I did pull a few bullets after first loading some for my M-28 and about half of the checks did come off in the neck, but there is no possible way for a check to come off a bullet after firing. At least not till it leaves the barrel, but I have found that to only be a problem with my .22 K-Hornet when I got a bit carried away with velocity. In that case, I may have to go to a one piece check. But the verdict is still not in as far as my Hornet loads are concerned. Just not enough time to get it done. My .30 cals. and my 6.5mm bullets work fine with soda can or one piece checks. I can not tell the difference on target.

[Dale53]

Hamgunner;
We are on the same page. I pretty much agree with just about everything you said.

FWIW
Dale53

[Pirate69]

Lots of good information Gentlemen. I am listening!!!!!!

[mrbill2]

Hamgunner, I agree with you 100%. I think it should be pointed out too those just starting to make their own checks, not to seat the bullets below the neck. With stright wall cases there 's no problem, but bottle neck cases are a different story. The real test to see how good your checks stay on the bullet, just pull some loaded rounds.

[StarMetal]

Hamgunner, I agree with you 100%. I think it should be pointed out too those just starting to make their own checks, not to seat the bullets below the neck. With stright wall cases there 's no problem, but bottle neck cases are a different story. The real test to see how good your checks stay on the bullet, just pull some loaded rounds.

Mr Bill,

I just updated my 30 caliber check maker, that is made an improved model. They seat very tight on the bullet. In fact I tried to get one off with a knife to no avail and then went to a diagonal cutter pliers. Had to literally chew it off. I think it has a lot to do with what condition the mouth edge of your check is in. If you kind of get those crinkled check that look similar to a bottle cap, that's good as those things really grip. If the mouth edges are sharp they grip also. I've finding my checks on the other side of my 1 inch oak target backing. That shows me that they are staying with the bullet through flight and at least all the way through that oak.

Joe

[mrbill2]

Joe I'm 100% sure that my checks stay on all the way to the target as I never seat below the neck on bottle neck cases. I'd recommend that for all who make their own checks. I don't use soda cans either, but thats just me.

[StarMetal]

Joe I'm 100% sure that my checks stay on all the way to the target as I never seat below the neck on bottle neck cases. I'd recommend that for all who make their own checks. I don't use soda cans either, but thats just me.

Bill,

I never cared for those soda can check, but I did convert a sizer die to use a disc cut from a soda to size, check, lube the bullet in one operation. Now those work pretty good. But to gang them up to make thickness for a regular gas check...no.

Keep up the good work.

Joe

[pistolman44]

I bought one last month for a 44 cal. I use the .014. I use my drill press to punch out the checks with 014. I also have a roll of .0165 That I got by mistake which is much harder to use with the FreechexII. I first was using a plastic hammer but that gets old real quick. I got about 400 made but hadn't had a chance to try them. Still waiting on my Lyman 429215 4 cavity to arrive. After seeing the Pat Marlin gas check maker seems a better way to go making gc's. I'll hold on to the 0165" because the Pat Marlin will take up to .017".

[HamGunner]

That Freechex will work with the .0165 just fine also, but you have to polish the mandrel tip down just a little and the bottom part of the die so that it does not extrude the thicker metal. I prefer the .0165 flashing that I have, for use on my .311 bullets. My flashing was painted on one side (leftovers from working on my house). I just used a torch to heat the back side of the flashing till the paint peeled off of the other side. Made the aluminum a bit softer also and it does not tear.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

If your looking for alum beer cans that give you a thicker GC, Budwiser makes an alum Bottle that is about .o15 when stamped out with the freecheck II. WFM and I don't mind getting the liquid out of the bottle...cut the ends off split and flatten...make checks . I see miller has started to make these also, haven't tried them yet to see what the material measures...:redneck: :cbpour:

[30CAL-TEXAN]

Have any of you guys tried seating/crimping these checks using the Lee Sizers or does everone use a Lubrisizer type setup?

I wonder if they seat properly being pushed forword through the die.

I am very interested in making my own checks but I don't have a Lubrisizer yet (or anywhere to put one for that matter!)

[RU shooter]

The Lee's are all I use.They work fine with my chex.

[JIMinPHX]

I've been punching checks out of aluminum beer bottles & flashing for a while now. They work fin3 in a 30-30 with a standard barrel at 2300fps. They foul the living daylights out of a chromed barrel & leave a deposit that is very hard to clean out.