30-06 Gas check or Paper Patching

[Survival Bill]

11111

[Doc Highwall]

Bill, we could use some more information like what kind of gun are you using and what are you going to use the bullets for? For small game like rabbits and plinking a plain base bullet will work. If your going to hunt with them a gas check with wheel weight bullets will let you get to 2000 fps easily.

[Doc Highwall]

If it is a semi auto paper patch will not work. Also the bullet nose shape for cast with a semi auto will make a difference. I shoot this bullet for target shooting at 300 yards with my best group at 1.600" for five shots but it is not a practical bullet for hunting because of the exposed grease grooves. They are a lot of factors and with more information we will be able to point you in the right direction making it the easiest for you.

[Dan Cash]

If you use a plain base bullet and paper patch, no need for a gas check. I am not so sure how a bullet with a gas check shank would work paper patched sans gascheck. You might read through some of the extensive posts in the Smokless Paper Patch section of this forum and see what has been done. You should be able to drive a plain base grease groove bullet up to 1500-1600 fps with out paper patching.

As far as what kind of -06, you would need to treat an auto loader a bit different than a bolt/pump/lever action in order for it to function. Also, a lot of folks shoot cast bullets at rather low velocity and very short range. That application would require different technique than achieving accuracy at big game velocity, say 2000-2500 fps.

Good luck and have fun. Cast shooting is not hard so don't let it overwhelm you.
Dan

[longbow]

Just a bit of information in response to Dan's comment about gas check shanks.

Lyman used to sell two .30 cal PP moulds, one of 160 gr. and one of 200 gr. both with shallow grooves and gas check shanks. Their instructions said gas checks were not necessary.

As Dan points out, a search of the smokeless paper patch forum will fill you in some. Some people use specially made moulds for PP, Some use standard off the shelf moulds and size down so they can paper patch, some use gas checks, some do not (most do not).

I made my own push out moulds, one for .30 cal. and one for .44 cal. paper patching. They are straight sided cylindrical boolits and the moulds very similar to the old Ideal PP moulds. They shoot quite well and I have had no trouble feeding from the magazines of bolt and lever action rifles.

Not claiming to be a paper patching expert by any means, just adding some info to the discussion.

FWIW

Longbow

[pdawg_shooter]

Gas check bullet designs work fine for patching. Just leave the check off and wrap as usual. BTW, paper patching works fine in my M1, my M14, and a friends 2 Remington auto loaders.

[Dan Cash]

Thanks for the info everyone...

So yes it will work OK but shooting home made cast boolits I will not see anything like factory ammo results..

I would not say that. I load for my shooting partner and my self. We shoot a .30-30 in a Marlin 336 microgroove and .30-40 in a mint bore 1895 Winchester; both guns are shooting cast grease groove gaschecked bullets at 2100+- fps with 200 yard accuracy equal to jacketed bullets. 303 Guy among others on this forum paper patches with great success at jacketed velocities. I assure you that a 175 grain bullet in the vitals of a deer or elk traveling in excess of 2000 fps mv will make that animal deader than the Kaizer.

[Blammer]

factory results huh?

let me know if your factory ammo out of your 30-06 will do this at 100yds.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/File0150.jpg

or this

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/311284.jpg

[HangFireW8]

Thanks for the info everyone...

So yes it will work OK but shooting home made cast boolits I will not see anything like factory ammo results..

Depends on what you mean by "factory ammo results".

As far as velocity & muzzle energy is concerned, with the heaviest boolits for '06 there is essentially no difference between jacketed and not. For lighter boolits, it is much easier to drive jacketed bullets at 3000 fps or thereabouts, with some accuracy than cast. Paper Patching is supposed to be the ticket to the highest velocities with accuracy. (Can't tell you much more because I don't PP, velocity is not why I got into this part of the hobby. I am into large volume shooting at low prices, low recoil and moderate effort, and wrapping little boolits is not my idea of fun.)

As for accuracy, well, you have more options with making your own boolits than using factory, handloaded or otherwise. For example I just got a 30-06 shooting accurately for the first time ever, the bore is slightly oversized and I can make boolits that fit but cannot buy factory bullets that fit.

I shoot both gas checked & not in 30-06, I am just getting started casting with the cartridge and am already getting good results.

If you like the idea of going shooting with 100 or more rounds of 30-06, and coming home happy, not poor, and not bruised, with trivial barrel cleanup, then casting may be for you.

-HF

[Doc Highwall]

Here are two five shot groups shot at 100 yards with my 308 Win with a gas check bullet. The one that measures .305" was shot by me after over 300 shots had been fired in the gun with out cleaning and the second was shot this year by my brother in-law and the rifle still had not been cleaned. This was the first time he had shot it and I was watching with my 27x Kowa spotting and he put the first three in one hole and on his fourth shot a wind gust strong enough to blow a soft gun case caught him blowing the shot out of the group and his fifth shot went right into the first three and is the highest. The four shots measure .150" c t c. with the five shots measuring something like .743".