Seating a gas check

I have been doing some powder coating for 8 mm and 30 cal boolits and Have had trouble getting gas checks onto the shank of the boolit squarely. I , this last time , used my 225 sizing die in my press to stop the boolits and then pushed the gas check onto the shank with the 30 cal pusher. They snap on and go square without any damage.

Attachment 267891Attachment 267895Attachment 267892

I am going to apologize in case this is someone elses idea, but it dawned on me so I wanted to pass it on. The checks crimp on firmly when pushed through an appropriate size die.

Thanks for sharing. I've seen where folks will use their seat plug to seat gas checks. I use the gas check seater for the Lyman 450. Before I was just giving them a rap on the bench or when a whack with a hammer handle, but it seated them crooked. I would get occasional offset driving bands.

I press mine on with my fingers and tap each one on the table or hard surface till they look almost flat. Then I pull off the thinly shaved lead strip that the GC Scraped off with my fingernail. If I don’t the lead smears onto the GC and gap between it and the first lube groove. From there I run the boolit through my lee sizer. After a couple hundred I have blisters on my fingers but it seats the GC even and I get great accuracy. Just a PITA to do so.

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Originally Posted by Tripplebeards

I press mine on with my fingers and tap each one on the table or hard surface till they look almost flat. Then I pull off the thinly shaved lead strip that the GC Scraped off with my fingernail. If I don’t the lead smears onto the GC and gap between it and the first lube groove. From there I run the boolit through my lee sizer. After a couple hundred I have blisters on my fingers but it seats the GC even and I get great accuracy. Just a PITA to do so.

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I used to do the same thing and with arthritis in every joint.... they really start to hurt doing this. I finally got the harbor frieght arbor press and now it is quick easy and doesnt hurt my fingers. Then I run them backwards through the sizing die and they are on there for good.

Great idea! Thank you for sharing!!

I have a 30 cal. mold that they fit tightly on. I run the crooked ones into the sizer, withdrawal the ram a bit and then give it a light rap. Squares it up nicely before it crimps. I also have a 30 cal. gas check seater from NOE that I have not used. Might be just the thing if I need to PC my boolits. So far BLL tumble lube has worked into the 1650 fps.

I also like and use the NOE.

I was thinking a small arbor press might be a workable solution as well. Thick piece of steel with a hole drilled to accept top Punches for nose shapes would be a easy thing to do.

For now the NOE is working great!!

Also powder coat... Sift off the bullets more and this will Knock down the thickness of the coating. Yet still have plenty to make the jacket. Your checks will Seat easier.

If this is t acceptable, set checks first TBEN POWER COAT and crimp as you size.

i do that if i dont want to size my boolits

https://i.imgur.com/3Vo1l7C.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/Rw31V6K.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/1gbMeM1.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/ygTGJld.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/0c9GSrL.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/u46FRWv.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/wTcgaJL.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/7txbp5J.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/8mbL2cu.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/mmBZkfb.jpg

this type of "jig" really helps when doing 223's and you have big hands

NOW There's a better mouse trap. You are in production!

I've used the rounded heads of carriage bolts to slightly "bell" gas checks that won't snap on. Run 'em through the sizer and they snug up just fine.

I've used the gas check bell setup by NOE, but I can't figure out a good way to get the checks off the piece that bells them easily. Those suckers get stuck on there good

i seat the gas check on the bullet the normal way, in the rcbs lube press. then i pc the bullets. i have no lube in my press and/or dies.

Thanks I will be making a trip to Harbor Freight , carpal tunnel just as bad

Conditor22. You made me feel much better. Dear God, I thought my bench was messy! You probably find new components all the time.

I play wack-a-mole.
Fast forward to about 19:26

https://youtu.be/0wZWlnCHimA

Get yourself a smooth jaw Channellock pliers.
Adjustable for any length boolit, easy to control, if you're really OCD you can drill one jaw to accept nose punches.
What's not to like.

You can thank me later
Jerry

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Originally Posted by asmith80

I've used the gas check bell setup by NOE, but I can't figure out a good way to get the checks off the piece that bells them easily. Those suckers get stuck on there good

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I use a ball bearing that is just big enough to bell the check and bottom out on the bottom of it.

I've had no problems getting gas checks on square and flat since purchasing the Noe gas check seating die. It comes with all the parts needed to seat checks base first with a nose punch or nose first with the ram. 99 out of a 100 (even the tight ones) get seated correctly. Gp

just seat them, size (bare, uncoated boolit), pc, then re-size if necessary.

With different molds I seat the gas check before powder coating, the loose ones I coat first and use the NOE gas check seater. The NOE seater uses top punches to push on the boolit.
https://i.imgur.com/na6g7aQ.jpg

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Originally Posted by Conditor22

https://i.imgur.com/3Vo1l7C.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/Rw31V6K.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/1gbMeM1.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/ygTGJld.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/0c9GSrL.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/u46FRWv.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/wTcgaJL.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/7txbp5J.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/8mbL2cu.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/mmBZkfb.jpg

this type of "jig" really helps when doing 223's and you have big hands

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Stealing this idea, thank you!

Some gas checks go on nice and easy in a one step sizing die. BUT some do not, especially with powder coated bullets that add some flashing to the base. I have a 40 bullet with a .379 base (using 41 caliber gas checks) that checks only seat well about 67% of the time. So I started using a lee sizing die just to seat the checks (not crimp them), and it seats the checks perfectly every time. Just run the bullet up until it touches the die and you feel the seating. Then I run them through a luber/sizer and they crimp perfectly straight. The only downside is it's now a two step process. But that's the tradeoff with powdercoated bullets I guess.

Here's a video that turned me on to this process. It really is foolproof.

I just mounted this Lee press upside down, and drop the powder coated bullet in nose first. Got the idea from someone on this forum.
Attachment 283915
Attachment 283914
Attachment 283917
Then just set the gas check on and lower the ram a couple millimeters at a time while pushing the ram insert away, then right, then towards me, then to the left. Each time lower it a couple of millimeters further into the sizer die. Once you've gone around the horn, just push it all the way through, and you've got perfectly seated gas checks that fall into a bin.
Attachment 283919
Hope the pictures load ok. Never posted them on this forum.

Very nice QuackAttack24!

Chris

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Originally Posted by Hodagtrapper

Very nice QuackAttack24!

Chris

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Thanks. I wish I could remember who had this idea, but can't. It was a while ago here on this forum.

Another way to do it similar to the OP's is to use your boolit seating die and the punch from your boolit sizing die (ie NOE/Lee push through sizer) for that caliber.

start the die into your press, put GC on boolit and run it all the way up. turn die down until seating stem touches boolit, lock die. Now adjust the seating stem until the GC is seated to your satisfaction.


(not my idea, I saw this somewhere)