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Thread: Gas Checks vs Shank Size

  1. #1
    Cast Boolits Founder/B.O.B.

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    Gas Checks vs Shank Size

    Can someone put up a table of the various sizes available and the "correct" ones for the available molds please. Seems shank size from the different mold makers past and present differs greatly. I would like to make this a sticky.
    Boolits= as God laid it into the soil,,grand old Galena,the Silver Stream graciously hand poured into molds for our consumption.

    Bullets= Machine made utilizing Full Length Gas Checks as to provide projectiles for the masses.

    http://www.cafepress.com/castboolits

    castboolits@gmail.com

  2. #2
    Boolit Master on Heavens Range
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    GATORS MaxShank Description
    .224 .214 .22/.224
    .243 .233 .243/6mm
    .257 .243 .25/.257
    .264 .252 .264/6.5mm
    .277 .253 .270/.277
    .284 .250 .284/7mm
    .308 .284 .30/.308
    .323 .301 .323/8mm
    .338 .327 .338
    .348 .320 .348
    .358 .341 .35/.357/.358/.360
    .375 .354 .375
    .410P1 .397 .41 Lyman (very thin)
    .410P2 .378 .41 BSS, NEI, MM (very thick)
    .416 .393 .416 rifle normally
    .430 .402 .44/.430
    .452 .426 .45P/.452 pistol (thin)
    .458 .426 .45R/.458 rifle (thick)
    .475P .445 .475 pistol (thin)
    .475R .445 .475 rifle (thick)
    .500 .458 .50P/.500 S&W pistol
    .512RL .466 .50R/.512 rifle (long)
    .512RS .466 .50R/.512 rifle (short)
    felix

  3. #3
    Cast Boolits Founder/B.O.B.

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    Thank you felix, exactly what I was after.
    Boolits= as God laid it into the soil,,grand old Galena,the Silver Stream graciously hand poured into molds for our consumption.

    Bullets= Machine made utilizing Full Length Gas Checks as to provide projectiles for the masses.

    http://www.cafepress.com/castboolits

    castboolits@gmail.com

  4. #4
    Banned 45 2.1's Avatar
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    Can someone put up the physical dimensions and weights for the gas check itself for all calibers available?

  5. #5
    Moderator Emeritus robertbank's Avatar
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    Would 8MM gas checks work for the .303 British? Graf has gas checks in 8MM bot no .30cal which is what I have been using.

    Take Care

    Bob
    Its been months since I bought the book, "How to scam people online". It still has not arrived yet!

    "If the human population held hands around the equator, a significant portion of them would drown"

  6. #6
    Boolit Master on Heavens Range
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    Yes, Bob, but under duress only. The dies might not hold the check square on the bottom of the shank before compression. You risk sizing one side of the check longer than the opposing side, i.e., lop-sided. ... felix
    felix

  7. #7
    Moderator Emeritus robertbank's Avatar
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    Thanks Felix, I'll wait for Graf to get some in. I have enough to do me for awhile.

    Take Care

    Bob
    Its been months since I bought the book, "How to scam people online". It still has not arrived yet!

    "If the human population held hands around the equator, a significant portion of them would drown"

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    This is a grid showing the gas check dimensions that I use in the bullet drawing software. When I get some more samples of the Gator checks and some time, I will add them to the database and incorporated a choice of brand name that the shank is to fit.

    The software simply starts the shank at 0.002" under the "B" dimension and tapers the shank up to 0.002" over the "B" dimension. The correct height of the check is then drawn on the finished bullet image.

    Ideally, 0.001" under "B" dimension generally produces the desired "snap fit" but, in my opinion, it is too easy to go too far and have an oversize shank. Better to be slightly undersize and have the ability to lightly lap the mold shank to fit than to have to expand each check to fit the shank before sizing.


  9. #9
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    Good info guys. Now to figure out what size to cut the cavity in the mold---Hmmmm, more hair just fell out.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master on Heavens Range
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    Tom, the 512 Gator checks are of two flavors: rifle long, and rifle short. The lengths are 120 for the long, and 080 for the short. The 500 S&W pistol is of the short variety at 080. Looks like the Gator and Lyman for the 25 caliber are the same, except Larry tries to have a more rounded bottom on his checks. It appears his checks (in use) are considerably softer, and the more rounded bottom provides for some spring-back from the punch. His maximum shank might be a 1000s smaller as shown in the table, but I would not count on that in reality because of the rounded bottom. So, like you say, it is best to be on the safe side and make the shank a 1000s too small. We will get these checks on the GB list as quickly as possible. Any samples that I can get for you would not be kosher because Larry told me he is going to use a new lot of metal for these and all the smaller calibers that use this thickness of metal for our coming up GBs. ... felix
    felix

  11. #11
    Banned 45 2.1's Avatar
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    Need Hornady 416 and somebodys 475 checks to be added also along with the changes from Felix.

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy hivoltfl's Avatar
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    Could someone give me a shot of info on annealing gas checks? never been down that road but would like to try it on a 152gr Loverin bullet that has a large shank and I understand this might help cut down on culls? Thanks in advance fellas.

    Rick

    Sorry guys I didnt read down far enough, I get the idea.

    Rick

  13. #13
    Banned charger 1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by felix View Post
    Yes, Bob, but under duress only. The dies might not hold the check square on the bottom of the shank before compression. You risk sizing one side of the check longer than the opposing side, i.e., lop-sided. ... felix
    Right you are Felix. I recently got a 460 mold that the maker made a booboo on and made the shank .010" big .425-.426 it was so I made a little tool to bell the check out. Worked fine. Ran em through the lee sizer. Then when I lubed em in my RCBS lubesizer (I do it in a two step. I'm a believer that sizing and flight direction should be the same) some of them were great, some left big gobs of grease underneath. I get fliers. When you carefully look at em under glass one side of check always has more sizing contact. I'm sure the .010 oversize is ruining accuracy

  14. #14
    Boolit Master on Heavens Range
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    Yeah, if the mold is a prized one, you might consider someone like Buckshot make you a luber machine die to shrink those boolit shanks to fit the "standard" checks. The die would be nothing but a solid roll stock (aluminum) with the top center shaped dimensionally correct as to swage according to the check length and diameter. No die machining would be required to hold the die in place because the residual lube from the last operation would be sticky enough to hold the die in place. ... felix
    felix

  15. #15
    Banned charger 1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by felix View Post
    Yeah, if the mold is a prized one, you might consider someone like Buckshot make you a luber machine die to shrink those boolit shanks to fit the "standard" checks. The die would be nothing but a solid roll stock (aluminum) with the top center shaped dimensionally correct as to swage according to the check length and diameter. No die machining would be required to hold the die in place because the residual lube from the last operation would be sticky enough to hold the die in place. ... felix
    Well it is OK bro. My mold man's middle name is honor. He's got another commin. Thanks anyhoo

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Gas Check emergency sizing.

    Had a whole box of 8mm Sierra crimp-on gaschecks that won't fit the Lee 175 gr. so here's what I did. I put a .44 case trimmer pilot into my little drill press & expanded them out to fit the shank. Will break down & buy a box of checks soon as I use these up. Never saw these before or since. I either got these off E-bay or had them under the bench from the old days.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Sierra GasChecks.jpg   Gascheck getting expanded.jpg  

  17. #17
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    .375 check on a .35 boolit

    Has anyone ever tried to put a well annealed .375 cal. gas check on a .35 caliber boolit? The reason I'm curious is because I thought of trying this with .360" SAECO 352's shot hard from a wide grooved 336. The .35 Hornady checks have a tendency to separate form the boolits. I currently don't shoot .375 cal. rifles and if it won't work for sure, I don't need to order more shootin' supplies that will end up collecting dust (besides, I already spent over 1000 bucks today on gun stuff). I was thinking the annealed .375 check could be formed by a top punch in the Lyman 450 that fills the .360" die (punch number 141 comes to mind as a possibility) and then applied to the SAECO 352's. Make sense?

    MJ
    Last edited by Marlin Junky; 04-09-2007 at 03:38 AM.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master
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    SAECO Customer Service

    I ordered a new SAECO 352 about 2 yrs. ago , my .35 cal. Hornady gas checks didn't fit well at all. Very loose. You could pull them off with your finger nails.

    I figured that at the prices SAECO's charging for their new molds that they could provide a better product than what I had received.

    I called them on the phone. The fellow wanted to give me the " run around " at first. He told me to change my alloy, etc. He got a little argumentative. I told the fellow that I didn't plan on spending any time arguing with him.

    I told him that I planned to use reg. WW's and that I also planned to send him the mold and 10 of my gas checks and that I wanted a tight fit....PERIOD ! ! I told him I didn't plan on using HIS alloy , that I planned on using my alloy !

    About 20 days later I received a new mold. This one is PERFECT. No loose fitting g/c's now... I believe the 1st mold was " way out of spec." on the gas check shank of the bullet.

    Ben

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub Hank10's Avatar
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    Gaschecks

    Newtire, I've got 2 or 3 boxes of those 8mm Sierra GCs. Don't recall where i got them , had them for a loong time.
    Ben i've had the same experience with Saeco but didn't turn out as well as yours.
    I have 2 Saeco molds, 1one .38, one 45 that won't take the GCs. I called them, sent the molds in. The guy in customer service said he didn't know anything abouts cast bullets but his mold guy told him their GCs would fit. I asked him to send me a few of his GCs and he did, they were exactly like mine, every dimention miked the same and they would not go on the bullets. The GCs were Hornady, the shank on the bullet was too big. I have another Saeco 4 cav. that the cherry was put in too deep and it had a 1/8" extention on the base that was part of the shaft was about .375 the bullet was .452. I put it in a mill and milled 1/8" off
    now it's fine and although I have some good Saeco/Cramer molds I won't buy any Saeco/Redding molds.
    H10

  20. #20
    Boolit Mold Axmire's Avatar
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    Being new to the world of gas checks, as I understand it, a 9mm would use a gas check of .35, right?

    Thanks in advance.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check