when is the best time to put gaz check

[canuck4570]

should I put the gaz check and size my bullets and then heat threat them and change my seizing die for one bigger and lube them.... or seize them than heat threat them and after put the gaz check and lube them in a bigger seizing die..... in doing it the last way wont the gaz check be .001 bigger.....

[cbrick]

canuck4570,

Put the gas check on when you size them, then heat treat. Here's an article on heat treating that might give you a few tips.

http://www.lasc.us/HeatTreat.htm

Rick

[felix]

Rick, you have to be careful about water dropping boolits with a check already crimped into place. If the alloy has a very high ratio of antimony to tin, the expansion of the lead will make the boolits crack around where the gascheck has been placed. This is with 22 boolits specifically. I have not seen the problem with larger boolits because the cooling is not as quick from 475 down to where the water boils. ... felix

[45r]

I have heard that if you lube and size them within a couple hours after heat treating them they will turn out the way you want them after about 12 hours because it takes at least 12 hours for heat treated bullets to harden.

[felix]

True, but you run the risk of bending the boolit when sizing any amount. Best to let them harden, then size without lube except for a light spray possibly, and then oven treat, and then go through the sizer again, but this time with lube. I would not do this process unless your gun (and you) are capable of noticing the difference between this technique and the normal, whatever is normal to you. ... felix

[jonk]

Well in that I don't heat treat but do drop my freshly cast bullets into water.....

I cast, drop into water, let dry overnight, and then it depends on what I'm going to be lubing them with. If lubing with Lee liquid alox, I then roll them in alox, let dry another night, then run through a lee sizer with check. If sizing in my lubri sizer, I usually seat the check on the lee sizer first and then run the already sized bullet into the lubrisizer. I just find I get a more consistent gas check seat- usually- with the lee die.

[canuck4570]

thank you guys very helpful.....