designing a P.P. hunting boolet

[wmitty]

I wasn't trying to improve exterior ballistics with the boat tail; just wondering if it would be easier to fold the patch to conform to it, rather than making the 90 degree fold on a plain base slug. Maybe not worth dealing with. Anyway, what it sounds like is this: with the acww there is no real advantage to having a flat meplat vs a round nose or slightly pointed nose on a hunting boolet; at least as far as expansion is concerned. I realize the advantage of the improved trajectory with a more streamlined ogive; but I'd trade a flatter trajectory for expansion, if it is necessary to do so. Hogs around here are kind of ignert, and can be snuck up on if you are quiet.

[303Guy]

My interest in a shaped boolit base is in preserving the boolit trailing edge. I've had uneven base cupping and trailing edge feathering and for that reason I've experimented a bit with a rebated and chamfered base. I like the rebated base for paper patching as I can terminate the patch in the rebate (very small rebate), leaving the base fully exposed. It's a style I rather like and will be doing more test on it as time permits.

[wmitty]

303Guy

This looks like an excellent idea! No excess patch to fold under the base... I take it you are gluing the tip of the patch to itself? Did you try a boat tail before the rebated base?

[303Guy]

Yes, I'm gluing the trailing corner tip. I haven't tried a boat tail, no. I'm thinking of it for a smooth side plain cast boolit. Not a large boat tail, just enough to prevent trailing edge failure. I figure if the glued bit is small enough it would be no different to any other patch fragment. I aim however, is to wet wrap with a paper that glues to itself. I did have such a paper once but have lost it. Such papers do exist. This one was a lined notepad paper. I bought an A4 pad today to try out. Wet wrapping is much quicker and less strain on the fingers. Dry wrapping requires a good deal of twisting to pull up tight.

I actually tried the tail-less patch to prevent tail rings.

[Gtek]

Never done it, but Mr. Matthews discussed using egg white with water as patch sticky. Gtek

[303Guy]

I have tried paper glue - the old style - diluted in the water. It works OK but is hard to find. I don't like the modern glues because they leave a plastic film which may or may not be a problem. I'm going to try the dilute glue trick again.

I'm also planing to try a chamfered base boolit to see how it works with trailing edge damage on a smooth sided boolit now that my lathe is operational again. Also a cup base.

[Gtek]

I am in the process of building myself a multi use PP mold set up with change out heads per se ranging from .3005" to ..323" diam. Smooth side, non-taper, 90 tail, butt pour with .125" ejector rod to push out with meplats running between .125" to <.150". I read somewhere that optimum meplat was 70%-73%, I do not know. Wanting to jump into this very hard and the expense of one ea. mold, I can spin my lathes for a while @ a buck eighty a pop by the time one gets to the door. The way I am designing it is to cut a carbide with yet to be determined ogive held on tool post and finish ID from 90+ drilled hole. All will be enveloped in 1 1/2" round stock x 1 1/4" length mild with removable ejector assembly attached to bottom. If it gets off the pad but does not reach orbit I will have some really sweet slug makers for whatever. Gtek

[303Guy]

Interesting. I'm planning on a composite mold with base shank, taper middle, slight taper nose shank and nose section. I'm planning on a nose pour base eject. However, the idea of a base pour, base eject is still on the cards.

[Gtek]

In the mind I initially wanted a nose pour with top and bottom swing plates attached like my way nice/way expensive pieces but that hangs you into one and only on length. I thought about it and decided to base pour and make first one small X-Y internal with standardized exterior dimensions and a .125 meplat compromise. If I do well with this and things work, make another ejector assy for the .400+ stuff. Drop a couple for weight check and measure with my alloy. Little math guessing and throw back in lathe for tuning of OD and weight. First one I am shooting for .3005" at 180 gr.ish The initial thought going into this was I could make a PP boolit for anything in the house .300"- to whatever, unscrew sprue plate (buy more if works), handle, ejector assy and set up on another block. Unfortunatly, I know with my Deutshchland/OCD genetics I understand it will probably cost a lot, be overthunk, take a long time, and be heavy when I am done. Lived with it for almost 52 years and seems normal to me, Mrs. sometimes not so much! Gtek