Painted Aluminum Sheeting for gas checks??

[mkj4him]

I finally got my 9mm/38/357 gas check maker from 22lrreloader.
The only aluminum sheeting I could find on hand was a piece that is white on one side and brown on the other. The gas checks punch out ok but the paint is scraping off on the edges.

My question is will the flaking paint damage the bore of the gun?
Should I just toss this sheeting and go to Lowe’s?

[NyFirefighter357]

Coil stock for house trim.

[Rcmaveric]

Nope. Same stuff i use because its thicker. Works fine.

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[dimaprok]

Similar story with aluminum blinds, beautiful gas checks but I hate the paint chipping plus they don't want to sit well on the bullet. I was lucky to get my hands on .010" aluminum from a customer, makes great gas checks!

[mkj4him]

Ok so what I’m hearing is that the paint won’t hurt the barrel as long as they stay on the bullet. Correct?

So what is the typical thickness for a gas check?

[Budzilla 19]

I use.014” aluminum in a coil, cut it into strips then go for it,works good. Just me though. Good luck.

[dimaprok]

In my experience anything thicker than .010 and you end up with a stretched or deformed gas check. I don't know how you're able fit such thick gas check and not come out mangled when sized.

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[gpidaho]

Gas checks, like everything else in our hobby, aren't a one size fits all thing. The size of the shank of the bullet you cast compared to the drive bands of the same should be measured. If there is a .020 difference the .011 aluminum would be a good choice for a good crimp. I miss the coils from Ian's Coil and Foil. Those coils were .0145 unless a different size was ordered. These worked well with a lot of my moulds but not all. I use .010 to .015 depending on measurements. Gp

[bangerjim]

Lowe's and Home Despot have tons of rolls of aluminum stock that is perfect. Why mess with painted carp and window blind metal??????????????? Are we THAT hard up for $$?


Just buy a roll of the stuff. I have a huge roll of Al flashing I use for checks from Lowe's. A roll will last you for years.

[mkj4him]

Is there a difference in performance between aluminum and copper?
Where can a person get rolls of copper flashing?

[bangerjim]

The internet is your source for just about anything now. Just do a search.

[jsizemore]

Is there a difference in performance between aluminum and copper?
Where can a person get rolls of copper flashing?

Roofing supply.

[frkelly74]

I believe that the coil stock is a better grade of aluminum than bright aluminum flashing. Coil stock is thicker as was mentioned . It is also annealed so that when it is bent it will not have the spring back effect that flashing may have. Menards has some narrow rolls of copper for flashing. It's very expensive. They also have rolls of some zinc which is used for moss/ lichen control on roofs. Lifetime supply is about $40.

[mkj4him]

Thanks for all the input.

[Scrounge]

I finally got my 9mm/38/357 gas check maker from 22lrreloader.
The only aluminum sheeting I could find on hand was a piece that is white on one side and brown on the other. The gas checks punch out ok but the paint is scraping off on the edges.

My question is will the flaking paint damage the bore of the gun?
Should I just toss this sheeting and go to Lowe’s?

If you have to use it but it worries you, I'd treat it with Citri-Strip, first, and remove the paint. But it's cheap enough to buy some aluminum flashing at Home Depot/Lowes or where-ever you go for hardware. Honestly, the aluminum oxide that forms on sheet aluminum exposed to the air is harder than most anything else you might run down a gun's bore. It is essentially sapphire dust. They use it to make grinding wheels and such. Yes it will wear the barrel. The pigments in the paint are also usually some sort of metallic compound, often an oxide. They're abrasive, too, to one extent or another. Red rouge for polishing is iron rust. Some folks put abrasives on their bullets intentionally to "fire polish" them. You might get some nasty smoke, depending on the pigment in the paint. If you do, strip it, or buy new bare aluminum or copper. Copper is less a problem, but higher in cost. Check your wallet and see what you can afford to do.

I bought a 50' coil of 12" aluminum flashing for some roof work I did about 20 years ago. I'm pretty sure I have a lifetime supply of the stuff for my reloading.

Bill

[mkj4him]

I know copper is expensive but I like how it shines…just before I load it in a case. Question though. Annealed hard or soft?

[frkelly74]

The copper or aluminum will work better if it is annealed/ soft. It takes away the "memory " in the metal so that it will not tend to spring back toward its original flat shape.

[mkj4him]

I found 110 Copper Shim Stock
6" x 100" Roll, 0.01" Thick I can order. Soft annealed. Sound right?

[frkelly74]

The metal I use is .011" and it works well so .010" may work well also. The instructions I got with my tool said I could use up to .014" and if I ever come across metal that thick I will try it. Some of the metal at the home supply stores is .019" I have hesitated to try that in my tool. .011" cuts and forms well and crimps on pretty reliably.

[mkj4him]

Just ordered a 6” x100” roll of copper .01” thick soft annealed. I hope this does the trick. I will also get a roll of aluminum from Lowe’s to compare.