Wax Wad PP Seating

[303Guy]

Has anyone seated PP boolits this way? The boolit base is dipped into my 'waxy-lube' to the seating depth then seated. Recovered boolits are clean of wax. The idea is to hold the boolit in place and it also happens to give a protective coating to the inside of my non-removeable enclosed muzzle break / semi-suppressor.



I believe the practice also prevents boolit base deformation. In this case, I did it because the patches did not have a tail twist or fold. Accuracy at less than 50yds seemed OK but at 100 or so was non-existant. (I suspect the alloy was too soft for the velocity).

[Southern Son]

I remember seeing someone who was experimenting with boat tailed cast boolits and I am pretty sure that it was on this sight (might have been in black powder section). Initial tests gave poor accuracy and the recovered boolits had a banged up boat tail, so they made a bees wax wad that surrounded the boat tail and protected it from damage when the powder in the case slammed into the boolit in the rifle. I cannot remember the out come of the experiment (too many blows to the head have left me with a dodgy memory).

[bcp477]

I haven't tried anything like that, as I've never felt the need. However, as a matter of "policy", so to speak, I do not apply bullet lube to the bases of my bullets (patched bullets, I mean) on the theory that I don't want anything potentially sticking to the bullet (even while it is still in the barrel), such as the cotton wool I use for filler, or granules of gunpowder. Someone once told me that lubing the bases of bullets (or patches) was a bad idea - and that is why I do not do it. Of course, I cannot prove the efficacy of it, one way or the other. I'm sure that your wax "wad" simply acts sort of like a gascheck, in a certain sense. It does make me wonder though.....if you are getting decent accuracy at 50 yards....but not good at 100 yards....then I'd guess that this is not such a great idea, after all. Of course, there could be another problem. I think it might just be better (certainly more proven) to simply twist a tail or fold over the base of the patch, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel. As for the alloy being too soft for the velocity, it is my understanding that PPing allows almost dead-soft bullets to work well, even with smokeless. (I cannot swear to that either, as all I've ever used are bullets of about BHN 12. ) However, I know that I've heard this - on THIS forum. So, I would more suspect your lube dipping technique being the problem, than I would the bullet alloy. I could certainly be wrong, though.

[303Guy]

Thanks for that. That leaves me with four variables, the one being the dipped waxy wad. I know that at low velocity and if the wax mix is sticky, cotton filler sticks to the boolit base. At full power, the recovered base is clean (with a harder wax mix). I don't know where it comes off. Well, I have some experimenting to do!