Proper Way? : Installing Gas Checks
- Thread starter JWFilips
- Start date
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freebullet
Guest
I push them on by hand then use the star or Lee. I load plainbase 200 to 1 or more though.
KeithB
Resident Half Fast Machinist
Sorry, didn't mean to get this off track. I only have two molds that use gas checks, a Lyman 358156 and a 429215. I use Lyman checks and haven't had any real trouble getting them to work. That said, for the reasonable pressure revolver loads I generally use I don't see any need for them. Just don't need the extra hassle for no real perceived improvement. Wish I had more to contribute along this line, I'm learning from everyone else here.
Two whole pages? Normal is the third subject by two pages. 
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
And that is good, I learn more from the addendums of the original post, than the original a lot of time!
Back on topic?????
Take a bullet with GC applied and roll it....watch the GC run out.I've got a coincentricity tool bourne out of grabbing some B&S,pretty gauldang $$$$ and stupid acc "kit" from the machine shop.What's interesting is....sort of two fold.
You learn by testing run out as to what or how your processing effects things.And second,once that is accomplished,further checking is usually further streamlined.Meaning,I can roll a loaded round on a slick plate and pretty much tell you what the gaging equipment is gonna confirm?
So,learn to roll a GC'd bullet....my money is on you being able to easily spot funkfied base squareness.
Take a bullet with GC applied and roll it....watch the GC run out.I've got a coincentricity tool bourne out of grabbing some B&S,pretty gauldang $$$$ and stupid acc "kit" from the machine shop.What's interesting is....sort of two fold.
You learn by testing run out as to what or how your processing effects things.And second,once that is accomplished,further checking is usually further streamlined.Meaning,I can roll a loaded round on a slick plate and pretty much tell you what the gaging equipment is gonna confirm?
So,learn to roll a GC'd bullet....my money is on you being able to easily spot funkfied base squareness.
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
I must be lucky.....never had issues with seating gas checks, Hornady or Gator. Star or LAM, sized/seated. Never had to resize them, either. Occasionally, I have been known to use a light plastic mallet to seat them......saves on the fingers. Lately, I've been casting with PB moulds. Gas checks reserved for high performance rifles, only.
fiver
Well-Known Member
I do too.
some of the time I can just drop the bullet in and set the check in place.
other times I have to resort to pressing them in place.
flair them.
run them backwards.
it just depends on who made the checks, how thick they are, and who made the mold.
I'm doing pretty well pressing lyman slip on's to an rcbs mold, and dropping Hornady checks on the base of another.
my 41 cal gators need to be annealed and flaired.
it just depends.
some of the time I can just drop the bullet in and set the check in place.
other times I have to resort to pressing them in place.
flair them.
run them backwards.
it just depends on who made the checks, how thick they are, and who made the mold.
I'm doing pretty well pressing lyman slip on's to an rcbs mold, and dropping Hornady checks on the base of another.
my 41 cal gators need to be annealed and flaired.
it just depends.
Yep, same here. A bit different routine though. I started sizing all my checks way back when most of my molds were SAECO's and getting a check on a SAECO bullet is not an easy task regardless of the type of Lubrisizer or what alloy is used. Also I never drop the bullet into the die checked or not. If it's a gas check bullet I set the check on the bullet base and hold the check (or bullet base) up against the punch and lower the ram and bullet slowly straight into the die. This makes sure the bullet is started into the die as straight as possible.
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earlmck
Member
New member here, so very late to the thread. I was also very slow to learn how wonderful the Star is for seating the gas check as you lube-size (I have owned my Star for 25 years and was still seating all the checks by hand before putting them through the sizer. How embarassing!). My procedure with the Star is to drop the bullet in the die nose down, press it on down with the punch until the base is a bit below level with the die top. Then I place the check on top and give her a little "pop" of the handle to seat the check before it all goes on through to be sized/lubed (or just sized if I'm doing pc'd bullets). This has worked so great for me that I have been giving lathesmith (over on "castboolits") good business fixing me up with size dies for all the sizes I gas check. Loooove the Star!
The old Lyman still gets use for some plain-based bullets and very occasionally for a couple gas check sizes of which I shoot so few I haven't splurged on the Star dies (6 and 6.5mm). When I still use the Lyman I do make sure the check is seated fully before going on into the die, which with the 6.5mm bullet requires that I block the entrance to the size die with a flat piece of metal, press the check on fully, and then pull the metal away so the bullet goes on in the die. The mould for the 6mm makes an nice base on which the checks always snap on readily; the 6.5 mould not so much.
The old Lyman still gets use for some plain-based bullets and very occasionally for a couple gas check sizes of which I shoot so few I haven't splurged on the Star dies (6 and 6.5mm). When I still use the Lyman I do make sure the check is seated fully before going on into the die, which with the 6.5mm bullet requires that I block the entrance to the size die with a flat piece of metal, press the check on fully, and then pull the metal away so the bullet goes on in the die. The mould for the 6mm makes an nice base on which the checks always snap on readily; the 6.5 mould not so much.
M3845708Bama
Active Member
I was having a problem of getting checks square with the axis of the bullet with long bore rider bullets. It was so bad at times I was having problems getting them to stand up without tipping when before baking the Powder coat. As a retired engineer, I can not leave well enough alone so I started searching articles on alignment. An old Sinclaire catalog had a bench rest system for seating bullets at the range so the were square and true to brass. I chucked up a 2" long piece of Cold rolled shafting and drilled and reamed a hole through its axis that an as cast bullet would just slide down. In one end I opend the hole up so a gas check would snap in with cup side looking up (down the hole). I then made a top punch that fit the bullet tip and was a slip fit in the rough die made previously. In use, fit a gas check into the relieved end, sit it on top of a steel flat surface. drop bullet base end down into seating die, insert top punch and tap lightly with rawhide mallet. Push out and run through sizer like normal. Benefits found- 1) Gas check will be seated at 90 degrees to base of bullet every time. 2) Minor imperfections on bullet base are swaged out and check and bullet fit tightened. Bullets are easier to stand without tipping when baking powder coat. I was able to stand a row of bullets on a flat plate and spacing between adjacent bullets will apear almost perfect. The completed bullets when seated with an inline seater gave almost "0" runout when checked. Takes a little extra time but my accuracy improvement make it worthwhile to me.
Eagle Eye
New Member
I found a little trick to get them seated flat and straight. It only requires your bullet seating die and a Lee push through sizing stem of the caliber your seating. Makes OAL of the boolit very uniform as well Check it out here
Gas Check Seating Hack
Gas Check Seating Hack
earlmck
Member
Pretty slick Eagle Eye! I seat gas checks just fine using my Star sizer -- until I have an undersized bullet. Seating checks with the Star requires some resistance from the bullet, so you gotta' have bullets at least a bit larger than the size die. But I have a couple that cast up just at or even slightly smaller than I want to size. I am going to try your technique on one that gave me trouble just today. I'm hoping this will not only seat the check but maybe even swage up the diameter just a scosh. Thanks for the tip!