Simple «gas check seater»

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
I tried a new- to- me method of seating gas checks today, that seems to work well on flat nosed bullets. This idea is probably not original, and I may have read about it somewhere, I can´t remember. Anyway, it was useful to me and it might possibly be of use for someone else, so here we go:
Mount a Lee sizer in your press (doesn´t matter what caliber it is), and introduce the corresponding push rod into the sizer (without fastening it in the ram). The push rod will probably stay inside the sizer, if not you can retain it with a glob of alox). Then, put another push rod in the ram (of the same, or larger caliber than the bullets you work with). You now basically have a «gas check seating die», where the base of the upper push rod acts as a «top punch». I honed the base of mine slightly, as there were small imprints of machining marks.
This principle will probably also work on pointed or RN bullets, if you have the NOE bushing- sizer with top punch holder for the ram, allowing base- first sizing. Will try that when the next goodie-box from NOE arrives
 

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Rick H

Well-Known Member
I have a flat piece of steel about 1/8" thick by 3/4" wide and a few inches long....I just hold it over the opening in the Lee Sizer and do the same thing. Press on the gas check then remove the steel and size base first normally. No need to handle the bullet twice.
 

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Intheshop

Banned
Thanks for the ideas guys! Had a brain jog moment..... I like to pre seat the accuracy rigs GC's before sending them to the sizer.And found that they need to be pretty tight.Too tight for just sticking them on.And tossing them in the sizer hasn't worked so,was looking at y'alls methods and the light bulb came on.I have a beautifully made little arbor press that apparently? is std equipment in the jewelry biz in days of old.

It was given to me by this old,friend of the family some 30 years ago.It along with a bunch of his tools that were better here than thrown away? It's about 8" tall,basically a miniature version of a big ole arbor press.This will be my new pre seater,thanks.It was purty embarrassing how I was doing it before,haha.
 

Intheshop

Banned
So,what is too tight? If it shaves the bullet base? How about,just short of shaving bullet base? See if this uploads..... should have put something in for scale but,it's 9" tall.20180727_055313_resized.jpg
 
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Intheshop

Banned
Kind of like describing a jam fit on OAL.

A little different because of the curves involved from a purely metrology standpoint but is accurate because,how tight is tight?

It's a feel thing,if you ask me.....
 
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Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Your looking for the check to be completely flat against the base of the bullet without any distortion to the check and without shaving or distorting the shank.
 

Intheshop

Banned
I've been getting that in the sizing/swaging stage. "My" issue is trying to get these tiny 22 cal checks started straight.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
Look up a rivet squeezing tool . Very handy for those little 22s . Correct length can be set for bullets under about 1.1 depending on shape and making flat discs out of 000B is a breeze .
 

Rcmaveric

Active Member
For a luber sizer, Just put a washer over the sizer die. The hole just so happens to hold the check while i seat the check with the nose punch. Seat a bunch. Move the washer and then size. The washers are about the size of a quarter. You might even just be able to use a quarter. I tried the NOE gas check seater and don't like it. The bullets get stuck. I loved the Lyman Gas check seater, but its a pain to get it in the Luber sizer some times. Washer takes a second and works amazingly.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Was in shop today so while making cab parts got some work done on the above pre seater. The top ram was just the right size to chuck up in lathe a drill out to accept std Lyman top punches...... 10 minutes,done.

The plywood,doodah base plate is history.The hole in the casting had been line bored to .625", so dug up a 5/8" NFT bolt.Cut the hex head off,chucked it up and machined the slightly oversized counterbore for GC ..... 15 minutes,done.Only thing missing is a nut,as the height adjuster. I'll snag a cpl next time in town.
 

Intheshop

Banned
The baby arbor press is too easy in use.It presents 7-08 GC's so dang perfect that it brings a smile every stroke......
What needs to happen is,pop the lower spindle out and turn off the 22 cal recess however.Needs washers with spec'd holes..... then just swap'm out for lower unit.


Edit to add: the finished,ready to load bullet after going through a custom H&I is,a close bet to being more perfect than a lathe turned example.Sorry for the novel but am loading up hunting 7-08's.
 
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