Author Topic: Anyone tried vellum? (Read 1551 times)

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **on:** December 15, 2003, 11:17:45 AM »

I went to Staples office supplies and they didn't have squat in the way of thin paper. I picked up a pad of vellum, 25% rag.

It's really tough stuff and is only 0.003".

My Rossi has some deep rifling - 0.007". Once I jacked the powder charge up, the vellum unraveled in large chunks - not cut up much at all.

SINGLETREE 45 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2003, 04:13:45 PM »

I have a C Sharps 1874 rifle and have very good luck with it. I get 1 to 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards. That is about as good as I shoot with open sights. I have been shooting BP for about 30 years and really enjoy shooting PP.

SINGLETREE 45

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #2 on:** December 23, 2003, 06:31:12 AM »

1" to 1.5" group at 100 yds?!?

Wow, I don't think I'd ask for anything better without a scope. And I still have good eyes.

So far I would be pleased if I could get 1" to 1.5" at 50 yards.

I've wasted time with a 125 grain cast bullet in my .357. Now I think I'm going to just focus on trying to get my 158 grain bullet to perform with paper patching.

SINGLETREE 45 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 24, 2003, 06:33:14 AM »

thanks B Jack
My groups may have somethin to do with the fact that my rifle is a 16 lb. Sharps and I have a set of Montana Vintage Arms sights. Are you using any lube on the patch? What powder?

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #4 on:** December 26, 2003, 05:22:16 AM »

I was thinking lube would be the next thing to look into.

I actually was using Snow Seal boot care for lube. :eek: :eek:

Just smeared a tiny bit around the patch.

How critical is the lube when you use smokeless? Paul Mathews seems to suggest it isn't necessary. He also mentions water-proofing with 100% beeswax which is used in lube recipes but more for it's hardness, not it's lubricative properties.

Powders I've tried have been Blue Dot and Lil' Gun. If the Hodgdon website is correct Lil' Gun is a weird powder. It provides magnum velocities at pressures WAY under max.

SINGLETREE 45 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 29, 2003, 05:09:04 PM »

Howdy B Jack
I don't think lube is all that inportant on a smokeless load, and I think you are on the right track with your snow seal shoe treatment. you probably want to mix a little beeswax to keep the snow seal from soaking through the patch and sticking to the bullet :wink:

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #6 on:** December 30, 2003, 05:05:32 AM »

The Sno Seal already has beeswax in it. It dries kinda tacky and doesn't appear to soak into the paper much at all.

How persnickety do you get about uniform patching? I try to roll 'em uniformly from one bullet to the next, but they always have some variation. I always make sure the patch extends past the start of the ogive, but how far past varies by maybe 1/16" or so.

Any tricks? Or shouldn't I worry.

SINGLETREE 45 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 30, 2003, 08:50:22 AM »

Hi B Jack

I have'nt uses Snow Seal my self as a lube. I use Neets Foot oil & beeswax mix with a little bore butter, but all my loads are loaded with black powder. I have to use all this to keep the fouling soft.
As for the patching goes I hav'nt patched anything that small. The bullets I patch have a guide point or line to start the patch. You might get you a 38 cal. mould for PP bullet. You wil have to determine the dia. according to the patch thickness.
Do your patches have 40 degree cut ends? This helps a little in rolling on the patch.

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #8 on:** December 30, 2003, 11:17:25 AM »

Yes I use the parallelogram style patch.

.357 is pretty small, but I see people try .30 calibers so why not?

Hmm, I was kinda hoping to avoid getting a special mold.

Another thing that I'm going to look into: my sizing method. Since I'm loading for a tube-fed lever action, I'm using RNFP bullets. I just patch 'em, then set them on my Lee sizer nose down and run 'em through the die tail-first. Then I clip the tails.

I found that while trying this for some Truncated Cone bullets the nose deformed. The RNFPs have a much thicker ogive and any deformation is not nearly as noticeable as with the TCs. I'll have to examine the RNFPs for nose deformation and report back.

How do you size them after patching if you don't go nose first? I'd clip the tails of course but that still doesn't give me a real flat base to set on the press pedestal.

Castaway · « **Reply #9 on:** December 30, 2003, 12:22:27 PM »

Black Jaque, when I was using a 0.457 mould and final sizing after patching, I clipped the tail close and then ran the bullet through the Lee sizer, nose first. Worked fine but ended up getting a custom mould after a few years. The custom mould eliminated any after casting or patching sizing. Made my life much easier.

SINGLETREE 45 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2003, 02:55:38 PM »

Hi B Jack
I use a Lyman lube/sizer & presize my NEI paper patch bullets to .447 Dia. just to make sure it is perfectly round. It doesn't do much to the bullet since it is suppose to cast that Dia.
I patch the bullet then let them dry & then clip the tails. I then put them through the sizer with .459 Dia. die and the correct nose punch.
With my swage bullet I don't have to presize because it always produces a perfect bullet. Oh yes I always size base down due to the type of sizer. The swage bullet is also run through the .459 sizer after patching & the tails are cliped :rain: