Author Topic: Home-Made Gas Checks (Read 1785 times)

Awf Hand · « **on:** January 10, 2006, 07:07:40 AM »

I just read a neat article in "The Fouling Shot" -the Cast Bullet Association's periodical, and was wondering if anyone here has ever made their own gas checks.

If you have, did you experiment at all with different shapes for your bullet base? It doesn't seem a far stretch to make a pseudo-boat tail, if you're already tooled up to make checks...

Awf Hand · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2013, 07:24:04 AM »

Giving this thread a 7 year bump.

Anybody anywhere make gas checks? How'd it go?

I've got a lathe, but won't bother buying metal stock if it isn't worth the time. Back when I first posted this question, checks were less than 1/2 the price they are now...

mauserand9mm · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2013, 12:44:35 PM »

Can't give specifics, but I know a couple of guys who have punched disks out of aluminium soft drink cans and used a home made punch and die to form the disc to the cup shape. The end up with crinkles in the bent-up cup walls but the base edge looks okay - I think this part is critical for accuracy as it is the last part that leaves the bore when fired.
They tell me accuracy is good and can be driven to the same sort of velocities as a commercial gas check.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #3 on:** January 31, 2013, 01:10:32 AM »

years ago i had one of the original freecheck check makers for the 44. Never got to thrilled over it because the checks didnt crimp on and anyone whos used the old lyman non crimped checks will tell you that accuracy suffers from checks comming off at differnt times while a bullet is in flight. I guess a guy could glue them on but that just seems like to much bother to me. I sold the thing and just buy checks in bulk.

Awf Hand · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2013, 06:13:53 AM »

So do the crimp-on checks have additional steps to produce that would be difficult to replicate with home equipment?

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #5 on:** February 01, 2013, 01:57:47 AM »

they have a small lip on the check that bites into the bullet and i dont think you could produce them on any of the setups ive seen.

Dezynco · « **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2013, 11:15:28 PM »

I've been using the Pat Marlin gas check tool for a year or so with excellent results on my 30 caliber. I use aluminum flashing that I cut into strips with a giuotine- type paper cutter.

ironglow · « **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2013, 11:31:58 PM »

This is a guy who apparently makes his own gas checks...plus millions to sell:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?86706-Blammer-s-Gas-Check-Information

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2013, 12:45:18 AM »

he doesnt make his own checks hes a distributor for "GATOR" checks. Those are high quality checks made by a dentist, believe it or not. His checks are made on real gas check making equiptment and do crimp on and are proably the highest quality checks you can buy and blamer deals them cheaper then what your paying for lyman or hornady checks.

res45 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2013, 05:17:40 AM »

I shoot lots of the Hornady and Gator checks,just got my order of 4 K Gator check in last week. I also just recently purchased a small batch of Aluminum checks for Sage's Outdoors to give them a try before I think about making my own .

I have plans for a gas check maker but no tooling to do so,but a friend who has a machine shop is going to make one this fall during his slow time. http://www.datafilehost.com/download-c7a0815b.html

ironglow · « **Reply #10 on:** February 02, 2013, 10:26:12 AM »

Thanks for the correction Lloyd.. I am not a black powder burner, so I have much to learn about the game.

res45.. Again I have learned something, I would think aluminum would be to prone to heat failure to use it for gas checks..

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #11 on:** February 03, 2013, 02:58:32 AM »

Ironbow gas checks are not used for black powder shooting. Black powder explodes rather then burns as it goes up the barrel so heat isnt really a consern with it and gas checks arent needed. As to heat effecting aluminum it isnt a consern either. If you look at a plain lead based bullet thats been shot its not the base that burns its gas leaking along the side of a bullet that flame cuts the bullet. That is the main purpose of a gas check. To provide a seal between the flame front and the bullet.

Quote from: ironglow on February 02, 2013, 10:26:12 AM

Thanks for the correction Lloyd.. I am not a black powder burner, so I have much to learn about the game.

res45.. Again I have learned something, I would think aluminum would be to prone to heat failure to use it for gas checks..

Jal5 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 04, 2013, 08:33:43 AM »

I have had good experience with the GATOR checks too and Blammer has priced them pretty reasonably I think. Joe

ironglow · « **Reply #13 on:** February 04, 2013, 05:44:34 PM »

Thanks for the info Lloyd..I load only jacketed bullets, so I am not familiar with lead bullet practices. Can I confidently load a lead bullet for my .44 mag CVA rifle which will do about 1600 fps at the muzzle? Do they retain weight good enough in such a loading to effectively drop a whitetail?
Any danger of undue leading?

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #14 on:** February 05, 2013, 01:12:17 AM »

I shot quite a few deer with lead bullets in sabots in my muzzle loader. thing is if your a caster you can vary alloy to give drastic expansion or no expansion at all. Ive been using jacketed in my newest inline and with 250 xtps have been getting way to much expansion and not much penetration. I blows a hole in a deer like no 300 mag will at a 100 yards or less. Im either going to a heavier jacketed or going back to cast in mine next year myself. I take it that cva is a muzzle loader and your using 44s in sabots? If its a 44 mag or 4440 or 44 speical your talking about yes you can use cast a 1600 fps if you have a good barrel and use the right alloy but at those levels a gas check is definately going to help prevent leading and is most likely just plain going to shoot more accurately.

ironglow · « **Reply #15 on:** February 05, 2013, 01:37:42 AM »

Lloyd;
Nope; It's a CVA Scout regular .44 mag..I'm loading Hornady XTPs in 240 gr right now.
Must be the tougher bullets are the ones they refer to as "hardcast". Is the hardness governed by the amount of antimony?

Awf Hand · « **Reply #16 on:** February 05, 2013, 03:05:19 AM »

This thread got derailled a little bit here...

Is it folks opinion that the crimp on checks would be too difficult to make using home equipment? It seems like the steps would be:
1. punch circle
2. create crimp "lip"
3. form cup

So, perhaps there would be two forming dies needed to create the checks?

My reason for asking is that I've been so involved in every other part of this rifle's loading, I thought it would be fun to make checks as well. -and it would give me another excuse to use my lathe...

Tom W. · « **Reply #17 on:** February 24, 2013, 05:12:44 PM »

I have a freechex II and make checks for my .45 Colt, and can use the same checks on my .44 Mag, as they will crimp on just fine. I use doubled over soft drink cans and punch them out with an arbor press I got from Harbor Freight.
.014 aluminum flashing will work better, but I have no problems with the soft drink cans, and accuracy doesn't suffer.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #18 on:** February 25, 2013, 12:23:52 AM »

tom ive got a freecheck II myself and the checks dont crimp on. To crimp on properly then need a crimp shoulder made into the actual check that enguages the bullet shank. Someday when you have time shoot a bunch of them at about 25 yards into something that allows you to recover the bullets and youll see that all your checks arent staying on all the way to the target.

Tom W. · « **Reply #19 on:** February 26, 2013, 03:49:13 PM »

Well, let me rephrase that....
The checks are on the bullets very tight, don't need to be glued, and when applied , they don't move on the bullet. I did have to get a different mandrel, as the one supplied with the device was for rifle bullets rather than revolver bullets.
I've not checked to see if they come off in flight, as the accuracy was such that there was no concern.Most of the aluminum checks that I used were on the .454 that I had, and I did compare the accuracy between the Hornady checks and the Aluminum checks, and the difference was negligible at best.
I have since sold that beast of a handgun and shoot mostly plain base bullets in my Blackhawk now.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #20 on:** February 27, 2013, 01:10:42 AM »

tom you may have gotten lucky and have a mold cut with just the perfect gas check shank diameter. What ive found is if you take 10 44cal gas checked molds and measure the gas check shank on the bullet youll find they vary all over the place and a check that fits tight on one might not even go on another and might fall right off the third one.

bosephus · « **Reply #21 on:** February 27, 2013, 12:53:12 PM »

been using checks made in a free checks type die for a few years on an 8mm ,, never any issues for me .
the key to keeping the check on the shank is using material with the right thickness .

ive been using copper flashing just because i have it now , when i first got the die i used popcans like a lot of others , they required being doubled up and was still almost to thin for my shank dia

and a fyi .. the check prevents gas cutting of the bullet base .. heat isnt an issue .. the bullet is not exposed to combustion heat anywhere near long enough to melt .