Reduced Loads

[Texas Sheepdawg]

Be careful with "Plated" bullets. We have several confirmed reports of those failing. Ask Wildcatter and Gunnut. They have both seen failures or as Tim says "Blue puffs of smoke" when using plated bullets.

I read somewhere in here how someone had a custom tool for making better copper gas checks with higher walls. Who-Dat?

[pitted bore]

... I read somewhere in here how someone had a custom tool for making better copper gas checks with higher walls. Who-Dat?

TSD-

Perhaps you're thinking of this thread? Taller gas checks for cast boolits.

This post appears there:

Well, the custom checkmaker die from Patmarlin arrived on Monday, and today I had a chance to make a couple hundred. They're not perfect, but they are taller. ...

BD1 shows there some images of the checks he made and installed on some cast bullets.

--Bob

[Texas Sheepdawg]

YUP!
Thanx!

[Siringo]

The Xtreme bullets are there 255 LC bullets that are copper plated flat points, with a diameter of .451". I have fell in love with plated bullets with my big bore revolvers and thought that I would give them a try. Placing cardboard at 15 yards no copper is pealing off. Thanks for the input of powder options. It sounds like you guys would recommend a slower burning powder for this task. Siringo, that is actually the speed I am looking to be at when all said and done. I was starting low to find where I had to be to get it to cycle, now I wish I could get it to tighten up a bit. A fellow competitor has successfully downloaded his 300 xtp rounds(non mags) to shoot well with I believe 2400 doing the same thing I am. Starting low, getting the rifle to cycle, and found a load real close to that that shot well. Thanks for the input.

Actually, I found that using heavy bullets the recoil was less. Mostly because of the lower velocity and lower energy. That would be cool to use 405's on those bowling pins. Maybe if you hit them just right you could get a "Strike"!

[wildcatter]

Welcome!

A couple of items first --- as what type of bullet are you using from Xtreme:

1. Naked lead bullets will have poor accuracy because of gas cutting at the gas port. A tall gas check (0.10") is required and we have not found these readily available. The cast bullet needs to be .452" in diameter and better yet .453".

http://www.ebay.com/itm/450-Bushmaster- ... 20be0ffd80

"they have a diameter of .454 and are .125 tall."

Is this one of our guys..BD1??..

..t

[pitted bore]

... http://www.ebay.com/itm/450-Bushmaster- ... 20be0ffd80
"they have a diameter of .454 and are .125 tall."

Is this one of our guys..BD1??..

T-
The vendor on eBay is James Sage. The eBay listing has been up for months.

BD1 obtained a bunch of the aluminum gas checks, but hasn't reported on them yet. He's been pretty busy.

--Bob

[BD1]

Sorry Guys, I've been a little lax. Big rush to completion date on the project that ended 12/29/11, followed by loading up to move back up north. So, I haven't been to the range since Xmas. In December I did try a couple of loads with the aluminum checks with pretty mediocre results, 2 1/2" groups at 100 yards, and some tough fouling. I'm thinking that the AL is not the material for a chromed bore. I made a couple hundred of the taller copper checks, but getting them on the boolits has been somewhat problematic as it takes two trips through the sizer with progressively smaller dies. Groups on the initial taller check trials were about 2" @ 100, but no fliers which is an improvement.

The issue with the taller checks is that a gas check has to be somewhat tapered up the wall in order for it to release from the forming die. The taller the check, the wider the "mouth" of the check becomes due to the taper. Unfortunately the mouth of the .452 sizing dies currently available is too small to size the check onto the boolit in one go. So, I have to run them through a .458 sizer base first, then through the .452 sizer. This process introduces a couple of additional opportunities for variation to occur. I'm still playing around with this.

Bottom line is that this allows me to pound 300 grainers down range at over 2,000 fps, (2,200 fps is max, accuracy is better at 2,050 so far), at a cost of a 2 cents or so per boolit. However, I'm still not getting the 1 moa groups I'm after. It may be a month or two before I can settle down to testing this theory further.
BD

[pitted bore]

BD1-
Thanks for the update.

There have been mixed reports in a few forums about aluminum gas checks causing problems with chrome barrels, but there appears to have been no definitive experiments or evaluations.

Keep us posted, and good luck with the moving.

--Bob

[wildcatter]

Hey BD, Up North where? Make it Michigan..

..t

[BD1]

Back to Moosehead Lake for now. A lonely red county smack dab in the middle of the blue state of Maine.
BD