Dirt cheep gas checks

[Oldbob]

Hello every one. I am new to this form, looks like a good group hear. Hear is some information that an old friend told me about 25 years ago. You can make free gas checks for straight wall cases out of the foam meat trays that comes with your hamburger & stakes. Cut little foam pills with a cartridge case sharpened with chaffing tool. Drill large hole where primer pocket is so you can push out the foam pills out after cutting them with a stick. Twisting and push cutter in to foam with a soft backstop . Little foam pills should be a tight fit in the case. Put one between powder and bullet. On heavy 44 mag loads I use two. You would think they would burn up but they do not. They will do a good job of sealing the hot gas from powder burn from the lead cast bullet. Before I found out about this trick I was cleaning lead out of the bore after each shooting. The foam gas checks keep the bore of my stainless blackhawk so clean I seldom have to clean it.

Bob

[versifier]

Welcome to Gunloads Oldbob.

Various substances have been used as wads over the years in straightwall cases, both for pistol and rifle loads, and fillers of various sorts for straight and bottleneck rifle cases. Like you, many seem quite happy with them. The main caveat to using them is to be aware that anything you add to the case reduces its volume and raises the pressure of the load. The same thing happens when you seat a long bullet deeply into the case. As long as you reduce the powder charge and work up slowly based on the new volume, and never try to shoot hot loads, the practice is relatively safe. It was explained to me like this: If you put a thin fiber wad in a .357 mag case, you reduce the case volume to that of a .38 special, so load using .38 spec data. Sometimes they really improve the groups with certain loads. I have tried several variations of them over the years, including the foam ones, but generally found them to be more trouble than they are worth in my own revolvers. OTOH, the practical soul that I am, if I had one that did well by them I would likely change my opinion in a hurry. In any event, they are an interesting experiment for an experienced loader that may lead to some very accurate loads, but they nothing for a beginner to be messing with.

Bottom line though, if you get a lot of leading in a revolver capable of shooting cast bullets accurately (the cylinder throats and forcing cone are the correct size), you are either shooting undersized bullets, they were cast from an overly hard alloy, you are using the wrong lube, or - less likely with the low velocities of handgun loads - you are trying to push them too fast for the strength of the alloy. IME the most common cause of leading is shooting undersized commercially cast hard bullets with ineffective hard lubes (three strikes and you're out!).

Real gas checks aren't that expensive and allow you to shoot hunting bullets cast of softer alloys to get decent expansion in game without leading at higher velocities. They are not, however, a cure for all ills. There are specific times when they are needed, and other times when they make no difference at all. 90% of the revolver bullets/loads I shoot don't need GC anyway. With most rifle bullets at higher velocities they are almost essential, though there are some exceptions, notably paper patched bullets and certain straight wall case loads of the late 1800's. It never hurts to experiment as long as you are aware of the limits and dangers, and you can't expect to learn anything by not trying something new.