Made My First Gas Check Making Die....

[Rick from kali]

so i guess i am stepping into CRB Land. had to do something now that i am shooting a lot of cast rifle bullets that need a gas check. so i made a homade version of the Freechex III. amazed me on how well it works. my post and photo's start at post #22. caliber is .338
Rick

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=88531

[zdogk9]

paper patchin's cheeper

[craig110]

Sweet! :thumbsup:

[BigSlick]

Most cool Rick :thumbsup:

If you're going to be making these to sell, drop me a PM and I'll get you a list of sizes I would like to buy.

This is something I've been needing for a while, and there's no good answer for gas checks without paying an arm and a leg or waiting longer than I'd like

[craig110]

I'd probably be in for a .45-70 set if the price was right.

[Rick from kali]

well for now i am making these check making dies for my personal use. this my first is in.338 caliber. soon to follow will be one for .30 caliber and one for the 45/70. so far the making of this die only cost me my time on my lathe. the 3/4" cold rolled steel used to make it i procured for free. for the .45/70 i will have to move up to at least 7/8" of steel stock. here is a photo of the finished die minus the spring.craig110, when i make the .45/70 check maker i will post my progress here. what .45/70 bullet are you wanting checks for and if you get a chance can you measure the bullet shank where the gas check goes on the bullet that you are going to use and PM me the info. thanks.
Rick
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture219.jpg

[craig110]

craig110, when i make the .45/70 check maker i will post my progress here. what .45/70 bullet are you wanting checks for and if you get a chance can you measure the bullet shank where the gas check goes on the bullet that you are going to use and PM me the info. thanks.


Thanks for keeping us posted, Rick. While I cast a bunch of .45-70 this past weekend, I casted only the boolit that doesn't take gas checks since I don't have any GCs yet. I'll cast the gas-check boolit as soon as I can to give you the measurements, but if it helps it is a Lee C457-500-F mold.

[Rick from kali]

craig110,
as of now i do not have a .45/70 mold that uses a gas check so if you give me those diamensions the first check maker i make i wil make it for you. will try to make it out of 3/4" stock if that fails i will have to hunt up some 7/8" or bigger stock. use it for awhile and if you feel that it works ok you can either pay what you think it is worth or maybe some trade goods. soon as i get some extra time as of now i am dealing with two of my dog's that have cancer that's inoperatable so i will more than likely have to put them both down this week. i very much dred having to do this even knowing that they are suffering even with all the medication dosen't make me feel any better for having to do this. anyways when you get a chance send me the info.
Rick
Rick

[craig110]

Oh Rick, so sorry to hear about your dogs. Having to put one beloved pet down is bad enough, but two at once? That is just horrible. I know you'll do the right thing, but be strong.

I haven't cast one of those boolits yet and, perhaps you've seen this on another thread, but I've mentioned that I might get a different mold to make a lighter boolit. That said, though, digging around the web the spec for .45-70 is a .428 +/- .003 ID diameter gas check. I've measured my mold and while I'm not sure how the lead expands / contracts after it cools, the base measures out at .428 so the standard spec should do it.

[Rick from kali]

thanks craig just gonna have to find some 7/8" or larger round stock and i will start on it after i get everything squared away here with my dog's. will probably be next month some time before i get around to it. oh and never mind about paying me for it. think of it as a Christmas present from JaJa Boy. i sure do miss his post here. being 62 now i have to try and do things more quickly. you never know when trails end will come. one more thing, can you PM me a shipping address to where i can send the die once i complete it.
Rick

[Rick from kali]

Craig110,
so while resting between caring for both of my sick dog's i got to tinkering around with an idea to make your .45/70 check making die. using a lee powder through expander die body that was laying around staring at me to bring it back to life. i sleeved it bored it out and cut it down in length and so far everything looks good. all that is left to do is drill and tap the set screw cut the slot and test it. if all works out you should have it before Christmas. i will call you latter today. will update this thread when i complete the check maker die.
Rick
.45/70 check die next to the .338 check die i made for comparison.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture213-1.jpg
form punch inside of die body
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture214-1.jpg

[craig110]

Looks nice, Rick!

[Rick from kali]

Craig110,
so here are some photo's of some of the gas checks that i made for the .45/70 also the check maker die in my RockChucker. gonna have to make another die body as the lee die body does not have enough meat on it. the die bodies for this size caliber has to be at least 7/8" all the way up so that when you cut the slot for the material you will still have enough support left in the die so i will need to make another one using 7/8th stock. so after i test this die some more and find a spring for it i will send it to you along with all the checks that make on it. think of it as the proto type model until i can make another one in the proper stock size. my collie Sheba passed away last night so i will be busy the next few days making arrangements to get her cremated so work on this project will be put on hold for a bit.
Rick
The Checks
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture218-1.jpg
The Check Maker On My RockChucker
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture217-1.jpg

[craig110]

Hey Rick, so sorry to hear about Sheba. No problem on any delay. I am in no major rush, so there is no need to send me out a proto if you really think the die needs to be beefier, but frankly those GCs look nice! "Proto"-level might be quite good enough for me as I'm not going to be making tens of thousands of GCs with it.

[Rick from kali]

so craig i painted up the base for you and and opened up two fender washers so all you will need is two 3/8th carrige bolts. tomorrow i will go into L.A. to see if i can find a spring for it, either way i will ship it out to you next week. you can use it in a drill press with this set up or in a reloading press using a rubber mallet.
Rick
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o301/rick4570/Picture220-1.jpg

[craig110]

Sweet all around!