OU812
posted this
16 February 2017
Thanks, The mold is NOE's 3 cavity brass version that has been shortened to make gas check shank shorter. I made the bullet shank shorter so that maybe the long 80 grain bullet would shoot in the 1-12 twist Remington barrel. Bullet seems to shoot regardless of what you read (Greenhill formula was written for canon projectiles during an earlier war... per Veral Smith)
The Gator gas check snaps on then it is pressed into bottom drive band and squared before sizing. I made a special bullet holder mounted in my RCBS Lubamatic to do this. The holder is made from K&S .250” OD brass tubing...with a .221 Inner Dimension. Tube was filled with JB Weld and allowed to cure with wax coated bullet inserted up to first drive band.
Gator gas checks are about .001" thicker than the Hornaday checks and for some reason more difficult to size nose first in the Lee sizer. So first I must "crimp on" base first In RCBS lubramatic using .227 die. Then final sizing is done nose first in the .226 LEE sizer before inserting bullet into bump die. I think the extra thickness of the 22 cal. Gator checks works better than the thinner Hornadays
I cast these bullets between 700-750 degrees...spout flow rate should be on the low side. Casting fins at nose were removed with thumb nail. Very easy to cast these bullets with practice.
I have been using NOE's matching aluminum nose punch during bumping and it seems to be holding up pretty good, but will compress and settle a little at first.