.22 gas check shank diameter

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Last Post 08 August 2016

CBA Member

gnoahhh posted this 11 April 2016

I finally got around to trying out my new HM2 6-cavity mold. Beautiful bullets, .230 diameter- right up my alley for the Savage .22 HP. My problem is that the gas check shanks mic at .218” and both of my brands of copper checks mic .210” inside diameter. Has anybody else encountered this problem, and if so, how did you solve it? I'm contemplating turning a steel punch to use in a small arbor press to re-shape the checks, but am mainly wondering if there is a source for a suitably large check so as to avoid that hassle. Thank you!

Gary

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CBA Member

45 2.1 posted this 11 April 2016

gnoahhh wrote: I finally got around to trying out my new HM2 6-cavity mold. Beautiful bullets, .230 diameter- right up my alley for the Savage .22 HP. My problem is that the gas check shanks mic at .218” and both of my brands of copper checks mic .210” inside diameter. Has anybody else encountered this problem, and if so, how did you solve it? I'm contemplating turning a steel punch to use in a small arbor press to re-shape the checks, but am mainly wondering if there is a source for a suitably large check so as to avoid that hassle. Thank you!

Gary This is a common problem. A friend of mine makes his own check maker suitable to the thickness check he wants out of aluminum. In your case...... ( 0.230 - 0.218 ) / 2 = 0.006 + 0.003 = 0.009” thick aluminum shooting for an inside base diameter of 0.219". They shoot very well too.

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CBA Member

Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 11 April 2016

also....we who shoot odd sized castings are hoping that the guys here playing with coatings might

give us a way to protect bullet bases other than the old-school gas check ...

for instance it might be that just dipping the bases in a coating would be just fine for plain base up to 1600 or so ... hobby-poxy ? fingernail polish ?

hopefully someone will give that a try...what an advancement for we low-expectation shooters .. ( g ) .

ken

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CBA Member

gnoahhh posted this 12 April 2016

I guess I need to find someone who'll sell me a small pile of suitably sized checks. Making my own is something I just don't wish to pursue.

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CBA Member

mtngun posted this 17 April 2016

Hopefully 22cf aficionado John Alexander will weigh in on the subject. :)

I cast my first 22cf bullets just a few days ago. Check shanks ran .213” - .214". Gator checks were a little loose at 0.213” but still acceptable (they would crimp on in the sizing die). 0.214” required some effort to install the check but was do-able without shaving lead. I decided 0.2133” would be close to ideal for my tastes.

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CBA Member

mtngun posted this 17 April 2016

To salvage your mold with the oversize shanks, you might try coating the bullets and shooting them without checks.

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CBA President

John Alexander posted this 17 April 2016

In my opinion the mold should be returned to the maker since it is defective. Even if it was made for the High Power the mold maker should know that there are no special oversized gas checks for it. I wouldn't think that a mold maker would claim that .218” when it should have been maybe .214” is within a reasonable tolerance.

Life is too short to be expanding gas checks with a special little punch because the mold maker made a gas check type mold not the right size to fit available gas checks.

John

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CBA Member

gnoahhh posted this 17 April 2016

John, the mold maker is out of business. I got it as surplus from a principle of the firm.

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CBA Member

frnkeore posted this 19 April 2016

With all the info in, I'd say that your only solution is to make it into a PB mold.

It should shoot as well as a GC up to 1600+ fps and if you want to shoot faster, make some .230 1/16” LDPE wads. You'll be able to get well above 2000 fps (with accuracy) using them.

Remember though, that they have to stay in the neck so, size the neck far enough to hold them or load the bullet out enough to make room for them.

Frank

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CBA Member

gnoahhh posted this 19 April 2016

I got a sample pack of .22 GC's from Vulcan. I found that one of them, an aluminum one, kind of goes on. I'll turn a steel punch that mimics the GC shank, with a slight taper, to finish forming these GC's (and at the same time remove the pronounced radius in their heels). I think it is my solution, but I'm not looking forward to that added step in the manufacturing process- I guess I'm getting tired in my old (middle) age!

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Standard Member

OU812 posted this 19 April 2016

22 Cal gas checks can be flaired easily using hand pressure. I ground and polished a tapered end on regular 1/4” steel rod (home depot). Cut a piece about 4"-6" then chuck and spin in cordless drill to turn down taper using file and fine sandpaper. I used a Dremel to grind taper while it was spinning in cordless drill, followed with 900-1200 grit sandpaper to polish. Polishing helps check slide off easily after flairing. The Dremel also helped me grind a little concave end on tool for better fit against base of gas check. I recently flaired about 270 gas checks in less than 30 minutes using this tool. Now gas checks fit all my fatter 22 caliber bullet shanks easily. Adding a piece of wood on end to fit palm of hand will help flairing larger/thicker caliber gas checks. .