TECH TIPS - POST UP YOUR TRICKS OF THE TRADE

[abpt1]

TECH TIPS - POST UP YOUR TRICKS OF THE TRADE

This is for those little known or unique loading techniques and methods. I am also including casting in with this.

Add your's or a link to a good one elsewhere.

STARTING WITH ABPT1'S CASTING THREAD:

[stubbicatt]

Slick bro. Nice setup there, even with a vent hood. Very nice indeed.

[AKTexas]

And I thought I had a nice set up.

[O.S.O.K.]

Indeed. Very nice!

I do all of my casting outside. I tend to cast a lot of different types rather than a whole bunch of one caliber.

I use all the major brands of molds - depending on which manufacturer has the particular design that I'm looking for.

I'm kind of partial to Lee's dies though - they are just amazing for the low cost IMHO.

Here's a few pics of some of my work:

Some Lee 310 grain .431" gas check:



Here's some .314" Lyman's for my SMLE's:




A selection - Lee .501" 440 grian, the Lee 310 .431" and some Oregon trail 170 gr fp's that I put gas checks on: The cartridge shown is a 500 S&W with a Berry's 350 grain plated bullet.



And here I am with the camp skinner with the little boar hog that I shot with the .44 Mag Marlin on my shoulder - with the 44 310 grain boolits shown above:

[awp101]

Meh, you guys are making this a LOT harder than it needs to be...:

[O.S.O.K.]

Man, and all this time I thought I had to melt the lead first.... what an idiot I've been

OK - LET'S MAKE THIS A BOOLIT CASTING PIC THREAD. POST UP YOUR EQUIPEMENT, CASTING BENCH, UNIQUE EQUIPMENT, BOOLITS, ETC. - ALL TO DO WITH CASTING.

[abpt1]

I like a very fine crimp on my 5.56 loads and since my brass is all once fired its hard to see a fine crimp over a heavy crimp. So I set my die up and use a marker to color the case mouth and once you crimp the case the marker comes off and you can see your crimp line perfectly .

[O.S.O.K.]

Nice tech tip

[abpt1]

Nice tech tip

Thanks ...

Hey O.S.O.K. do you think can we get a sticky for tech tips ?

[O.S.O.K.]

OK, but I'm going to fold casting into it - I don't like too many stickies at the top.

[abpt1]

Great !
Thank you .

I have a http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=570611 for getting the run out right I only use it for my bolt action guns

[O.S.O.K.]

I like to use a permanent marker for testing overall cartridge length in rifles. I mark the ogive of the bullet and then carefully chamber the round and remove - if there's contact with the lands of the rifling, it will show on the bullet.

This is a crude way of checking this, but it does keep you from jamming the bullet into the rifling.

I have a Stoney Point Overall Cartridge Length Comparitor tool with various caliber modified casings to get a more exact read on this.

I will often start with the bullets loaded to .005" off of the lands - test propellant charges and then, I'll take the best one and then vary the bullet seating depth to see if I can improve on the the accuracy.

Sometimes, the best accuracy is with the bullet seated way off of the rifling, though usually, not. Usually it's best nearer to the lands.

Also, interestingly, I have found two 'sweet' spots with a load - one near the lands and the other with the bullet seated farther out...

What this is really doing is fine-tuning the exit of the bullet from the muzzle in relation to the barrel vibration patern.