ThomasC.
Well-Known Member
I had loaded some cast SWC 44 with Gas Check (215 gr) many years ago. Is used a pretty stiff charge of Unique for my 44 mags. I THINK i compressed a charge, so they were full strength and perhaps were intended for my Ruger 44 carbine,
They sort of hid out and I found a box of them and decided to shoot them last week. My buddy, also a handloader and experience shooter commented they were a little noisy and my BE a offhand single handed grip agreed. I had some difficulty ejecting the 5 shot string and had to lightly rap the ejector rod on my SW 629. After we talked, I decided and he agreed that the remainder were not suitable for the Smith and I was going to pull them and scale back to the 44 Special loads that I shoot now.
The first one only took two blows from the Lyman Kinetic puller. But, I inspected the case. Then the second one was different. These bullets had a cast in gas check. The second one had the gas check still in place....maybe a little past the seating depth, but was rigid. I pulled the remaining 13 and 6 or the 15 had the gas checks still in place. My first thought was to shoot them out. It was interesting that I could see powder in the Lyman puller. Called my buddy and we contrived a solution.
Put the 44 mag shell holder in a vice. Then with hearing protection and safety glasses, I used a center punch and gently tapped one side of the gas check trying to dislodge or tip or tilt it. First one was a piece of cake. But each one was different. I had to use surgical forceps to lock onto the lip of the gas check and then it popped out. Had a full charge, I think, behind each one.
The thing that fooled me was that there was powder coming out when I dumped the Lyman. I was skimming or scraping the side wall of the Lyman puller.
Bottom line, if you salvage or pull cast Bullets, always check the shell to make sure that a gas check was not left in place.
Been loading since 1968....learn something every time...
They sort of hid out and I found a box of them and decided to shoot them last week. My buddy, also a handloader and experience shooter commented they were a little noisy and my BE a offhand single handed grip agreed. I had some difficulty ejecting the 5 shot string and had to lightly rap the ejector rod on my SW 629. After we talked, I decided and he agreed that the remainder were not suitable for the Smith and I was going to pull them and scale back to the 44 Special loads that I shoot now.
The first one only took two blows from the Lyman Kinetic puller. But, I inspected the case. Then the second one was different. These bullets had a cast in gas check. The second one had the gas check still in place....maybe a little past the seating depth, but was rigid. I pulled the remaining 13 and 6 or the 15 had the gas checks still in place. My first thought was to shoot them out. It was interesting that I could see powder in the Lyman puller. Called my buddy and we contrived a solution.
Put the 44 mag shell holder in a vice. Then with hearing protection and safety glasses, I used a center punch and gently tapped one side of the gas check trying to dislodge or tip or tilt it. First one was a piece of cake. But each one was different. I had to use surgical forceps to lock onto the lip of the gas check and then it popped out. Had a full charge, I think, behind each one.
The thing that fooled me was that there was powder coming out when I dumped the Lyman. I was skimming or scraping the side wall of the Lyman puller.
Bottom line, if you salvage or pull cast Bullets, always check the shell to make sure that a gas check was not left in place.
Been loading since 1968....learn something every time...
