Gas Check Question

[gaucho1]

Hi Guys

Erich has interested me in reloading wadcutters for my airweight snubbies.
I agree with the full diameter hole cutting and penetration understanding.

Do you think it will in effect "sharpen and strengthen" the front edges of the lead wadcutter to add a gascheck to the front?

Any issues with having gaschecks at both ends?

Does this idea have any merit?

Please tell me what you think.

 

[gaucho1]

Hi Guys

Erich has interested me in reloading wadcutters for my airweight snubbies.
I agree with the full diameter hole cutting and penetration understanding.

Do you think it will in effect "sharpen and strengthen" the front edges of the lead wadcutter to add a gascheck to the front?

Any issues with having gaschecks at both ends?

Does this idea have any merit?

Please tell me what you think.

 

[John R]

Gas checks are an added expense in handguns, gas check bullets are made to except the gas check, so I doubt you'll find one that would take one on both ends unless you get a mold made special.

 

[john traveler]

I knew a fellow that experimented with gas checks on the front of his revolver cast bullets, and to his surprise, discovered a "ringed" bore one day when cleaning. It was speculation that the gas check somehow came loose, became a bore obstruction, and the following bullet ringed the bore. I wouldn't load them like that.

 

[James57]

I really don't see any benefit myself. If there is a need for jackets on both ends, why not just load fjm and get it over with? Less trouble to load and not likely to harm the bore either.

 

[nicky4968]

In the bad old days when everyone was experimenting, we came up with the hollow-base wadcutter loaded upside down, which gave impressive expansion even at low velocities.
Problem was, the bullet was designed so that the gases would expand the hollow base for obduration. Without that expansion, the hollow-base wadcutters leaded the barrels something awful.
By putting a gas check on the "nose" of the hollow-base wadcutter (now the base), we significantly reduced leading.
Then better cast and/or jacketed bullets came along that would expand at .38 Special velocities and we returned to using the hollow-base wadcutter in applications that it had been designed for.
There used to be (and probably still is) a full-jacketed wadcutter for ranges that did not allow the use of lead. There are some very interesting designs on the Corbin site. One of these two would probably satisfy your needs, and safely, too.

 

[gaucho1]

I checked the Corbin site.Very interesting.

The whole safe-stop Jim Cirrilo thing is what got me thinking about this.

He modified jacketed bullets to make the wadcutter cylinders to create a tough and sharp edge in the front.

I know about Berry and Rainer plated wadcutters.I have read they are very soft and will lose shape on striking.

Corbin has a flat "base quard" that fits on a dimple in the center.

I guess a hardcast wadcutter is the simple answer to what I am thinking.

Thank you for the replys and advise.