Just a report on things and 1 question. I just got a new Taurus Tracker in 45 ACP for my wife. It is a really nice piece. 4 in BBl, ported, stainless, 5 shot with full moon clips. It is slick. I loaded up some commercial 250gr rnfp boolits over 7.5 gr of HS-6. I don't have a chronograph with me in the village so I am only guessing that they might be going about 800fps. The felt recoil is less sharp than factory hard ball loads but gives a pretty decent push. The nice thing is these loads cycle my auto perfectly also with a 22lb recoil spring in it. They are minute of pop can at 25 yds. I haven't tried them on paper yet. If anybody has a manual that lists HS-6 and 250 gr. boolits or a powley computer, or wanted to try this load over a chronograph I would be intersted in a more accurate estimate of the velocity. There are no signs of pressure with this load and I don't think I will increase it since my wife seems to like the recoil level and my auto gobbles them up and tthrows the empties into a neat pile about 3 ft to the side.
My other question is about the removal of the gas check recess from a Lee mold. I have the 45cal 300 gr mold and don't need a gas check at the velocities that I shoot it at in my 45LC. Can I just grind it out carefully with a Dremel tool and clean up any irregularities with the sizing die? I would think that even if I ended up a little oversize it would be sized back to 452 in the sizer.
Thanks,350mag

Bought it for your wife.... right. There is data for 250's out there in the 45ACP. I'm not where I can get to it, but it's there. As far as the mould, I'd take it to a machine shop and have them grind, plane, mill, shape (yes shapers do still exist), or lathe turn the gas check shank right off. My results with Mr. Dremel have been none too inspiring where it really mattered.

.........You certainly could use a Dremel for the deal. Be prepared to throw the mould away, just in case. Problem with a Dremel is the bit 'grabbing' and then zinging around the interior of the cavity or gouging a hunk out of the edge.

It'd take a steady hand and a steely eye. Not to mention a fine spiral fluted bit :-). A couple small 'whoopsies' would probably iron out in the sizer die.

The problem with having a machine shop do it is setup time. Once set up the op would take maybe 15 seconds. To get the cavity running straight and parallel is the deal. If you had a buddy working in a machine shop ........... :-)

The other option is to use a drill press. Clamp the blocks securely in the vise which is or will be bolted to the bedplate. Use a pointed rod to indicate center of the parting line inside the cavity to set it up. Then either drill it out with a suitable bit (fractional or metric to get close). Airgas company sells reamers in .001" increments, and some are in .0005" jumps. With metrics considered you can get almost ANY diameter. These cheaper (but good enough)ones of that size will run about $10-12 + postage.

You're only wanting to remove a vey thin bit of aluminum so if you were at all handy you could easily make a cutting tool out of a modified wood spade bit. Regardless what you do, setup is of paramount importance. Crappy setup in the finest machine will generate junk.

..........Buckshot

No, I really did get it for my wife! She even picked it out. She could shoot my 1911 fine, she just doesn't understand semi-autos and all of the monkey motion of the slide and stuff worried her. She just wanted a gun she could take with her when she walks on the tundra or takes her snowmobile for a trip.
I don't have any access to a machine shop. The nearest one is probably in Anchorage 500 miles east. I do have an excellent selection of Dremel bits and if I am careful can probably make it work. I will try it and let you all know.
350mag

Ken...my Speer number nine manual has this load for a 45 autorim for a swaged 250 gr semi-wadcutter fired out of a Model 25 Smith with a 6 1/2 inch barrel. 7.4 grs of H-6 for 700 fps and top load of 7.8 grs of H-6 for 787 fps.

Joe

You should just try shooting that bullet without a gas check, you'd be surprised how well most gc bullets shoot without them.

regards,
Graycg

Ken, is it really a big hassel to just put the gas check on when you size? I have had no problems at all with my .44 300 grainer. I may have found another 5 gallon bucket of w.w. by the way. Let me know if you need some. Burdick gave me 25 pounds of lead fishing weights, all cast to various sizes. I may melt them into bullet's when i find out what to add to it. Sounds like clarice has a nice gun, at least she has sense enough to not shoot one of those .45 auto things. Will the new revolver be accurate enough for retarted dog hunting?

Ken E.

I would think your problem would be a lead source!
Not much reason to put a wheel weight on a snow machine, airplane, or outboard!
LouisB

Boolits that require a gas check will most probably demand that they be applied. The exception is when the boolit exactly fits the gun without a check, allowing no gas escape around its edges when fired, and more particullary a perfectly circular gas escape around the crown after the boolit tail leaves the barrel. The ass end of a boolit should be made as tough as possible. ... felix

Greg, I would be happy to have some more lead. Either some of the wheel weights we melted down before or some of the lead Mark gave you(us?). The Post Office has some prepaid priority mail envelopes that are $3.85 for whatever you can fit in them. You might be able to get several of the ingots in them or some flat lead sheets or whatever. I would rather save gas checks for boolits that need them and not have to worry abot whether they are on straight or not. On this particular Lee mould they don't just push into place like they do on some others. I wouldn't be surprised if the gas check shank is a little oversized anyway.
350mag
P.S. Greg, at least my dog will stay at home. Had to find your puppy at the neighbors recently?

Ken, does it have to be HS6? I am looking at one of my chrono tapes and load data for 45 Auto Rim shot in a Colt 1917. 5.0 W231 was 790 fps with a Lee 255 gr FN. Same revolter and boolit with 4.4 Green Dot was 765. btw, the Lee 255 FN is quite a boolit - really BIG meplat.

OR, 6.5 Unique and the RCBS 230 Cowboy boolit that Tony likes so well went 916 fps in the same Colt 1917. Just lettin' ya know facts what I got in front of me.

Understand your problem of being 'away' from things the rest of us take for granted - 'course that's not all bad, either. I have some primed 45AR on the bench, some of the same Lee 255 grainers, and some HS6. Can I do anything to help? sundog

Sundog, The only pistol powders I have out here are HS-6, Win 571, 296 and H-110. I might be able to get my hands on some others from another teacher in the next village up river but it will be easier when it freezes and I can take the snowmobile. Then it will only be a 45min trip but now it is a couple of hours and a lot of gas by boat. I have found that HS-6 isn't really the best in many cases but is usable in most. I would really be interested in what you can get out of those componants over a chrony. I would also consider going to a heavier boolit too, but the Taurus is really throated short and I can't seat the boolit out very far at all. Recoil is an issue since my wife is not an experienced shooter at all. I feel really good about her even wanting a gun and don't want to put her off it at all. I expect I may be about at her rec oil limit and will have to wait and work up to heavier loads later.
Ken

Ken, HS6 and 571 are essentially the same powder (oh boy, here we go on powder comparisons, again - are, too - are, not - are, too - are, not, etc) and 296 and 110 are not suitable for 45AR. Sooo, you want me to find a HS6 load and put a few over the chrono with the Lee 255s? That would at least give you a idear of what yer dealin' with. I can build with the load Starmetal mentioned. sundog

sundog...that load come out of the latest Hodgdon's reloading magazine.

Joe

Sundog, I'd sure appreciate anything you can come up with. I just ordered the Lee 252gr swc. I might be able to seat them out a little farther. I had heard that 571 and HS-7 were the same and HS-6 and 540? werethe same. I needed another mold anyway. Plus my wife suggested she might be interested in learning how to cast. I told her I had ordered some stuff for her new gun and she thanked me for being so considerate. I might have created a monster.
I just got back from an evening trip up river looking for moose. Saw a cow and 2 calves but no bulls yet. If I get a chance I am going to try the Lee 300gr rnfp 15.5gr 571 in 45LC out of my blackhawk.
350mag

Ken, yes you are right. HS6 and 540; HS7 and 571. As an aside, HS7 makes a nice midrange .357 load with the 358156. Due to personal schedule I have the afternoon partly free, so I might just dink around with this if I have time. About seating them long. That's probably possible as the Lee boolit has two grease grooves and a crimp groove. Just seat crimp in the forward grease groove, as there's lots of boolit there. It'll also reduce pressure a tad so you might be able to go a little higher, if desired, and if they'll chamber. If you are using a really good quality lube like Felix Lube, one greased groove is enough. sundog

Hey Ken, I never heard. Did you get the lead I sent back in July or late June?

Hi Ric, I don't think I did. The last lead I got was in May from 458Lott in the form of Boolits I will check with the postmaster and see if there is a heavy envelope laying around in the back he forgot to give to me. I didn't get back to the village until the middle of August.I think he is out moose hunting now, the weather is good and the moose are out.
Ken

Okay, Ken, the HS6 load shot poorly enough in the Colt 1917 that I did not even get out the chrono. I did shoot some more Unique just to be sure, but it appears that HS6 is just too slow for the Colt - really BIG groups. Might work okay for you, but it just seems too slow. We gave it a 'shot' anyway. I noticed on the can (plastic container) that there were loads listed for 40S&W, anf 9mm, both much higher pressure rounds than 45 auto. btw, highest charge I tried was 7.8 and it left alot of trash in the bbl. sundog

Ken - I hope you find it there. I was a bit of an "over-achiever" in the packing, and got a dubious look from the postmaster. With any luck it held together. I didn't think they could throw the package near as far as they usually do.

Sundog,
I am surprised the HS-6 load was so horrible for you. 7.5 gr functioned perfectly in my 1911 and was minute of pop can at 25 yds out of the Taurus. I still have quite a few loaded so I will try them on paper as soon as I can.
Ric, I haven't had a chance to get to the post office since I had meetings after school today. Plus the postmaster is out moose hunting and probably won't be back until he gets one.
Off topic but nice anyway, I went ptarmigan hunting for our Saturday school last weekend. I had to tell the students to leave their .22 in the office until we were ready to leave and I got paid to take a 5 mile hike with 5 students while we hunted birds. Gotta love teaching in the bush. I did have the Blackhawk with 300gr rnfp with me in case.(on topic) I didn't see any birds but did see a nice red fox.
350Mag

Ken....I've had pretty good luck doing small "laps" on moulds with an electric variable speed drill.

Take a bolt larget than your cavity and a file and cut the head of your bolt to the basic dimensions you want using the drill as a lathe.

Then use the bolt head as a grinder to lightly take the dimensions to what you want. The home made cutting tool is more or less smooth and cuts slower than does a grinding tool in a dremel and as a result, produces less "ah shits".

I've used this method on meehanite but not on aluminum but it should work better than a dremel cutter./beagle