All:

Just got an email from Butch regarding loading the .577 we are getting.

In his email, Butch says to you RL 15 and a 3/8" styrofoam wad over the powder. He further said to put a piece of paper between the powder and wad because the powder attacks the foam and casuse it to melt away.

Before I bother Butch with a question like this, I'm consulting the experts here.

What type of paper is Butch referring to?

Simple writing paper or something heavier?

Thanks in advance for any help you might provide.

Of course, I have no way of reading Butch's mind as to the type of paper he would use...

For my own use, to keep from melting bullet lube in high velocity cast bullet loads (that means over 2,300 fps to me), in .30-caliber rifles I use 1/64th of one ply of one sheet of 2-ply toilet tissue. I would assume for a larger bore, one could use a larger fragment of paper...perhaps in the case of the .577, about 1/16th of one ply of one sheet of the same toilet tissue.

To use, I dump the powder into the case, and push the TP into the case with a round rod big enough in diameter so that the paper remains "flat" (uncrumpled) on the way down. Then I add filler, if any and, finally, seat the bullet and crimp it if desired.

I have never found any toilet tissue remaining in the bore(s) after firing, and so long as there is no air space between the powder and the tissue, it has not been dense enough or a large enough quantity to result in "ringing" any of my chambers.

YMMV

Alberta:

Can you enlighten me on exactly what "ringing" is? I've seen it mentioned before, but need a better teacher to explain it to me.

Thanks,

Sometimes (NOT every time, but once is too often...especially in a very expensive double-rifle), using wads or anything which acts like a wad, has been reported to cause a "ring" to be formed in the chamber of some rifles when they have been fired.

The theory is that if there is an empty air space between the wad and the base of the bullet, the wad then acts as a "projectile" and the bullet acts as a "bore obstruction".

Just as a bullet striking an obstruction farther down the barrel may cause the barrel to rupture (almost certainly to at least bulge), a paper projectile striking an obstruction in the chamber MAY cause some expansion of the chamber walls at the point of peak pressure. IF it happens, that gives a fairly easily-seen "ring" around the chamber in some instances.

If the chamber "ring" is severe enough it theoretically could make extraction of fired brass, which is expanded into the ring, difficult.

This could be the subject of a very contentious thread here on AR. All kinds of theories exist on the subject, and rings have been experienced by some shooters and not by others, even where both parties have shot enormous amounts of ammo using wads.

If there is a general consensus, it seems to be that to be safe against "rings", it is better to use a filler such as Super-Grex was, or to use a very porous, flimsy, light, thin, wad which will hopefully be consumed by the powder flame as the wad does its job. Getting complete flame consumption, while still serving the wad's purpose, and NOT getting a "ring" obviously may be more an art than a science, requiring experimentation.

Good luck, whichever way you go....