I need to move the shoulder up and flaten out the bumps on my 30-375 Ruger wildcat. I have heard of prople using Cream-O-Wheat over a stiff charge. Is this advisable? Crazy? If it's viable, anyone have advice? Is cinnamon okay?

Thanks,
Ted

NEVER use Instant COW of any flavor! I would advise using a bullet seated out long enough to hold the case back against the bolt and, firing a normal charge.

depending one the case changes the fireforming load...

you will have to try and work up to a safe load, becase fireforming still is loud and has lots of pressure.

we use ---start at 10 grains and work up, bullseye and cornmeal/cream of wheat .. and a packing peanut to hold it in...

when you get the right load it will be bang, formed case

jeffr

quote:

Originally posted by eddieharren:
NEVER use Instant COW of any flavor! I would advise using a bullet seated out long enough to hold the case back against the bolt and, firing a normal charge.

This is good advise. Even though there be not a cannelure use a reasonable crimp. If you have to press a little hard on the bolt handle you're probably doing the right thing.roger

For doing what you are doing, Eddie and Roger are on target. COW was used to initially fire form cases that were radically different from the original case. An example: I made 7.62Mauser cases from .223Win brass back when you just could not get the mauser brass or 9mm WinSuper or Magnum or whatever Winchester called their long 9mm. It required cutting the 223 case, sizing, trimming and turning the neck.

Before trimming and turning the neck, I'd shoot a load of COW over a medium powder charge. (You put a wad between the COW and powder.) I found that I got better result with bird shot and loaded about 70gr of bird shot in place of the COW. It rounded out the cases better and left the barrel in better shape.

My first bullet load was a mild load to do what you are doing here.

There is a place for "filler" in case forming, but for shifting the shoulder to correct head space, follow Eddie's lead. Kudude

I use 10 grains of Bullseye and a .32 ACP bullet, my son loves fireforming for me

O.K. If you are going down from .375 to .308, then you should be able to leave a "shoulder"/ bump/ "base of the neck bump" / just ahead of the body of the case to headspace on. You will need to trial and error to set the die for necking down. As I recall the .375 is considered "rimless" and headspaces on the shoulder normally. Awful new to me. (Rimed round, no problem. Headspace on rim. I remember that.)

With this bump at the base of the neck, you should be able to load a near full load and bullet and fireform that way. It will also set your headspace at minimum for maximum case life.

Fire forming is no big deal. One fella many years ago was filling cases 1/2 with 2400, .219 Don Wasp I think, and just firing them "up." Seemed like a terrible waste of 2400 to me, but it was not my bill/bucks/ 2400, etc.

With much faster powders, you use less to get the run up in pressure and some "hydralic" filler to press on the case body. Cream of Wheat.

(Cinamon should not matter, you won't be eating it later anyway. I would keep the cinamon and use up the apple which I like less but you suit yourself.) Corn meal. Flour is a bit dense. Be green, fire it into something that you can spread on the garden or lawn later.

Stiff charge. I would not call it that with BE and corn meal. With a bullet and normal load,-?- o.k. first paragraph.

I did a couple hundred cases with corn meal firing into old newspaper and then spread the shredded paper around. THIS HAS ALOT OF FORCE. Please be extra careful. No, you don't shoot at the dog (or child) to scare it...!!! I was shocked at the force and the shredding of the paper. I did not expect that and might have tried to "admonish" the dog... But that was me, younger. A LOT younger... luck.

I've used both methods to fireform, I use 11 gr of unique in a 6.5 gibbs (270 win case) and 20 gr of unique with a 7mm Allen Mag (338 lapua) I started with COW but the force that shredded the newspaper is actually the abrasive quality of the COW, now to fireform with unique and filler I use corn meal, might be a lil denser but not as abrasive, don't know if cow will harm a barrel but just taking a precaution.
Now I've found that the unique/filler,toilet paper plug uses more brass from the case body to form the shoulder than does a bullet, so you end up with thicker necks using unique/CM/TP.
clean fifle thouroughly after using filler.
RR