What is best way to remove a gas check?

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  • Last Post 13 March 2018
John Alexander posted this 01 November 2017

While loading test batches of different powders I forgot to mark which power was used in one box. A week later my short term memory being what it is I had forgotten which powder.  The test would of course be worthless without knowing what powder was involved -- the point of the test. I knew it had to be either 700x or TiteGroup which have different size and color of grains.  So I pulled the bullet on one round but the gas check stayed in the neck.  I could have gotten it out by shooting but that would burn up the powder of course.

I could have easily sawed the case in half but it was one of a set of cases that i already had broken in by reloading it 45 time so didn't want to lose it. Are others that anal about losing a case? I drilled a tiny hole in the check and enlarges with bigger bits until I could get a sheet rock screw in and pulled it out. A PITA that took a while finding tiny drill bits and a sheet rock screw.

What is a better way or is everybody else sane enough to sacrifice the case?

John

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Maven posted this 01 November 2017

Some dental picks and/or needle nose pliers work for me, John.

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David Reiss posted this 01 November 2017

Inertia bullet bullet puller should work easily and salvage all. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
- Also deal in: Land, Banjos, Nails, Firearms, Manure, Fly Swatters, Used Cars, Whisky, Racing Forms, Rare Antiquities, Lead, Used Keyboard Keys, Good Dogs, Pith Helmets & Zulu Headdresses. .

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GP Idaho posted this 02 November 2017

John; Hemostats are just the ticket for removing those in the neck checks.  Just push them on in on top of the powder and grasp them sideways and out they come.  Gp

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BigMan54 posted this 02 November 2017

Did you use a COLLET BULLET PULLER or INERTIA "Hammer" ? David is right about the INERTIA HAMMER.

I've found from past experience that that the only way to pull  "gaschecked" bullet is with a "hammer". That way the gascheck comes out along with the bullet. This even worked in the old days of slip on gaschecks. You need 1 medium hit to break the crimp, and then one really hard hit to pull out the bullet all at once.

No you're not "anal" about saving brass. I once spent 20min in the weeds/7.62x39 debris field in front of the line at my old range looking for one once-fired .257rob't case. While my buddies sat in the truck all packed up ready to head home. Found it too.  

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 02 November 2017

ha ... i have spent 5 minutes crawling around in a foot of 7 degree snow recovering brass from my 257 wea. after shooting at coyotes ....  isn't it my duty ??  " never leave a brass behind " ?

ken

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358156hp posted this 02 November 2017

Hmmm... I have a few moulds that will leave the gascheck in the case if I pull the bullets, regardless of the method used to remove the bullet. I blamed my penchant for tight neck tension, I have collected some really tight carbide case sizing dies over the years, just for this purpose. Since the gascheck is effectively rammed down the throat of an already undersized case, the check will usually detach from the bullet for me. Carbide case sizers are almost all undersized anyway. Since some manufacturers (Lyman) cut their moulds with tapered gascheck shanks, some detachment of gaschecks during pulling has been inevitable for me. The first few drove me nuts figuring out a way to remove them.

The simplest solution for handgun cases is to take a pocket screwdriver and push one side of the gascheck down, the goal is to turn the check sideways in the case. The powder can then be shaken out, and you can pull the check out the case mouth without damage. You can even reflare the mouth of the check, and reuse them. For bottleneck rifle cases just push the check into the case, shake out the powder, then pull the check out of the inverted case with forceps, or heavy-duty tweezers.

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John Carlson posted this 02 November 2017

Drill a 1/8" hole in the gas check.  Screw a drywall screw into the hole.  Using the appropriate shell holder put the case in your press.  Raise the ram, grasp the drywall screw with a plier or vise grip, lower the ram to remove the check.  

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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Bud Hyett posted this 02 November 2017

Simple,

  • Take the next larger sizing button you have and install it in the die.
  • Pull the decapping pin and very slightly lube the expander button  
  • Push the gas check down while expanding the neck.
  • Pick the gascheck out with needle-nose pliers or a similar tool.
  • Disassemble the specialty tool 
  • Rebuild the correct die set.  

I have pulled gascheck bullets several times and this is the most expeditious. Be sure to lube the expander button, eases the stress and prevents case neck splits.

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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Paul Pollard posted this 02 November 2017

John,

After all the drilling of the gas check, how long did it take to separate the copper chips from the powder so that you didn’t waste any?

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David Reiss posted this 02 November 2017

Paul makes a good point about the copper chips, so I would still have to say, the inertia bullet puller. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
- Also deal in: Land, Banjos, Nails, Firearms, Manure, Fly Swatters, Used Cars, Whisky, Racing Forms, Rare Antiquities, Lead, Used Keyboard Keys, Good Dogs, Pith Helmets & Zulu Headdresses. .

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OU812 posted this 02 November 2017

I flip the gas check with small punch then use fine tip needle nose pliers.  If gas check falls back into case, you will have to fish around to grab gas check.

Dirty case necks is major cause of gas checks sticking inside case neck when pulling bullets. I use a brass bore brush to clean inside necks before reloading.

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John Alexander posted this 02 November 2017

Thanks to all for a lot of clever ideas proving once again that there is more than one way to skin a cat.  Looks like I am going to have to buy an inertia bullet puller after 60 years of avoiding it.  Also a hemostat and a finer tipped needle nose pliers.

As far as Paul's concern,  it was no problem separating the brass chips from the powder. Once I got it under a 20X microscope it took only about an hour to clean the 5.5 grains of powder. However, I am not going to go as far as cleaning case necks.

John

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OU812 posted this 02 November 2017

Keep it simple stupid smile

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John Carlson posted this 03 November 2017

I've not had a problem with chips falling in the powder.  After drilling tip the case neck down and the chips fall out.  Depending on type of powder you may lose a few grains, not enough to bust my budget.  Of course some of the other suggestions may yield a reuseable check, my way won't, though I've never tried a gas check with a hole in it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,??????????????????????.

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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BigMan54 posted this 03 November 2017

I still put ALL my loads in plastic cartridge boxes. Keeping the lots of 20,50,60 or 100 separate even if loading on a progressive. I label each box with the primer type, powder type/charge & bullet at each step. My memory is not what it used to be. Three concussions & a cracked skull can play havoc with remembering such things. Every time I load I have the "recipe" written out on an index card & stuck in a special holder in the middle of the bench. I clean any/all components from the bench & put all the components I'm going to use on the bench. 

I don't prime & then pull the powder off the shelf. That can of powder is already sitting on the bench between the empty primer tray & box of bullets. I never fill a powder measure until I'm ready to charge cases & put a sticky note tapped to the powder reservoir with the powder # on it. I empty the powder back into the can as soon as the last bullet is seated. If I don't have time to load a box, then I don't start.

Yep I'm anal. But then I haven't had to break down any ammo in so long, my RCBS inertia hammer that hangs on the wall NEAR my reloading bench has so much dust on it that if you didn't already know what it was, you wouldn't be able to recognise it.

Boy Howdy did I get off topic again. The point is; If you're REAL CAREFULL & PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING, THEN YOU DON'T NEED an Eraser on your pencil.

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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Hoppy posted this 13 March 2018

Hey, Big Man--great thoughts. The basic lesson here is that we all need to label loads and keep records!

In the CBA, we're all experimenters, and that means that we've gotta label those ammo boxes and write up the results of the things we try out. No matter what our age, we can all forget details, so we have to write a label out and tape it to the ammo box, inside or out. Want to remove the label? Simple: tape it on with ordinary "Scotch" tape, but fold a bit of one end over first so you can grab it and peel it right off. It's also helpful to make your own cartridge box labels and print up a batch of them using a computer word processor. This helps remind us what info is needed, so all we have to do is fill in the blanks. Then, when that box of ammo has been around so long that the dust bunnies are nesting on it, we can still know for sure what's in it, and whether the loads in it are safe with the gun to be used. This labeling process ought to be viewed as an essential part of the handloading business!

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