What is meant by " Gas Check " ?

i have just started to reload and the term gas check has come up in conversations with other experienced reloaders...but i would like to know what it means also. Is there a difference between bullets perhaps?
 
" Gas Check "

Thin copper cup that get crimped onto the base of a cast bullet that is designed to use a gas check.

Allows you shoot much higher velocity than a plain base bullet without leading.
 
Yup, lead bullets at over 1000 fps tend to lead up badly. You can try harder alloys, but the end result is the same. To push them faster, mold makers began cutting molds with a squared recess at the base so the caster could crimp on a gilding metal cup. It protected the base and scrapped lead out of the rifling.

Some reloaders swore by them, and some at them.
 
One other thing. With cast lead (alloy) bullets the case mouth must be opened up a bit, or belled, so the bullet won't scrape lead off of it as it is loaded. The case mouth is where a case normally first gives out, ie, cracks. Belling the case every time will obviously shorten the case life. Thus, one tends to open up the mouth the bare minimum required.
With a copper gas check on the base of the bullet the case has to be opened up only a very little bit, giving much better case life than if they were opened up more, as for a pure alloy bullet.
 
"...case mouth must be opened up a bit..." Only for a handgun cartridge. Bottle necked rifle cartridges get chamfered on the inside of the case mouth instead.
 
"Gas, Check" = Making sure I look at my fuel gauge before I get on the highway to go to Epps to buy more reloading components.

But seriously, I was perusing an issue of some reloading magazine and the author of an article was talking about the "Lost Art of Lead Bullets" (WTF?) and he was talking about buying zinc washers from the hardware store to use as gas checks. (Double WTF?) There's some mighty strange stuff out there in gun-land.
 
IIRC the zinc washer was placed in the hot mould then the bullet was poured through it a bit at the base of the bullet, there was also a wax gas check that was placed under the bullet during loading that was supposed to protect the base of the bullet as well.
 
I use the Hornady gas checks for my .30 cals and .357mag (Sometimes I trip over the edge of CDF (common dog F&*@) and use them on .38Spl.
Applied with with Lee resizing die and yes I Love Lee. Higginson Powders in Ont is your man

Tex sends
 
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