6ppc Fireforming

[mkihne]

Just another way to cap off a case with wax:

Buy a package of dental wax. The stuff I have used comes in pink sheets, about the thickness and color of the bubble gum you used to get with baseball cards(or still do, for that matter). As it is difficult to use the case mouth as a cookie cutter without losing its contents, you can place the sheet or a portion thereof, on the upright case mouth and use a small block of wood to cookie cutter a plug out of the sheet.

 

[pascal]

I have an oppurtunity to buy very cheap 55 gr 6mm softnose bullets which I would like to use for 6ppc fireforming. Are there any safety concerns or other problems I should be aware of?

I assume if you have a PPC you are interested in ultimate precision , so i submit the following very modest comment as a french BR shooter , currently in Beijing .
On the idea that when i FF i want the case well held back at the bolt face and a well centered neck and bullet , i do : polish the cases to a shiny finish , partial neck sizing ( leaving the neck unsized 0,04" ), seat high Sierra MK 70gr or an remaining lot of 68gr FB bullet and just before chambering case is lubed with thin oil not sticky stuff like imperial . FF means 2 shots per case or me . I have a dedicated FF barrel with the same reamer and same dimensions as the match barrel . Cases are shot at least a third time training or tuning before actual match use . I 'd be afraid to shoot a 55 grainer fearing it would be difficult to seat it close enough to jam , guessing jump cant bring any good to the FF process which is about blowing the case out real strong . I would leven more discourage using these 55 gr industrial bullets for barrel break in where you want even more concentricity of the bullet in the rifling during launch.

 

[pascal]

Load bullets long. Apply a thin layer of Imperial on body of case. Clean chamber out after.
Works great. 95/100 cases had a sharp shoulder. Perfect fit.
Send 4 cases to Lynwood Harrell for a custom die.
Make sure your gunsmith, uses the same reamer, on the next barrel. Barrels are like tires.
Buy a new set every year. Keeps YA out of the ditches.

buying your own reamer quickly appears as a sound idea .

 

[zippy06]

Pascal good point about a 55 gn bullet. Had not thought of that.
SMK 70 worked real good. They were cheaper at the time. Guess I was lucky.
I did a lot of FF my first year. Good practice.