Base Guard bullets

M

Montana Waddy

Inactive
Anyone shot any base guard bullets? I tested some in my 10in Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag. It did indeed remove the lead from the barrel. It required 10 rounds. I purposely leaded it just for this experiment. The 1st shot didn't do much if anything. However each subsequent shot removed the fouling. On the 10th I ran a wet patch of hoppes and then a dry patch and examined the bore. It was free of any lead fouling.
 
Do you mean gas checks?

If you mean lead bullets with gas checks, yes I have used them in 357 and 38, and find alot of advantage to the fact that they do not allow leading to build up. My only concern is if you are not a home bullet caster, can you really get them cheaper than jacketed? I also like some of the lead bullets that are copper plated all over, as they are not as expensive as factory jacketed in bulk, and seem to perform well. But other than to experiment, I consider the cost savings, if any.
 
M.W.
Where do you get base guard bullets? I have seen them described in Corbin swaging die advertising, but have not seen finished bullets for sale.
 
base guards

Base guards are a copper disk that is button swaged on the base of a bullet. It is designed when fired to expand to fit the bore of the firearm it is being used for. It scrapes down the bore of the barrel, and since it is softer than the barrel shouldn't wear any more than a jacketed bullet. A gas check will ride over lead fouling in the barrel. Because of the way these disks are made they provide a cutting edge that cuts lead but does not harm the bore. The maximum recommended velocity is 1400fps. Plenty of speed for a big bore revolver. I have found they do not work well in the older revolvers that have a larger bore than the standard offerings we enjoy now. In the .45 they work well from .452 to .458. However this is dependant on the swage diameter used. The .44 works well up to .430. I am still testing they .357 and .41. It should work with auto's but I don't have any experience yet with that avenue. I prefer lead bullets because they penetrate better than jacketed. Lead fouling being a problem. With that solved I would like to see how they perform on game.
The web site if your interested in base guard bullets is Montanaprojectile.
 
An old Idea

There was a mold and zinc washers sold for casters to place the zinc washer in the mold then pour the lead and they were sold as the molds and washers used to create Pro-Tex-Bore bullets. The idea fizzled in the early 1970's because it was labor intensive and when any of the bullets were dug from a backstop and placed on a bullet casters pot the zinc made the lead foam and ruined a pot of lead. I was the Distributor for the C-H company that sold the washers to keep die hards using them then quit due to the loud complaints from other casters who did not want to have to use an ax to take the washers off of spent bullets etc.
 
From what I've seen they expand when you hydraulically swage them to the bullet. They are cone shaped and flatten out to fit the base diameter or the bullet. When fired, being oversized for the bore, they simply scrape the bore clean as the bullet passes thru (remember a bullet is over bore size and is swaged as it goes thru the bore).
 
base guards

Thank you folks for your information. I just started making them. I was wondering if anyone had success with them. So far so good on my end. You folks were recommended to me by a benchrest shooter.
Waddy
 
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