Fireforming case in a residential neighborhood

[Iron Worker]

Using corn meal method fire forming standard 22-250 to Ackley Improved . One poster said results he has ever seen was a partially blow out case. I figured got to be a better way. So I first loaded 6grs of unique with CCI Mag primer stuffed with tissue paper and corn meal and topped of with wax. But how loud is it? Low and behold I have a rolled up carpet. So I lay that out on back porch check for neighbors stick BBL in carpet pull the trigger " Bang" "Hey that was nothing" check case and its partially blown," Oh dang" Well one more try this time 10 grs of unique all the rest the same stick BBL in carbet a BAAAANNNNGGGG !!!!! But carpet muffles the sound I bet by 85% . Nobody noticed a thing and the cartridge case formed perfectly. However the carpet was smoking a bunch.

 

[britz]

I had some mag primers in cases that I wanted to get rid of so I just shot them in my basement. I too wanted to muffle the sound so I put the muzzle in a pile of rags and fired. I did about 20 and decided to see what was happening to the rags. I was supprized to see a whole lot of burnt residue and some of the rags had tried to ignite. So, the MOTS is to watch out for the carpet catching on fire

 

[wm5l]

I love living in the country!

 

[Iron Worker]

Oh and what country ?

Life isn't fair? Where do you reside?

 

[AlbertaAl]

fireforming without messy wax

I fireform many calibres with cream-of-wheat using 700x powder
From PPC to 300 Win Mag,,,22BR, 22-250AI. 243AI, 25-06, 7mmSTW
Starting low I increase powder amounts until my case if formed and display sharp shoulders (rounded shoulders need more powder)
If your fired round has black powder coating the outside of the case then you need to add more powder.
I put the powder into the case, then add creak of wheat dry cereal to the top of the case mouth, then pack the wheat gently and firmly using an alan wrench that fits the inside neck. Then I stuff a ball of dacron fibre into the neck using the alan srench. Then I use scissors the hsircut any of the dacron hairs that stickup above the case mouth.
I have NEVER had a misfire or negative results.

Work up in 1 gr incriments (very fast powder)
Don't shoulder the rifle, and let the barrel cool.

"I shoot in the backyard of a populated area into an augered hole in the ground." ....very safe and very quiet
pic > 243AI brass being formed

Lots of fun
AlbertaAl

 

[RT2506]

I have a friend that is a gun smith and his shop is in a populated area inside the city. He took a big concrete drain tile with about a two foot opening and about 6 feet long and buried it on a 45 degree angle in the ground and placed a thick piece of old carpet over the opening with a slit cut into the center of it so the barrel of a weapon could be stuck into it. He uses it to function test weapons that he works on. All you hear from a full house load is a big WOMP.

 

[metricman]

In his book on designing and forming custom cartridges Ken Howell describes a technique for forming cases with fast burning powder and inert filler. Two points that he makes are to use pistol primers and to hold the rifle in a vertical position when discharging the round.

merticman

 

[Iron Worker]

Why pistol primers

In his book on designing and forming custom cartridges Ken Howell describes a technique for forming cases with fast burning powder and inert filler. Two points that he makes are to use pistol primers and to hold the rifle in a vertical position when discharging the round.

merticman

Vertical position meaning muzzle up or down? Pistol primers

 

[metricman]

Vertical position meaning muzzle up or down? Pistol primers

Not having employed the technique myself, I presumed from the description it meant muzzle up. But it seems to be less of an issue than the primers.
Ken states that using pistol primers is important to keep pressures from getting too high too fast.

metricman