The Freechec - Revisited

by Jim Taylor

Now that Hanned ( http://www.hanned.com/ ) had introduced the Freechec Tool I thought I might repost an old test that I did with the tool years ago.   A little background for those who don't know what I am talking about first:

The Freechec Tool was invented by Paco Kelly and Ed Wosika back in the last century.  The 1970's and 80's more precisely.  It is a tool that makes gaschecks for cast bullets from aluminum cans.  The first tools made gaschecks that go on non-gascheck cast bullets .... "plain-base" or "PB" bullets if you will.  Yes, you read that correctly, a  gascheck designed to go on non-gascheck bullets.

The tools went through several design changes before Ed and Paco quit making them.  The tool now being produced by Hanned is at least a 3rd Generation if not later design.  All my testing has been done with 1st and 2nd Generation Tools.

The idea is that you can take a Plain-Base Cast Bullet (PBCB) and by using a Freechec on it you can drive it at higher velocity/pressure without the attending leading problems normally encountered.  And when a Freechec is used on a bullet that has marginal lubricating abilities (whether through poor lube or inadequate lube grooves), again, the leading problems normally found can be averted.

Not only that, but there is an increase in accuracy potential.

TESTING

The tests I ran some years ago were conducted using a 7 1/2" Freedom Arms 454 Casull and the #454424 (the Keith 260 gr. semi-wadcutter) and the SSK 270-451 (the SSK truncated cone flat point 270 gr.) bullets.  The bullets were dead soft.  I cast them out of a soft 1- 40 tin and lead mixture.... about what is used in a muzzle loading rifle.  I sized all of them to .452" and lubed them with Apache Blue lube.  20 of each bullet were Plain-Based and 25 of each bullet had a Freechec installed on it. 

All bullets were loaded over 20 gr. of 2400 in .45 Colt cases and gave a velocity of a little over 1300 fps.

Firing was done as follows:

With a clean barrel, 5 shots were fired fairly rapidly at some rocks on the hillside.  Then I reloaded the gun and fired 5 from a rest on a target at 25 yards.  I then reloaded the gun and fired 5 more at the hillside (to dirty the barrel if possible) and then fired the last 5 rounds on the target from a rest.  All groups were measured and marked.

When I switched from the Plain-Base (PB) bullets to the Freechec bullets I cleaned the gun thoroughly before shooting it so that the Freechec bullet was started out with a clean barrel just as the PB bullet was.

Test 1:  #454424 plain-base

The first groups with the Plain-base Keith bullet measured 2 5/8" and 3" respectively, with the barrel heavily leaded by the end of the 20 shots.

Test 2:  #454424 with Freechec installed

I cleaned the bore and then ran the Freechec Keith bullets as above.  The Freechec groups were 1 3/4" and 2" and the barrel stayed clean.  It was a little dirty looking, but one pass with a brass brush and it was clean.

Test 3: SSK 270-451 plain-base

Next I cleaned the bore carefully, then ran the SSK bullet.  This bullet has a much smaller grease groove than the Keith bullet and is prone to lead easier.  The Plain-Base bullets went into groups of 2 1/4" and 4 1/16" and left the bore CRUSTY!  Badly leaded, it took me quite a while to get it clean.

Test 4: SSK 270-451 with Freechec installed

The SSK bullets with the Freechec installed were then fired and both groups measured 1 7/8". The bore stayed clean!

Comments

I don't know how many shots could have been fired using the soft alloy bullets and still not have the bore lead.  But 20 shots is more than you will normally fire in most hunting situations and these would have been ideal hunting loads.  The bullets were soft enough to expand in light animals such as deer and I think would have proven very effective.

USE

I have used the Freechec since that time on cast bullets in rifles and found it to work in that application also.  It is a great tool for the cast bullet experimenter who is trying to get the most performance out of his own bullets.  And it works well for hunting applications.  With some testing and experimenting, a softer-than-normal bullet can often be run at hunting velocities allowing the bullet to expand on game.

VELOCITIES

These velocities were recorded at 7 feet from muzzle to the first screen. I have no explanation as to why some ran faster with the Freechec and some ran slower.  Much more testing should be done in that regard and I just have never done it.  I can say that overall accuracy is improved by using the Freechec and accuracy is more of a benchmark with me than velocity is.

Note: ALL LOADS FIRED IN A FREEDOM ARMS 454 CASULL
All loads in .45 Colt cases using Federal Large Pistol primers

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